Hungary - Day 4

National Museum
Today we had completely to ourselves, so we headed to the National Museum to see some works by Mihály Munkácsy. This was a definite highlight of the trip!  Whether we are related to him or not is still, and will probably always be, unknown.  However, we are definitely connected at least by a name.  I only knew his trilogy of Christ paintings which hung in the Wannamaker building for many years.  He is widely considered Hungary's most important painter.  Aunt Elaine and I were both surprised by the range of his style.  Unlike Renoir or Degas, it would be hard to identify a painting as his because he did not "lock into" one style or subject matter.  Some paintings were dark and morose; others were light and happy; some were impressionistic; and others were realistic; and his subject matter was equally diverse.  There were two special, permanent exhibits in the museum for his work.  One exhibit was a room to display the enormous painting depicting the Conquest of Hungary.  The second exhibit was a series of four rooms that contained mainly paintings by him.  The second exhibit also displayed the works of two painters that were heavily influenced by him.  Certain works of these various artists were displayed to show his influence.  It was in this second exhibit that the true range and diversity of his style became apparent to us.

The National Museum is in the Castle District in Buda and our hotel was across the river in Pest.  So, we decided to try out the public transportation system.  There is an extensive metro, bus, and tram system in the city, but we stuck with the trams and buses to get around.  I love the trams because they run on electric through the cities streets and give a certain charm to the city.  It's also nice to be transported through the city in a manner that allows you to see the city as you go, unlike a metro system.  Once we got to the Castle District, we made our way over to the museum.  On the way we were able to watch the changing of the guards and view some more Roman ruins. There are many Roman ruins close to the museum and some still being excavated there.  These Roman ruins seem to be very prevalent throughout the entire city and countryside.  The Hungarians are taking great care in excavating and preserving them.

Parliament
By the time we made our way to the Parliament building, it was too late to get a tour.  However, we were able to walk around and get a sense for the grandeur of the building close-up.  The beauty and splendor of Hungary never ceases to amaze me.

Holocaust Memorial
Along the Danube River, right by the Parliament, there is a memorial to the victims who were lined up along the river, shot, and pushed into the river.  The monument is extremely poignant, consisting of empty shoes lining the river.  Unlike some memorials, which seem slightly abstract and removed from the event which is being memorialized; the reality of the horror of their deaths is truly conveyed in this memorial.




Dinner
We had dinner at the same place as the night before in Liszt Square.  Liszt Square is quite possible one of my favorite areas of the city.  The design of it is so perfect, with a narrow park running between two pedestrian walkways lined with restaurants and cafes.  I wanted to try a beer of the country before leaving, so I ordered a Sol.  It seemed to me to be a wheat bear.  However, unlike some wheat beers that I think have a "bubble-gum" taste, this one had a slight honey flavor.  I really enjoyed it.  Also, I ordered some type of typical Hungarian soup, which was, to my pleasant surprise, topped with a puff pastry top and sprinkled with cheese - amazing!  We ended the evening by taking a stroll through the park at the center of Liszt Square.

Hungary - Day 3

City Tour

The tour was excellent!  There would be no other way to get such an overview of the city.  We saw so many beautiful areas, that I unfortunately forget most of them.  We did drive past a bath house that looked gorgeous and then continued to an impressive town square, with statues of famous rulers, flanked on either side by art museums.  Next, we drove through Pest past some gorgeous areas on the way to Buda.  In Buda we stopped at a lookout to take-in a breath-taking view of the city.

We then made our way to the castle district of Buda where we saw the castle (now called the palace), the fisherman's walk, and a gorgeous cathedral.  Every interior surface of the cathedral was either painted or gilded.  I have been in many, may cathedrals, but never have I experience a cathedral that was decorated so elaborately inside.  On top of all that intricacy inside the building, the outside roof was constructed with beautiful colored tiles made in Hungary.  

Synagogue
After our bus tour, we were very interested in seeing the Synagogue, located in the Jewish Quarter.  The synagogue was gorgeous.  It was actually designed with some Moorish influences to recall the time in Spain under the Moorish rule when Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived peacefully side-by-side.  The guide informed us that, sadly, antisemitism is making a slight resurgence in Hungary.  There have been vandalism to Jewish properties and monuments.  Also, apparently the right-wing political party openly expresses a desire to rid the country of the Jewish people and claims things would be better if they were gone.  I really cannot comprehend it; they do not consider that antisemitic because they're not expressing a desire to see them killed or dead.  So sad

Search for a Pedestrian Walking Area (with restaurants and shops)

Upon returning to the hotel, I really wanted to go to a pedestrian walking area that I remembered from the van tour.  Unfortunately, I did not remember the location.  So, like a good tourist, we asked at the hotel desk and off we went looking for this area, never to find what we quite had in mind.  The street was quiet and pretty, but nothing overly special and definitely not what we were expecting.  I did feel that we were seeing a part of the city that was more residential and less touristy, which was a nice treat.  We did stumble on a nice little restaurant to eat outside at for a light lunch.  I ordered a typical Hungarian dish - Lecho with eggs.  It seems to be typical to cook scrambled eggs here so long that the liquid separates.  I think it had some sort of smokey cheese with it as well as sauteed peppers and onions.  It was ok - not bad, but not something to rave about.  The experience was delightful though.  After lunch, we ended our brief excursion, continuing down the street to a little park with a beautiful cathedral in the center of it; a pleasant surprise to our slightly disappointing walk.  

Opera House and Dinner

For dinner we headed to a pedestrian walk-way.  This one did not disappoint!  A few blocks beyond the walkway was the Opera House, so we made a quick detour there first.  As with everything we've seen so far, it was stunning.  Financed by Franz Liszt, his only stipulation was that all the materials be from Hungary.
This pedestrian walk-way (Liszt Square) was a pure delight.  It may be my favorite area in Budapest.  Down the center of the street runs a narrow park and on either side restaurants with outdoor-eating line the sidewalks.  Everything on the menu looked great, which meant that there was some ordering indecision.  A happy remedy for Aunt Elaine and I was to split a trout dish and a gulash with spatzle dish.  Both were delicious and we were each happy to have tried the renowned gulash while in Hungary.

Concert
The concert was an other-word experience.  As we were sitting in the basilica, that was over-the-top gorgeous, we also were experiencing an absolute treat for the ears as well.  The beauty of the music and the interior paired so perfectly so as to exponentially increase the beauty of both.  Never have I been in such a gorgeous building and listened to such phenomenal music.  I kept thinking that if this is even an iota of how the angels praise God in heaven, I cannot wait to join in that worship.

Songs Played:

• Te Deum - M.A.Charpentier (1643-1704)
• Adagio - T.Albinoni (1671-1751)
• Ave Maria - G.Caccini (1551-1618
• Toccata and Fugue in D minor - J.S.Bach (1685-1750)
• Air - J.S.Bach (1685-1750)
• Water Music - G.F.Handel (1685-1759)
• Ave Maria - Ch.Gounod (1818-1893)
• Choral from the 147 Cantata - J.S.Bach (1685-1750)
• Hosannah - Liszt Ferenc (1811-1886)
• Panis Angelicus - C.Franck (1822-1890)
• Trumpet Voluntary - H.Purcell (1659-1695)
• Ave Maria - P.Mascagni (1863-1945)
• Toccata from the Organ Symphony - Ch.M.Widor (1844-1937)

After the concert, we walked out onto the square.  The light of day was beginning to fade, the weather was beautiful, and the square was alive with people.  It was an ambiance that needed to be soaked in while sitting at a cafe.  So, we decided to enjoy the ambiance with a drink before heading back to the hotel.  We found a place right on the main square with string lights hanging along the perimeter of the eating area, the perfect touch to an already seeming magical atmosphere.  There could not have been a better way to end the evening.