After leaving our car behind in Székesfehérvár (amidst some concerns that it might get jacked), we left for the capital of Hungary, Budapest! Having settled nicely into our apartment at Ferenciek tere, we decided to cross the Danube from Pest and head up the Gellért Hill on Buda. And boy, it sure was beautiful up here. Add to the fact that we went up just as the sun decided to call it a day, the skyline of Budapest was truly a magnificent sight.
Seen in this album cover is the beautiful skyline of Budapest, with the Buda Castle, Parliament Building and the Chain Bridge connecting Buda and Pest in (almost) full view.
Part 1 of our Budapest adventure is here...
Trio shot at the foot of Gellért Hill! Took us quite a while to get this right because the camera settings meant we had to freeze in our position for up to 3 seconds. So many experimental shots that didn't make the grade here...
Zoom lens put to use... Seen here in the distance is a small part of the Sziget Eye (also known as the Budapest Eye), Europe's largest mobile Ferris Wheel. Further back, the spires of St Stephen's Basilica. Both of which are bathing in the glow of the beautiful sunset!
Not yet at the top but still capturing every moment of our relaxing climb up!
This is neither the Chain Bridge or the Liberty Bridge, but the Elisabeth Bridge. Named after Elisabeth of Bavaria of the Austria-Hungary empire, this bridge connects Buda and Pest where the Danube in Budapest is the most narrow. So maybe it's the shortest bridge of the 3?
Another Trio shot and one of my favourites. "Sitting" on a bench with no seats. We're clearly still having a good rest. Wonder what's on Giuseppe's mind?
The Buda Castle, a Budapest World Heritage Site, does not have the conventional castle look but it still looks majestic in the evening sun.
So after the short climb up and down, we needed dinner because we're in Hung(a)ry and we were starving. After 2 yummy soups and some dessert, I think the Citrus Lemonade (complete with 4 different citrus fruits) also deserved to be recognized with a thumbs up!
Considering that it was our last night as a trio, we figured it'd be a good idea to go on a late night photography stroll. Here we are, back at the Elisabeth Bridge being greeted by the night lights of the Buda Castle.
CAMERAmbo Giuseppe: This is how you hold a tripod when you don't need it!
Closer look at the Chain Bridge with the Parliament Building at the back. If you look closely, there are actually yellow spots hovering above the Parliament. Quite sure those were actually bats. Maybe Batman (Italian pronunciation) was in town. What do you think, Giuseppe?
The Széchenyi Chain Bridge, in all its night lights glory. Much of it was destroyed during the Siege of Budapest but was thankfully restored in 1949. According to the Hungarians, people regarded it as an engineering wonder when it was first built up. If you're measuring it in terms of significance, I suppose you could say that it is to Budapest what the Brooklyn Bridge is to New York.
When there's a significant landmark, you'll bet there has to be a trio shot. So here we are, with the Chain Bridge (just the glow of it) in the background and that was it for the day. Funny enough, after this shot was captured, the bridge night lights switched off entirely. In fact, all the night lights along the other bridges were also switched off.
With a rather tight schedule, because we needed to send Giuseppe off to the Budapest-Keleti train station for his train back to Graz, we decided to be heroes and headed to Heroes Square.
Hősök tere, as it is known in Hungarian, is another Budapest icon, that's on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The Millennium Monument has a cenotaph in front that says "To the memory of the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of our people and our national independence."
Just before we headed to the thermal bath to have a quick look, I decided to be a little crazy and got a shower on my own at the gardens.
The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath is Europe's largest medicinal bath. It's said to help with joint related problems. Guess we weren't that tired to the extent that we needed a relaxing dip in it. Catching a glimpse of this extremely crowded thermal bath was still an interesting one.
The Dohány Street Synagogue, is also known as The Great Synagogue because it is the largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. If you think this looks like the Central Synagogue in New York, you're not wrong. The Central Synagogue was built as "a copy" of this.
Just glancing up from down below and feeling really really small. I guess most churches, synagogues and temples do tend to be big to remind people of how small we are. But I know for certain that however small and unworthy I am, I have been saved by a BIG God who loves every one of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment