Buda

September 22 Buda

It felt good to wake up to a day without rain and the promise of sun in the sky. Although the sun came out for only an hour or so, the day was mild and very comfortable for walking around Budapest. Taking the bus from a stop near the campsite and then getting a tram at the end of the bus line was very easy. Taking buses has become something we look forward to because we get to see local people going about their day. It is also like getting a unique tour as we get to see areas that one would not see on a "touristy" tour.

Budapest was virtually destroyed by the Nazis in 1944 and 1945. In fact, as they retreated in 1945, the Nazis blew up all of the bridges crossing the Danube connecting Buda with Pest. However, a few old buildings survived and those that did not were rebuilt.

Today we concentrated on the Buda side, spending most of our time roaming around the Castle District. We visited Matthias Church, built in the 1200's. When the Turks conquered the area in the 1500's, they turned the church into a mosque. When the Hapsburgs conquered the Turks they turned it into a Catholic church and so you see artwork that reflects both religions. King Bela and his Queen, nicknamed "Sisi" are buried in crypts in the church.

We programmed Lori to walk us to a pastry shop that we read about and true to form, she took us to the door. We had some traditional pastries (turo rudi was one of them) with our tea and coffee and then headed off to find the vunicular to take us down to the banks of the Danube to find a river cruise. We crossed the Chain Bridge to Pest, walked along the water for a few minutes and as luck would have it, we came across a boat that was leaving the dock in five minutes. We parted with more than 5,900 forints which is only about $30 and had a great one hour, narrated tour of Budapest from the water.

Listening to the Danube Waltz being played as we left the boat, we decided to head back to Camping Fortuna and save the sights and sounds of Pest for tomorrow.