Budapest, Hungary September 16-18, 20, 2016

Budapest, Hungary

September 16-18, 20, 2016

Rome to Budapest, Hungary is a 90 minute flight. We rented a nice car since we plan to drive into Transylvania, Romania for a few days.

Our Car

Barb at the airport

We are staying at the Gresham Palace Hotel (Four Seasons), which is in Pest and has a beautiful view across the Danube River and the Buda side of the city.

Gresham Palace Hotel

Beautiful iron work inside the lobby.

Our room.

We hired a guide to take us to the main sights of Budapest.

The Central Market Hall has a colorful food market, along with floors of clothing and tourist items to buy. It is in a beautiful architectural building.

Marketplace building.

All kinds of fruits, vegetables and meats are sold.

Paprika…..for which they are famous.

Handmade items to buy

Budapest has many thermal spas. We looked at the Gellert Spa and walked up to a Catholic Church that was built in a cave and was used by the Hungarian Catholics to shelter and protect fugitives during the war. When the Soviets occupied the City they closed the Church and sealed off the entrance.

Gellert Spa

The outdoor pool. There are thermal pools, a swimming pool, saunas, steamers, and places for massages.

The concrete around the edges are where the Soviets sealed it off.

Gellert Cave Church

We saw St. Stephens Basilica and drove through the old Jewish Quarter where the Nazis walled off the area and made it a ghetto, locking in the Jewish people where they survived until near the end of World War II when they were sent to concentration camps. The Parliament building is also on the Pest side of the river.

St. Stephens

Jewish Synagogue

A shoe memorial for the Jews that were killed by the river.

Parliament Building.

Square where the US Embassy is located, along with a statue of Ronald Reagan.

Statue of Ronald Reagan

After walking across the bridge we hiked up Buda Castle Hill. It has nice views of the city and the Royal Palace is now the home of the National Gallery.

View from the top.

Barb on the bridge.

The National Gallery.

Coming back from Romania, we again stayed for one night at the Gresham Palace Hotel. We went to the Gellert Spa for a massage and for soaking in the thermal pools for which they are so famous. It is like swimming in an old Roman Bath.