European Vacation in October 2003

Budapest, Hungary

We planned a European vacation in October 2003. We flew into Budapest, Hungary’s capital. River Danube runs through it. Its Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda with flat Pest. We rented an apartment online in the heart of downtown to walk to many important tourist attractions in Budapest. We arrived at the airport only to find out that our luggage did not come with us for reasons unknown. We went to the baggage claim office to file a report and were told that the luggage would be delivered to the apartment. We then went and checked into our apartment. It was already late in the day. We decided to go out and explore some restaurants and to pick up a few necessary items. The weather was nice, and the road in front of the apartment building was a pedestrian-only zone. A silver lining to a bad start. When we returned to the apartment, luggage was already delivered, making it possible to settle down comfortably.

The following day we got up early to take on the sightseeing as we planned. Here are Some of the best sights that were within walking distance:

This gorgeous, iconic neo-gothic Parliament Building in Budapest is home to the parliament of Hungary, and it reminded me of the Houses of Parliament in London,

The Chain Bridge straddles the mighty River Danube between Buda and Pest, Budapest’s western and eastern sides. This great bridge offers the city stunning views. The Parliament building dominates the Pest side of it. The two cities, Buda and Pest, were connected with a temporary pontoon bridge, also known as a floating bridge, which limited its use, especially during hard winters. To facilitate the Union of the two cities, it was deemed necessary to build a proper bridge. Therefore, the construction of the Chain Bridge began in 1842, and the bridge was opened for use in 1849 when the construction was completed. It is 375 meters long and 16 meters wide.

The Buda Castle Tunnel was built four years after the completion of the Chain Bridge. It runs under Buda Hill and is located in front of the Chain Bridge on Buda’s side.

Millennium Monument located on Heroe’s Square in Budapest is flanked by the Museum of Fine Arts and the more contemporary Art Hall. It is one of the top attractions in Hungary. The central column is topped by Gabriel Archangel, and at the bottom, 7 Hungarian tribal leaders are riding the horses.

This beautiful, palatial building sprawls over a huge area. It was established as the national art museum in 1957. Its collection consists of exclusively Hungarian art, including contemporary artists who worked in other locations, such as Paris.

Budapest is a beautiful city and a perfect place to start our vacation. We loved our trip and then headed to Vienna by train, which was our next destination.