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.