Days 12 and 13 by Craig Lundell

Friday, August 14, 2009
We arrived in Budapest (pronounced Budapesht) in the evening and cruised through the city, admiring the magnificent buildings and bridges. The most stunning bridge is the Chain Bridge, which was built in the early 19th century to connect to cities, Buda (the hills) and Pest (the flat lands). Budapest is an enchanting city with a vibrant mix of East and West, medieval and modern. We skipped dinner and took a private tour through the city for about three hours. We drove up the hill on the Buda side and saw St. Matyas (Matthias) Church which is partially surrounded by the Fishermen’s Bastion, built in the 19th century in honor of the fishermen who defended Buda from the Turks during the Middle Ages it is fairytale inspired with turrets and ramparts. We walked around the royal palace and went up the Gellert Hill to the Citadella. On the Pest side, the most stunning building is the Parliament Building which was patterned after England’s. We also visited Heroes’ Square and Millennial Monument, the Great Synagogue, the Hungarian National Museum, the Hungarian State Opera House, St. Stephen’s Basilica and many other magnificent buildings.

Saturday, August 15, 2009
On Saturday morning, we got an early start and rode the funicular up to the top of the Buda side where the women went wild shopping. In the afternoon, we returned to the Pest side and went through the House of Terror which chronicles the atrocities that occurred during the Nazi and Russian occupation of Hungary.