Eastern Europe - Prague, Vienna, Budapest: Budapest

It was cold today and VERY snowy!!!!

We decided to focus our morning around Parliament, which is a must see when visiting Budapest. Howerver, when we got there, we realized all the tourist tickets had been sold out! So we arranged for a private tour tomorrow morning. We took some great pics of the outside of Parliament, it is an amazing building.

We walked from the Parliament over to St Stephan's Basilica (built in Neo Renaissance), which can been seen from almost any viewpoint in the city. It was really beautiful - Jeff's favorite thus far. It was built in 1851 and is the exact same height as the Parliament, as the builder did not dare go higher in scale! The Dome and Mosaics are quite impressive, lined with gold detail. The high alter actually has a life size statue of St Stephan, as well as the 12 apostles. Just to the left of the main basilica is the room where the Holy Right Hand resides. This is literally a right hand that belonged to St Stephan in the 13th centry. He was mummified when he died, so the hand was actually preserved and is on display for all to see!

After the church, we walked over to the State Opera House. While it was very beautiful, decorated with beautiful foyer murals and an extensive detailed facade, we still loved Vienna more!!! However, the grand staircase was pretty impressive...pictures aren't giving it justice!

After the church, we walked down the famous Vaci Utca. This is a well known area for its cafes and souvenior shops. It ends at the Central Market, which is an indoor produce market. It was suprisingly clean and full of charm.

Lastly, we walked around the castle district. We really enjoyed this area! This was originally the town of Buda. The castle sits up on a hill above the Danube, which was to protect it from invasion. The Habsburgs restored the town and castle in the 1800s. The Royal Palace (the castle) that exists now was built in the early 1800s during the reign of Maria Theresa. This actually replaced the first castle, which was built in 1255. It now houses several museums, including the Hungarian National Gallery. We will get a better picture of the palace tomorrow for you...we didn't get a good one today. However, look at the cute quaint streets that are in this area...we loved the colorful buildings.

Inside the castle district is also the Matyas Church. Unfortunately most of the church is under renovation; however, the area surrounding the church, the Fishermen's Bastion was absolutely gorgeous!!! It was so different than anything we've ever seen...almost looked like a GIANT sand castle (see the pictures below). It's a Neo-Romenesque style wall, gathering place that surround and outlines the back of the church and offers spectacular view of Pest. Yes, the city is divided into different towns - Pest, Buda, and Obuda. The city "Budapest" started its existence when in 1849 the first permanent bridge over the Danube, the Chain Bridge, was built. It allowed the unification of Buda, Obuda, and Pest some years later.