The Royal Palace (Buda Castle) in Budapest, Hungary

On May 23, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Hungary5 Comments

On our first full day in Budapest, we crossed the Chain Bridge and took the funicular (which is a type of railway that goes up the side of a mountain) to the top of the hill in order to walk around the Castle District. The Royal Palace, also referred to as Buda Castle, is certainly one of the most dominant features in Budapest. Whether during the day or at night, when it is lit up, the palace can be seen from almost everyplace in Pest. There are definitely many wonderful things to see within the Castle District, but the Royal Palace is the most important site to visit. As we’ve mentioned before, Budapest is really two cities, Buda and Pest, that were combined when the first permanent bridge was created, so Buda Castle is the main site to visit on the Buda side of the river.

View of the Royal Palace from the Citadel

Unlike a lot of other palaces, the inside of the Royal Palace is not a representation of what life would have been like hundreds of years ago when the aristocrats lived there that can be toured. Instead it houses both the National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum as well as the Hungarian National Library. One of the most interesting features of the Royal Palace is the fountain depicting a hunting scene that is in the main courtyard. Like many palaces, the Royal Palace is really a complex of buildings with the main residence being the main focal point. This makes for an interesting mix of architectural styles as you walk amongst the complex.

Royal Palace from the Danube River Cruise

We decided to take the stairs along the castle wall back down to the river, which gave us wonderful views of the city. No surprisingly considering the size of the Royal Palace, many of our photographs of the palace were actually taken from across the Danube River, the top of St. Stephen’s Basilica, and even from the Citadel, which is also on the Buda side of the river. Seeing the Royal Palace lit up at night with its reflection in the water is probably one of the most iconic images of the castle and is even the main picture on the castle’s website. It is pretty much impossible not to see the Royal Palace during a visit to Budapest, but it is certainly worth taking the time to go to the Castle District and walking around the grounds.

View of the Parliament Building from the Palace

Day Trip to Bratislava, Slovakia

On May 21, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Slovakia16 Comments

There are several options for taking a day trip out of Budapest, Hungary, some within the country and some to neighboring countries. One of the most popular is to Vienna, Austria, which is about 3 hours from Budapest, but since we have been to Vienna previously, we decided to go to Bratislava in Slovakia. Located about 2 hours outside of Budapest, Bratislava is an interesting city with a rich history. It is the largest city in Slovakia as well as the capital of the country. In addition to getting to visit the city of Bratislava, it also gave us an opportunity to see the Hungarian countryside.

Walking the Narrow Streets of Bratislava

The history of Slovakia is somewhat complex as it was part of Hungary for centuries until Hungary was broken up into Nation States and the country of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918. Then, in 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia split and Bratislava became the capital of the new nation. As one can imagine, with a history that spans back centuries, but with their independence being relatively young, their is a true sense of national pride. Although there is some mistrust of Hungary due to the fact that Hungary retook the region during WWII, it seems that recently they have come to appreciate the relationship and the tourism that comes from Budapest.

Our tour started by visiting the Slavin War Memorial, which honors the 6,845 Soviet Union soldiers who died freeing the country from German occupation. The highlight of visiting the memorial are the amazing views of the city, the Bratislava Castle, and the modern bridge with the UFO restaurant suspended above it. From the views of the city, it is clear that Bratislava is a city that is growing and many modern skyscrapers are starting to dominate the skyline. Obviously, our tour was focused on the historic areas of the city.

Following the memorial, we stopped at the Bratislava Castle. Although you can’t enter the castle as it is now the home of government offices, walking the grounds is quite beautiful with its gardens and fortress walls. The original castle was destroyed and the current castle was rebuilt in the 1950’s, although a few of the original features remain. There have also been recent renovations to the castle, including the adding of a statue of King Svatopluk I, who was a Moravian ruler.

Finally, we spent time in the old town area of Bratislava. St Martin’s Cathedral is certainly the focal point of the area and was actually where the kings of Hungary were crowned for over 300 years. The tower of the church is modeled after the Hungarian crown and is another example of the complex history of the area. As with most cities in Europe that were once surrounded by medieval walls, the walls were taken down centuries ago to allow the cities to grow, but one of the gates, Michael’s Gate, still remains and is one of the most interesting features in the city. There are also many historic mansions that were built by the wealthy aristocrats in the region that have now been converted into stores, restaurants, and hotels.

We had originally scheduled our tour for earlier in the week, but the weather forecast for the day of our tour called for rain and cold temperatures, so we rescheduled it to later in the week. We were definitely happy with that decision since the weather was decidedly better, although still cool and overcast. Bratislava is definitely worth visiting if you have the opportunity and we are glad that we decided to add it to our itinerary.

Our Overall Impressions of Budapest

On May 20, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Hungary, Uncategorized3 Comments

We certainly enjoyed our week in Budapest, which included a full day trip to Bratislava in Slovakia. Although the weather didn’t always cooperate, we managed to adjust our schedules to account for the rain and definitely made the most of our time. Budapest is a beautiful city in Hungary with a lot of wonderful architecture and unique features that can be found throughout the old town areas. Sitting on the shore of the Danube River, it has been flooded and rebuilt over time, but there are many buildings that are centuries old and represent many different architectural styles. We found the historic districts to be extremely walkable, but there is an excellent public transportation system, at least within the city itself.

After traveling 20 hours, including layovers, and arriving early on a Sunday morning, we got settled into our hotel and headed out to get acquainted to the area. Unfortunately, after asking the concierge for directions, we misunderstood which way to go. When we reached the main street, one of the ringed streets that circle the city and denote historical borders of the city throughout its history, we turned the wrong direction and headed away from the river and the Inner City district. Since we thought that we were heading the right direction, we were surprised to see that the buildings were not historic and beautiful, but rather very utilitarian as one would expect from a country that was occupied by the Soviet Union. When we reached the main train station, we were pretty confident that we’d gone the wrong way. We managed to find a good restaurant for lunch and then walked back towards our hotel and to our intended destination.

The city is broken up into several districts and there are certain ones that must be on your list to see during your time in Budapest. Without a doubt the Castle District with the Royal Palace should be high on your list of places to visit. It is important to understand that Budapest is actually made up of two regions that are separated by the Danube. The side with the Castle District resides in Buda and the Parliament and Inner City are in Pest. They were distinct cities until the Chain Bridge was built and the cities were combined to make the single city of Budapest. There are important sights to see on both sides of the river, so we crossed the bridges several times during our stay.

St. Michael’s Church in the Buda Castle District

Parliament Building Along the Danube River

To understand the culture of Hungary, it is important to understand its history, which hasn’t always been pleasant. They have been conquered many times and also chose to side with Germany in both World Wars, which didn’t work out well for them. They also used to be one of the largest and most powerful countries in Europe and their borders and influence have been drastically reduced after the losses in the World Wars. They were also absorbed by the Soviet Union after the war, which was another tragic period in their history. There is definitely a sense of pride and optimism with their inclusion in the EU, but they don’t shy away from their history, including the role that the holocaust played within the country.

All in all, our initial impression of Budapest is that of a historic city with a complex history and culture. From the Hungarians initial migration from Asia to the Carpathian region, their ability to withstand multiple occupations, and the decisions that led them to be on the wrong side of history, there is much more to understand than just the typical palaces, castles, and cathedrals that dominate most visits to cities in Europe. In some ways, the fact that it rained a couple of days during our trip added to our impression of the city and its somewhat dark history. We look forward to providing details about each of the important sites to visit over the coming weeks.