Our early morning arrival in Budapest highlighted the most magnificent entry into any city we have ever visited. We were staggered by the architectural splendor on both sides of the river as the ship made its way to the dock.
It was not long before we were on our way to our city tour, starting first on the Buda side for the old history and views, and then to the Pest side for the more recent history and the monuments.
As we walked through the old town area of Buda we say magnificent villas. This one was noteworthy because in addition to the fine details it still is marked with the nine-pronged crown, indicating it was originally the home of royalty.
This is Mattias Church. It looks old, but it is new, rebuilt after bombing in WWII. During our tour we had time to see only the exterior but after our tour was over we stayed at the hotel just next door, so had the opportunity to see it at all times of the day and night, but also to go inside, where we were lucky enough to hear an apparently spontaneous choir sing.
One of the two oldest buildings in Buda.
The crown of the empire.
This is the synagogue that we walked around in our free time and toured later in our visit to Budapest.
During WWII the Jews of Budapest were contained within the ghetto. Those that died were buried here. It appears tranquil but there were many hundreds buried here.
We were to learn that the Gestapo kept their offices in the loft of the synagogue since they knew the Allies would not bomb it.
A tree with aluminum leaves is in the peace garden. Friends and families of those who died at the hands of the Nazis have individual leaves with their names. We saw them closer up lateri n our visit.
The distance and direction to the Danube.
The balcony of a nearby hotel was filled with ...
cardboard?
That night the ship took a turn along the Danube to show off the city in all of its splendor, starting with the Palace.
The dome of the Parliament building.
The Parliament building we would visit a few days later.
Mattias Church in Buda.
The palace and Mattias Church in the distance.
"The whale" entertainment center.
And then, just like that, our Road Scholar tour was over. The next morning it was dreary, cold and raining as the other Road Scholars headed off toward home or other destinations, and we made our way to our hotel in Buda.
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