Budapest

The Hungarian Parliament

As spring is approaching we were able to take a short holiday and traveled to explore Budapest along with its many historical sites, friendly people and unique cuisine. We found it to be warm and welcoming and we had a great time walking about meeting and talking with the local Hungarian people as we went. We really enjoyed the folk music and dancing of the Gypsy artists and, wow, is the food ever good...Goulash like none we have ever tasted along with very fine Hungarian wine.

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. It traces its roots back to a settlement in the 1st century. The city did not get its current identity until 1873 when Buda and Obuda on the west bank of the Danube river were united with Pest on the east bank to form a unified city. It has a long and most interesting history including settlement by the Romans and found itself on the wrong side of the second world war as Hungary was a member of the Axis powers. A monument stands on the Danube riverside today depicting shoes from some of the many Hungarian Jews whose lives were taken during the occupation. From the start of the German occupation in 1944 Jews and Roma were deported to Auschwitz and between 450,000 and 606,000 Hungarian Jews and 28,000 Hungarian Roma were murdered. A dark time for sure. Today, Budapest is a vibrant place reflecting its people and a culture of family values.

This is a big place and things are spread out so we combined our walking with a few strategic cab rides. We found the cab drivers are also great ambassadors for the city filling us in on where to go. We had a great time walking the hills of the Buda side up to the Buda Castle, Mathias Church, Fishermans Bastion and the old town and then back across the Szechenyi Chain Bridge to the Hungarian Parliament and then a nice walk down to the Great Market Hall for some shopping, Budapest style. We also had a visit to a few of the geothermal spas and Heroes' Square.

Views from
Fishermans Bastion

Hungarian Parliament 

Grand Stairs

Honor Guard

The Shoes on the Danube Bank is a memorial to remember the lives of 3500 people including Budapest Jews. They were ordered to take off their shoes before being executed by the fanciest Arrow Cross militiamen during World War II. They were executed on the riverbank and their bodies were left to float downstream. Only their shoes were left behind.

Parliament

On our first day in Budapest we had a very nice and very knowledgable guide to take us all around the city and as the sun set we enjoyed seeing the city come alive in lights. From the impressive Parliament building to the Chain Bridge to the Fishermans Bastion, Budapest has a special feel at night. 

Fishermans Bastion

Chain Bridge 

The Green Bridge

Buda Castle

St Stevens

Beautiful Hungarian Folk Dance...lots of energy, the kind of music that gets you our of your chair.
We loved it! We are not so sure how they managed to keep those bottles on their heads while they spun around though...

We really enjoyed the wonderful traditional music.
This guy played the Cimbalom (kind of a hammered dulcimer) Blindfolded...really!

There seemed to be no end to the food we were served. What is here is our third course of a four course meal. All of that food is really for the two of us along with our guide....we did our best but for no lack of trying could not get through it.  The food was delicious!

Old Town

Matthias Church

The Great Market hall (Nagyvasarcsarnok.. no we can't pronounce that) is the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest. It is at one end of the one mile long pedestrian shopping street and we started out at the Parliament at the other extreme end, so a good but cheerful walk for us. The building was built in 1897 and is very large indeed. It was badly damaged during both World Wars and was abandoned for a number of years following World War II. Today it houses over 10,000 square meters (that is 107,600 square feet) of shopping on three floors. The second floor is mostly local crafts, the ground floor is stuffed full of produce, meats, pastries, spices and so much more. The basement is full of butcher shops. We spent a bit of time here in the middle of the buzz of local people and tourists alike all searching for the deal.

This cafe was located in the hotel where we stayed. It is called the New York Cafe and claims to be the most beautiful cafe in the world, and it just might be. We had an afternoon coffee and some local sweets here while being entertained with live Hungarian music.

Seville Spain

Plaza de Espana

Keeping with our tradition we escaped from our February doldrums and this year made our way to the southern region of Spain and the welcoming city of Seville. Seville is lots of fun and was a little bit of a surprise with sites that reflect a very diverse history as the Romans, Muslims, and Christians all shaped the city. It is the capital of Andalusia and the provence of Seville, Spain. Seville was founded as the Roman city of Hispalis. It was renamed Ishvilya during the Muslim conquest of 712 and ruled as a part of the Caliphate of Cordoba. It was then incorporated into the Christian Kingdom of Castile under the rule of Ferdinand III from 1248. After the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, Saville became an important port city and vital to the Spanish Empire. In 1519 Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Seville to circle the earth, a first. In the early part of the 20th century Seville was thrust into the Spanish Civil War.

For us, a walk around in warm sunshine, great Spanish hospitality, a little local music, and some great Spanish food added up to a great experience. Just a short walk from our hotel we visited the Plaza de Espana. This was constructed in 1929 to host the Exposicion Ibero-Americana. It is a mix of architecture with lots of colorful glazed tile, a mosaic courtyard, a beautiful central fountain, and canals across its width.

Flamenco performed on the street

Door of the Prince

When in Seville a visit to the cathedral is a must. The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See or Seville Cathedral is massive and lavishly decorated. It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world. The open space of the nave is an amazing 42 meters high. Construction of the cathedral began in 1402 to demonstrate the wealth of the city and when it was completed in 1506, the Seville Cathedral moved ahead of Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral in the world. This is also the burial site of Christopher Columbus. The building incorporates columns and other elements from an ancient mosque including the minaret which became the bell tower. An amazing feature within the cathedral is the vast Gothic retablo of carved scenes from the life of Christ, carved as the life's work of a single artist, Pierre Dancart.

The masterpiece of Pierre Dancart
his life's work and one of the finest altarpieces in the world

We spent the better part of a day visiting the beautiful and expansive Alcazar. The Alcazar is the royal palace in Saville, and it remains the residence of the Royal Family today. The palace was built by Moorish Muslim kings in 1181. It is one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain, recognized as one of the most outstanding examples of mudejar architecture on the Iberian Peninsula. This has been a frequent site for the filming of the television show Game of Thrones and, along with the Saville Cathedral, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For us this place is amazing. It seems to go on forever with one room more ornate and colorful than the one before it, joined by large gardens full of palms and citrus fruit trees of course. 

The courtyard of the Maidens

Hall of Ambassadors with it's amazing ornate golden domed cieling

Oranges everywhere

The gardens of the Alcazar go on and on and on, beautiful!