From the Hero’s Square our group got back on the buses to visit we crossed the beautiful Chain Bridge to the Buda side of the Danube river. The buses dropped us off by the entrance to the Buda Castle, which our guide told us had public restrooms. I was about to learn about the most important unit of European currency — the 50 Cent Euro — that is how much it costs to use the restrooms in Europe. They are always clean and have an attendant, but it it definitely a “Pay to Pee” deal. During our Grand Tour of Europe we never left our boat with out first making sure we had several .50 Euros for the washrooms, one Euro for the bus driver, two Euro for the local guides and some extra’s to lend to friends who may have forgot.
The ‘rest stop’ out of the way Barb, Paul, Nick and I strolled up Fisherman’s Hill we strolled past the shops and restaurants along Fisherman’s Hill on the way to the Fishermen’s Bastion. The wide ceremonial stairs leading up to the Fishermen’s Bastion provide a dramatic entrance to the Castle Hill, Matthias Church, and to the views of the Pest and the Danube river. The stairway features historical statues, the Statue of John Hunyadi (Defender of Christendom), the statue of St George Piercing the Dragon and at the top of the stairs, under the arch, there are 10th century soldiers guarding the gate.
Our tour started with the magnificent 700-year-old Matthias Church. The eastern gate of the church was built in the 13th century, when Buda was founded following the Mongolian invasion. The central part of the church was built from as early as the 14th century. During the Turkish conquest, soon after Buda was captured, the church became the city’s main mosque. The walls were whitewashed and covered with carpets. After the Turkish occupation, Buda lay in ruins. In the 17th century, an attempt was made to restore the church in Baroque style. When the Austro-Hungarian Empire was established in 1867, Matthias Church was the scene of Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth’s coronation ceremony. Towards the end of the 19th century, a major reconstruction took place, and the building was restored using many original parts and regained much of its former splendor. The beautiful roof is covered with the famous Zsolnay ceramic tiles. The church is also a museum, so Nick and I toured the upper reaches of towers and meet Barb and Paul at the Fisherman’s Bastion just below the Matthias Church before we headed back.
The Fisherman’s Bastion
The Fisherman’s Bastion is one of the most visited attractions in Budapest. Built between 1895 and 1902 as part of the series of developments that were to celebrate the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian state, it is one of the best places to come to enjoy an amazing view of the Danube and the city. The Bastion was inspired by the architectural style of the early medieval times that our guide referred to as Neo-Romanesque. Yes it is beautiful, but to look through the arches to the River and the City below was worth the climb.
On the way back down to our buses, we stopped to listen to to a man some might call a street musician but for those who stopped and listened, this gentleman was an accomplished violinist who played Mozart as well as anyone I have heard on state. It was a lovely way to close out our first full morning in Budapest.