Background
Bruce and I had been scheduled to bring in New Year in Germany, but about a week before Christmas the German government announced that it would be joining neighbouring France in temporarily blocking visitors from the UK. We hastily revised our plans to target Budapest, Hungary being one of the continental countries that were still willing to welcome British tourists. Accommodation was at the rather agreeable (and well located) Courtyard by Marriott Budapest City Center.
Budapest is, of course, the capital of Hungary. It stands on the River Danube, some 300km downstream from Vienna. With 1.7 million people living within the official city limits, Budapest is one of the EU’s top ten largest cities when measured on that basis. Prior to 1873, Buda and Pest were separate towns facing off across the river; Buda on the right (west) bank is hilly in nature, while Pest on the left (east) bank lies on the edge of the Great Hungarian Plain. The central, riverside area of the present-day, united city is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Perhaps surprisingly, this was only my third visit.
Saturday 1 Jan: Exploring the Pest side
New Year’s Day wasn’t the most inspiring weather-wise, being dull and grey but largely dry. We decided to stick to our local side of the river, namely Pest, in the hope of better conditions on Sunday. Today’s highlights included Elizabeth Square with its Ferris wheel, St Stephen’s Basilica, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the riverside views across to Buda, the magnificent Hungarian Parliament building, the Museum of Ethnography and Liberty Square.
Sunday 2 Jan: Focus on Buda
Sunday was a much brighter day, ideal for heading over to historic Buda, on the other side of the Danube. Highlights included views from the Elizabeth Bridge, riverside Buda, Buda Castle, the Karmelita (former monastery that is now the Prime Minister’s residence), Matthias Church, the Fisherman’s Bastion and Buda Old Town.
