Budapest - Pearl of the Danube

Sat and Sun (3 & 4 Nov 07) - We were in Budapest for a weekend and really liked it. I can see why people refer to it as "the Paris of the East". It is a really pretty place with lots of nice old buildings and has a UNESCO protected boulevard called "Andrassy ut" which is modelled on Paris' Champs-Elysee. Budapest is a great value for money city. Food and souvenir are relatively cheap as compared to other European cities. The Hungarians are also really good with their cakes. If you are ever in Budapest, you've got to try the cakes at Ruszworm in Buda and Gerbeaud in Pest.



Budapest used to be made up of two cities, Buda and Pest, which joined together in the 19th century and are still kept apart by the Danube. On our first day, we strolled along the Andrassy in Pest and made a stop at St Stephen's Basilica (Budapest's largest church) where we saw St Stephen's mummified arm. If you drop a coin into a slot, the glass case with the arm in it will light up for you to see the arm clearly. After climbing up the Basilica to get a panoramic view of Budapest, we strolled along the Danube towards the Hungarian Parliament (third largest in the world). Then we walked across the Chain Bridge to the Buda side and explored the historical Castle District, where we saw the Royal Palace, the Fisherman's Bastion, Matyas Church.

Budapest is especially pretty at night with its buildings and streets all lit-up. The Chain Bridge looks awesome at night too. Sunday was spent exploring Heroes Square, Szechenyi Spa, Gellert Hill, Gellert Spa and the Cave Church nearby.

One of the highlights for me was listening to a choir and orchestra rehearse at the Basilica. Maybe cause the acoustics of the Basilica were really good (or the fact that it was free) , but the choir just sounded amazing. You can hear it on the YouTube below (thanks to Garry).