Budapest

 

It was off to another former Soviet state capital- Budapest.  We were again very impressed with another Eastern European city with a rich and at times painful history, with impressive palaces and buildings.  It took us a little while to adjust to a more expansive city, though we were able to walk to all of our destinations.  Our boutique hotel gave us a convenient base for our exploration.  The tourist sights surround the Danube River with Buda on the western shore and Pest on the eastern shore and beautiful bridges connecting the two sides.  Our favorite spot was across the river at night absorbing the magnificent lighted Parliament building. Other sites we visited were the Marketplace, the cave church, the Citadel, Buda Palace, Fisherman’s Bastion and St. Stephen’s Basilica.  We also took in the ‘House of Terror’ which highlights the atrocities of the Soviet occupation.  Evening on the riverfront becomes a magnet for locals and tourists alike and partying lasts long into the balmy night. We indulged in Hungarian food: landos, chicken paprika, roasted duck and beef goulash.  We would be hard pressed to choose between Prague and Budapest as to which was our favorite.