2024 Sept 27 Friday

Budapest

The day was overcast but no rain was predicted. We were ready for a grocery run and getting some laundry done before heading out sightseeing.

12:19 pm to 6:25 pm. 6.2 miles, 17,759 steps. Elevation +559.

Richard recorded his Relive video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vKv2g9VzzoO

This guy on a nearby wall looks stern.
The St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the largest church in Budapest, a neoclassical building built in 1851 and then renovated and consecrated in 1905. It is dedicated to the first Hungarian king, St. Stephen.
The St. Stephens altar.
St. Stephen, first king of Hungary.
The Archangel Gabriel is holding the Sacred Crown sent by Pope Sylvester II in the year of the Millenial.
This is the sacred relic from St. Stephen. St. Stephen died in 1038 and he was canonized in 1083, but his right hand was not found and brought to Budapest until 1944.
Richard is standing with the chain bridge to his back.
The chain bridge guarded by lions.
The fisherman’s bastion with St Mattias’s church.

Heading up the stairs, we hear a violin solo. Click to hear it too.

We are here in the Fisherman’s Bastion. The statue is St. Stephen.
St Matthias Church..
Budapest Tower, heavily damaged in WWII.
The Parliament Building, across the river in Pest.
The Chain bridge at sundown. Heading back from Castle Hill.
Our apartment is near the Ferris wheel and carnival area, back across the river in Pest.

4 Responses

  1. Wow! I love the scenery and churches in Budapest! And now we have lions instead of dragons…seems like there are many more tourists in your photos of Budapest. Must be a popular destination. Was St. Stephen a knight?? Was he in the crusades? I forget the time period. Glad to see you are still enjoying all the travels and sightseeing, and appear to be still healthy! Karen and Rob leave Tuesday for their trip – they’ll be gone until the end of October, so no mahjong for me to lose for at least 3 weeks…

    1. Your post has had me a bit stumped because I’m not sure how to define a knight. Stephen grew up as a prince but after he took power when his father died, he had to fight to defend his kingdom, even against his uncle. He did lead his army into battle, but was generally known for a period of relative stability. He encouraged his subjects to give up pagan ways.
      I forgot that Karen and Rob are traveling again but wish them fun times and safe traveling. We’ll be home soon to play.

  2. We remember the long trudge up all the steps to the top of castle hill. The views of the city were spectacular from there so it was worth the grind. (What’s this about drinking wine 50 years ago. You weren’t of legal age yet!) You are going to have fun later organizing all your pictures and reliving all these wonderful memories! Thanks for the video tour, Richard. Know it takes up your time but very enjoyable to watch.
    Dan

    1. The pathways up castle hill were not too bad, but I’ll admit I have to remind myself how good it is to hike up any hills. The topmost views are indeed beautiful, but the glimpses into people’s yards are also interesting. I love the slower pace of walking, but when time is a huge issue as it was to make a dinner reservation, we take a taxi. Budapest has Uber taxis that were reasonable and worked well.
      Richard turned 21 on our honeymoon in Vail, Colorado. We visited my parents and took the trip to Communist Budapest that December/January so we were drinking age.