June 11, 2002 - Budapest

I wandered around Budapest for about 8 hours.  My one problem with this city was that it seemed that everything was too close together.  There were major roadways and tramways butted up against nearly every site.  I did make the best of it though and probably looked a little weird with the positions I put myself in to get pictures with as few cars or trams as possible.

Buildings on the Buda side of the Danube river

The Chain Bridge...it's probably impossible to tell from the pictures but the wires holding the bridge up are actually a massive bicycle-style chain

Getting closer to the Chain Bridge

A view of the palace from very close to the Chain Bridge

You might be able to make out the links of the chains in this picture

The Danube river

The cobblestone path leading up to the Budapest Castle

A small building along the path up to the castle

Almost at the top of the path

A few very pretty houses not far from the castle

Leaving the path and entering the castle proper

The Matthias church

A column holding up one of the domes of the Matthias church

The main altar inside the Matthias church

Beautiful paintings on the ceiling of the Matthias church

The east end of the Matthias church

The south face of the Matthias church

The north face of the Matthias church

The south end of the Fisherman's Bastion

The north, and more ornate, end of the Fisherman's Bastion

The Fisherman's Bastion and the Matthias Church

A dragon sculpture at the base of the Fisherman's Bastion

The Parliament building as seen from the Fisherman's Bastion

One of the museums on the castle grounds

A path that leads along the western wall of the castle

Paintings inside the Labyrinth underneath the castle

The Labyrinth, a series of tunnels dug under the castle

More of the Labyrinth

The Fisherman's Bastion and the Matthias church as seen from below

I don't know what this is or why I took a picture of it but I still like it...so here it is

Lots of churches line the Danube river on the Buda side

The Parliament building on the Pest side of the Danube river

A view of the courtyard (now a parking lot) of the Parliament building

Another view of the courtyard, sans cars

The main entrance to the Parliament building, which was the largest building in the world when it was finished in 1905

The Ethnographic museum...I just liked the architecture

The Inner City Parish church...the largest church in Budapest

A view from the east, partially under a freeway, of the Inner City Parish church

At the top of the hill is a structure called the Citadel

Just a hotel along the Danube river

Interesting architecture in downtown Budapest

More interesting architecture

Margit Island...where I spent the afternoon sitting around and taking slow walks through forested paths

One of the many paths on Margit Island

Walking along the Danube river

Just relaxing and taking in the fresh air