Evening view of the Danube River, Chain Bridge, and the Pest side, taken from the Buda Castle (on the Buda side, of course). The Parliament Building and part of Margaret Island can be see to the far left.
Busy backsteets of Pest, quiet for the moment on a Sunday morning.
Emerging from the narrow backstreets of Pest to the airy riverfront. It was a beautiful Sunday morning with "California weather": pleasantly warm and dry. Later on it was a little more humid, but for the morning I felt like I was in southern California. However, this is not surprising as Hungary is famous for its productive vinyards and great wines.
Pest-side view of the Chain Bridge, which is probably the most widely recognized symbol of Budapest around the world. It was built between 1839 and 1849 by British engineers and restored in 1987. It is 375 meters (410 yards) long.
Walking across the Chain Bridge, I thought that it bore some resemblance to the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, although somewhat smaller. At night, the Chain Bridge "cables" are outlined with points white light, making a lovely scene at night as well as during the day. The unlit light bulbs can be seen in this photo.
Beautiful young Hungarian woman sitting at the base of the Chain Bridge, reading a magazine. She was only one of many absolutely beautiful women I beheld in Budapest over the course of a few days.
The Elizabeth Bridge, further downstream from the Chain Bridge, was built between 1961 and 1964. This was the second of three outstanding bridges that cross the Danube between Buda and Pest. The Buda Castle and the steeple of Matthias Church can be seen on the characteristic green, hilly side of Buda (to the left here).
Cold War Era public transportation. The ride was a bit rickety, but I must say, these "trams" were dependable and efficient. I applaud the Budapest general public who (I was told) prefer to keep these rather than build a new system. These trams are destined to be a classic like the San Francisco trolley cars someday.
The Inner City Parish Church, located on the Pest side immediately at the end of the Elizabeth Bridge, is the oldest church in Pest. The large wooden front doors, below the bridge level and thus unseen here, were difficult to pull open. After spending a few minutes in the slightly musty atmosphere of this dark and quiet sanctuary, I could begin to sense the faithful prayers of ten thousand believers from centuries gone by in this ever changing city.
| The "Freedom Bridge", so called because of the many love-lorn suicide attempts made from it each year (it is quite easy to walk to the top and jump off, see picture right). Originally called the Franz Joseph Bridge, it was build in 1896. This was the third of three great bridges in Budapest, how impressive! However, even more impressive is the fact that they each have a distinctive architectural style.
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The Neo-Gothic Parliament Building, on the Pest Side upstream from the three bridges and near Margaret Island. Although my picture doesn't capture it, this building glowed with the late afternoon sunlight. It is considered one of the outstanding architectural achievements in Budapest and is one of the city's most famous landmarks. The giant complex took 20 years to complete (1884-1904).
The Buda Castle Palace, which has been constructed in various phases over the centuries, has its origins in the 13th century when King Béla built a fortress here.
In a cobblestone courtyard behind the Buda Castle Palace in the bright early evening light.
Matthias Church (Catholic), also known as the Church of Our Lady in Buda, is one of the principal sights in Budapest. It stands in the same hillside complex - the Castle Quarter - as the Buda Castle. There is a lot to see in this area including scenic villages and statues. Somehow, St. Matthias reminded me of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.
The "paper car", made in East Germany. Many Hungarians love this model because it is cheap, light weight, and nobody wants to steal it. The body panels are actually made from recycled wood and paper. I wanted to send one home as a post card, but I didn't have the proper postage.
Margaret Island, the "Central Park" of Budapest. This was a very enjoyable place, containing open fields, shaded areas, flower gardens, water gardens, hotel, youth hostel, old church, and a convent ruins. My visit here was quite refreshing on a hot afternoon, except that I had to pay $3 for a can of Pepsi.
 Cold War Era monuments in Sculpture Park, a place where all the pro-Soviet and pro-Communist monuments accumulated throughout Budapest during the Cold War have been relocated and preserved instead of being destroyed. What a gift to the world! This place, also referred to as the "Statue Graveyard", opened in 1994.
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 I walked reverently through this open air museum during a cloudy afternoon, thinking of what this overwhelming exhibit would mean to all the American men and women who fought for democracy and lived their lives through the Cold War. I thought back to my gradeschool days in the late 1970's - even then we lived under the assumption that European Communism and the threat of nuclear war would continue forever, if not worsen. Now to see all these monuments in a "graveyard" was quite moving, and I felt privileged to be one of the few Americans to see this special place - the 40-year "pay-off". Yet, I wasn't inclined to get out my American flag and start waving it. For what news was there today from the Great Society across the ocean? A mass murder had just taken place in Atlanta, another in a recent series of disturbing incidents in the U.S. (summer 1999). And so it was only with feelings of subdued pride and attenuated optimism that I completed my tour of this most unusual and thought-provoking display.
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Back to Main Page, "Images of Beautiful Places"
by Donald A. Klosterman, Ph.D., Dayton, Ohio, USA
Evening view of the Danube River, Chain Bridge, and the Pest side, taken from the Buda Castle (on the Buda side, of course). The Parliament Building and part of Margaret Island can be see to the far left.
Busy backsteets of Pest, quiet for the moment on a Sunday morning.
Emerging from the narrow backstreets of Pest to the airy riverfront. It was a beautiful Sunday morning with "California weather": pleasantly warm and dry. Later on it was a little more humid, but for the morning I felt like I was in southern California. However, this is not surprising as Hungary is famous for its productive vinyards and great wines.
Pest-side view of the Chain Bridge, which is probably the most widely recognized symbol of Budapest around the world. It was built between 1839 and 1849 by British engineers and restored in 1987. It is 375 meters (410 yards) long.
Walking across the Chain Bridge, I thought that it bore some resemblance to the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, although somewhat smaller. At night, the Chain Bridge "cables" are outlined with points white light, making a lovely scene at night as well as during the day. The unlit light bulbs can be seen in this photo.
Beautiful young Hungarian woman sitting at the base of the Chain Bridge, reading a magazine. She was only one of many absolutely beautiful women I beheld in Budapest over the course of a few days.
The Elizabeth Bridge, further downstream from the Chain Bridge, was built between 1961 and 1964. This was the second of three outstanding bridges that cross the Danube between Buda and Pest. The Buda Castle and the steeple of Matthias Church can be seen on the characteristic green, hilly side of Buda (to the left here).
Cold War Era public transportation. The ride was a bit rickety, but I must say, these "trams" were dependable and efficient. I applaud the Budapest general public who (I was told) prefer to keep these rather than build a new system. These trams are destined to be a classic like the San Francisco trolley cars someday.
The Inner City Parish Church, located on the Pest side immediately at the end of the Elizabeth Bridge, is the oldest church in Pest. The large wooden front doors, below the bridge level and thus unseen here, were difficult to pull open. After spending a few minutes in the slightly musty atmosphere of this dark and quiet sanctuary, I could begin to sense the faithful prayers of ten thousand believers from centuries gone by in this ever changing city.
The Neo-Gothic Parliament Building, on the Pest Side upstream from the three bridges and near Margaret Island. Although my picture doesn't capture it, this building glowed with the late afternoon sunlight. It is considered one of the outstanding architectural achievements in Budapest and is one of the city's most famous landmarks. The giant complex took 20 years to complete (1884-1904).
The Buda Castle Palace, which has been constructed in various phases over the centuries, has its origins in the 13th century when King Béla built a fortress here.
In a cobblestone courtyard behind the Buda Castle Palace in the bright early evening light.
Matthias Church (Catholic), also known as the Church of Our Lady in Buda, is one of the principal sights in Budapest. It stands in the same hillside complex - the Castle Quarter - as the Buda Castle. There is a lot to see in this area including scenic villages and statues. Somehow, St. Matthias reminded me of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.
The "paper car", made in East Germany. Many Hungarians love this model because it is cheap, light weight, and nobody wants to steal it. The body panels are actually made from recycled wood and paper. I wanted to send one home as a post card, but I didn't have the proper postage.
Margaret Island, the "Central Park" of Budapest. This was a very enjoyable place, containing open fields, shaded areas, flower gardens, water gardens, hotel, youth hostel, old church, and a convent ruins. My visit here was quite refreshing on a hot afternoon, except that I had to pay $3 for a can of Pepsi.
Cold War Era monuments in Sculpture Park, a place where all the pro-Soviet and pro-Communist monuments accumulated throughout Budapest during the Cold War have been relocated and preserved instead of being destroyed. What a gift to the world! This place, also referred to as the "Statue Graveyard", opened in 1994.
I walked reverently through this open air museum during a cloudy afternoon, thinking of what this overwhelming exhibit would mean to all the American men and women who fought for democracy and lived their lives through the Cold War. I thought back to my gradeschool days in the late 1970's - even then we lived under the assumption that European Communism and the threat of nuclear war would continue forever, if not worsen. Now to see all these monuments in a "graveyard" was quite moving, and I felt privileged to be one of the few Americans to see this special place - the 40-year "pay-off". Yet, I wasn't inclined to get out my American flag and start waving it. For what news was there today from the Great Society across the ocean? A mass murder had just taken place in Atlanta, another in a recent series of disturbing incidents in the U.S. (summer 1999). And so it was only with feelings of subdued pride and attenuated optimism that I completed my tour of this most unusual and thought-provoking display.
