Is life on the Buda-side better than the Pesta-side?

5402 Here are the paddle boats I was talking about

5421 This is the Matthias Coronation Church with the Holy Trinity Monument in the foreground.  I've been here 3 times and this is the least scaffolding I've ever seen.

5427 A close up of the top of the Holy Trinity Monument.  Jesus is holding the cross, God's got the world and the Holy Spirit is the Dove in the center.

5440 The view from the Fisherman's Bastion.  Diana's pointing at the Parliament Building

 

June 19 – Zagreb to Budapest, Hungary.  Today's a travel day but a short one.  We are heading out of Slovenia and into Hungary.  On the way we stopped at Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe.  Hungary does not have access to a sea or ocean so this lake is referred to as the Hungarian Sea.  It's about 50 miles long and 9 miles wide at the widest place.  It's pretty shallow so the water gets very warm.  The microclimate it produces makes this a major wine producing area.  They have a very odd form of paddle boat here.  I've seen them looking like swans or just a rectangular box that you propel with bicycle pedals.  This one has the profile of a dolphin on the sides that makes it look like two of them swimming together, but it also has a built in sliding board that you climb from the back and slide off over the bow.  This outline produces a very odd look.

 

After another short stop for lunch we arrived in Budapest.  We have a city orientation tour to take after about an hour to freshen up.  Diana and I have been here several times but we're going along anyway.  Never know what you might see. 

 

Our first stop was on the Holy Trinity Square by the Holy Trinity Statue.  This type of statue is common in Eastern Europe, we saw on in Vienna.  Most of them were constructed in thanks for surviving the plague and this one is no exception.  Across the square from the statue is the Church of Our Lady, more commonly known as Matthias Coronation Church.  This is the church where Habsburg kings were crowned including Charles IV the last Habsburg king.  King Matthias two weddings took place here.  It's a marvelous church inside but it was closed because they were holding a service.

 

We walked up onto the Fisherman's Bastion for a great view over the Danube and the Pest side of the city.  You can see the Parliament, Saint Stephen's Basilica and quite a bit of Pest because that side of the river is so flat.  Buda has all the hills.  The name Fisherman's Bastion stems from the fact that trade guilds were given the responsibility for the maintenance and manning of certain portions of the wall.  This part right by the Matthias Church was the responsibility of the fishermen.

 

Next stop, Heroes Square.  This monument to the founders, protectors and rulers of Hungary never fails to impress.  It's made up of two curved colonnades with a tall column in the center of the square.  At the base of the column are the mounted bronzes of the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary in the 9^th century.  Atop the column is the Archangel Gabriel holding the Holy Crown of St. Stephan in one hand and the two-barred cross awarded to him for his efforts to convert Hungary buy the Pope.  The colonnades have 7 statues of historical heroes of Hungary each.

 

After a drove by of the Zoo we headed back to the hotel so we can get ready for out dinner and Budapest by night cruise.

 

The dinner was good but the views of Budapest light up were great.  Photography under these circumstances is challenging but I did manage to get a few nice shots.