Monday, December 24, 2007

SUNNY BUDAPEST

OLD BUDA AND CASTLE - APRIL 2006

Just before Easter 2006, we profited from the opportunity of having some friends living in Budapest and decided to visit them. The photo result is not outstanding (in many places, like the Buda Hills for example, I was still using the video camera), but anyhow here are some pictures from the trip (to see some outstanding pictures of Budapest, check the blogs from Zsolt and Isadora)! My first set was taken in Óbuda and at the Buda Castle.

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ÓBUDA (OLD BUDA)

Óbuda is a treasure of well-preserved remains since the Roman period to Baroque mansions. This part of town was united with Buda and Pest in 1873 to form today's Budapest.


"FÖ TER (MAIN SQUARE) in Obuda is a secluded square from the 17th-18th centuries. The town hall is a beautiful building constructed in the 18th century"


"MUSEUM - Óbuda is home to several museums, including The Lajos Kassak, The Óbuda and The Victor Vasarely"



"UMBRELLAS - At Szentlélek tér there is a group of sculptures by Imre Varga - «The Women with Umbrella» - an artwork which became a symbol of Óbuda. An amazing sculpture on a sunny day"


"HOLY TRINITY STATUE"

***

BUDA CASTLE

The Castle, located at the place where Budapest was founded, is the historical home of the Hungarian kings and is part of the Budapest World Heritage Site declared by the UNESCO in 1987. It rises 48 meters above the Danube, dominating the city.
The foundations of the castle were laid in the 13th century, as King Béla IV built the first royal residence surrounded by walls on a site which was previously occupied by a small farming community. Around the residence, a small town called Buda started to grow. During the Reign of King Lajos the Great, the residence was fortified and later, during the reign of Sigismundus of Luxembourg (1387-1437), the castle was expanded to become one of the largest palaces in Europe. It has, however, an incredible history of destruction and reconstruction... The current Castle with its 203 rooms houses several museums, among them the Budapest Historical Museum, the National Gallery and the National Széchényi Library.


"COUR D'HONNEUR - The Hillebrandt façade covers the entrance to the Historical Museum of Budapest"


"THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL GALLERY opened in Budapest on October 5th, 1957 and shows the development of Hungarian art. The statue of the Hortobágy horse wrangler taming a wild horse was moved here in 1983"


"MATTHIAS FOUNTAIN, made by Alajos Stróbl, is decorating the western court of the palace. It shows a group of hunters lead by King Matthias Corvinus together with hounds, a killed deer and (not seen on this picture) Galeotto Marzio with a hawk and Szép Ilonka with a doe"


"IRON, STONES AND LAMPS"


"CASTLE THEATRE - The building was initially built as a Carmelite church in 1736, but following the dissolution of the Order in 1784, it was redesigned as a theatre. It retained its baroque façade and was renovated to re-open to the public in 1978"


"RESTAURANT - If you're strolling around in the Castle area, you'll need a place to eat; that won't be a problem..."


"FOUNTAIN AND MATTHIAS CHURCH (The Church of Our Lady) - The church, which takes its common name from King Matthias, who ruled from 1458 through 1490, was built in the 13th century and was Budapest’s first parish church. In 1541, when the Ottomans captured Buda, The Church of Our Lady became a mosque, but it returned to the former use in 1686, when the Ottomans were overthrown. However, it was only in the late 19th century that Matthias Church was restored to its original splendour by the architect Frigyes Schulek"


"BAPTISMAL FONT - The round window above the Neo-Roman font shows a scene from the Apocalypse of St John: the Lamb of God and the sealed book. The interesting shape of the window was also invented in order to position the round window to the centre of the wall section both in the inside and outside"


"MAIN ALTAR - Above the tabernacle there is a cross created by Schulek. The higher section of the altar is dominated by Our Lady with the crown, floating in a wreath of light"


"HALL - The wide hall area was created during the building works by King Louis the Great in the 14th century. Arches of the side aisles were raised up to the level of the main aisle at that time, and a column head with the portraits of the royal couple was also put up, on the inner side of the Mary Gate"


"ROYAL CROWN (REPLICA) - At the Ecclesiastical Art Museum guests find replicas of the Hungarian Royal Crown and other coronation jewels, medieval stone carvings, and a number of beautiful chalices and vestments"



"ROYAL TREAT"

32 comments:

Lori said...

I think your photos are amazing! Budapest is definitely on my list of places to visit. That hot tub looks very inviting! I wish you all the best for the holidays and many good travels in the new year.

Isadora said...

Thank you! It is always nice to know that others enjoy the same things you do. It does look as though you've enjoyed your time in Budapest and took part in a spa experience to round off the experience just the way it should be. :)

Merry Christmas also to you and your family.

Olivier said...

superbe visite qui se termine bien ;o j'aime beaucoup les premières sculptures avec les parapluies.
J'en profite pour te souhaiter un JOYEUX NOEL
Superb visit that ends well ;o). I love the first sculptures with umbrellas.
I take this opportunity to wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS

Anonymous said...

I love the funny picture with the fourth 'person' and its little umbrella. I wish you and your family a 'merry Christmas'.

JaamZIN said...

Wow..what a wonderful present! Thank you do much:)

I wish you Merry Christmas!!

Anonymous said...

Budapest looks so beautiful, thank you for sharing. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Hi Gil, Wonderfull!!!!!! intersting photography I do NOT know anything about Hungaryy Budapest, So wher do you spend YOUR Xmas? We are home for the first time since 20 years...we went today just for pleasure to Amsterdam , 15 minutes by car... That was great!

I wish you a good and merry Christmas with your Partner, friends or family, and I show you some Christmas "decorations and music/habits' on my blog come and see my blog, thanks for being sunch a good blogvisiter,

Christmas greetings from JoAnn

lv2scpbk said...

Wonderful photos. I like the one with the four of you standing beside the umbrella statue. I think that's neat. I love umbrella photos and postcards for some reason, not sure why. That hot tub looks inviting. I could soak in that.

You and your family have a wonderful Christmas.

Dick said...

Great pictures. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for you and your family. Thank you for your visits.

Ming the Merciless said...

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year to you and your family.

Wish you many more wonderful travels and journey to exotic places.

A dip in the jacuzzi sounds perfect for the holidays.

Trijnie said...

hello Gil, thanks for visiting my blog. You show beautiful photos.
I have been twice in Budapest. Before the wall and after. Its a great city, thanks for sharing these photos Merry Christmas and a happy new Year
Trijnie

Pijush said...

Sunny is always captivating and so as your shots, amazing again.

Gil, Wish you a very happy Christmas and enjoy your vacation. Keep smiling.

Dsole said...

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!
FELIZ NATA!!
espero que pases unos días felices with a little bit of these royal treat! :)

Nikon said...

Wow, great series, Gil!
Merry Christmas & a great 2008 to you and your's!

Sally said...

Love that pool pic!

Thanks for being a great blog visitor this year!

Festive greetings of the season, whatever the festival or season means for you!

alicesg said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family. Nice blog with many informations on many countries and thank you for your kind words on my blog. :)

Irina said...

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you and your family! May harmony and prosperity accompany you in the course of coming 2008, and let's leave all the worries in outgoing year!

Thank you for visiting my blog and supporting me with your comments!

Joy said...

Another beautiful collection of photos! You make Budapest come to life.

I hope the next couple of weeks do not prove to be too much for you - as it is after all the season of joys and good tidings!

Happy Christmas to you and everyone you love!

Forgive my tardy visit to your blog. I have been away from my computer for the last 4 days and have now just flown back in from another part of the Philippines. Won't be back in Norwich til January! Your visits to my blog/s, however, are much appreciated!

joy
Norwich Daily Photo
The Goddess In You
Your Love Coach

alice said...

J'ai eu plaisir à revoir ces statues sous leur parapluie que nous avait montré Zannie sur le blog de Zsolt.
Bon Noël à toi et toute ta famille!

S-V-H said...

It was a nice Christmas present for me, to see your Budapest photos, pictures from my home country. I have visited Budapest many times and love it very much! Looking forward to more.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your family, Gil!

Chris said...

Merry Christmas, Gil!

I have enjoyed looking at the Budapest photos today. Is Hungary a Catholic country? Byzantine, maybe?

By the way, I have never asked this, but are you a pilot?

Dalicia said...

i like the umbrellas :) the royal great sounds good to me. i have this phobia with unhygenic ppl in bathtubs. i wonder about the collections in the hungary national museum

Marie said...

I'd love to get such a royal treat :-))

I like the sculptures. They are quite different from what we have here.


Happy New Year to you and your family and thank you for commenting on my blog. I really appreciate.

isa said...

I visited Budapest as a child...barely remember the Castle, so must revisit one of these days.
I could use that spa treatment right now ;-)

Hope you had a Merry Christmas and wish you all the best for the New Year!

Gwen said...

These photographs show incredible architecture and sculpture. the Hall photograph in the Fountain and Matthias Church is amazing with the arches, lighting and clerestory.

Noushy Syah said...

I'd rather take this 'Budapest and the Royal treat' as my gift instead of the lil red envelope or 'angpau' for my x-mas gift! hehehe...

Amazing pics my friend! Nice captured.

Happy holidays and wishing you a prosperous and wonderful new year.

Anonymous said...

Hi Everybody. Thanks for your visits and comments. I just managed to make a short break today to reply to them and wish you a very Happy 2008 with health, love and lots of travelling!

Lori,
Budapest is quite nice, but I must confess that not all residences have an indoor pool and a hot tub… ;))

Isadora,
With a beautiful city like yours, no wonder one enjoys it a lot; and if you happen to be staying with friends who live in a wonderful house... even better! ;))

Olivier,
April,
Imre Varga sculptures are absolutely stunning!

Zsolt,
I’m the one who thanks you for keeping my memories of Budapest alive at your daily photo!

Ruth,
Dick,
Thanks.

JoAnn,
Always stay at home in Christmas (Eve at my parents’ home for late dinner; this year actually at my daughter’s; and X-mas day here at our home for a never ending lunch…)

Lv2,
Amazing how real they look: we are only three; the fourth is a statue… ;))

Ming,
You’re right; I’ve to find that home jacuzzi here in Lisbon…

Trijnie,
The same with me: first visit in 1978, then in 2006; big difference!

Pijush,
Dsole,
Thanks. Have to get back; the problem is that my friends are no longer there… maybe they have a cold tub in Delhi… ;))

Paul (Nikon),
Thanks. The same to you!

Sally,
Thanks. It’s always a treat seeing Sydney through your lens!

AliceSG,
Thanks. Loved to discover your blog!

Irina,
Thanks. Keep showing some beautiful pictures of Moscow, now under snow…

Joy,
Thanks. Hope you’re enjoying your holidays. I’ll try to manage some breaks in between work… ;))

Alice,
C’est vrai que Zannie avait déjà publié les magnifiques sculptures de Varga. Je crois que j’ai laissé un commentaire là-dessous…

Susanne,
I’m glad that you take it as a present. I remembered that Hungary is your home country from your comment to a post on Zsolt’s blog…

Chris,
According to Wikipedia «The 2001 Hungarian Census showed religious adherence to be the following... Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, No Religion 14.5%, refused to answer 10.1%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6% and other 2%.
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 44% of Hungarian citizens responded that "they believe there is a God". 31% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force". 19% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force"…»
No, I’m not a pilot; but I actually love to fly… ;))

Dalicia,
The phobia is understandable; but unfortunately such a spa (with private pool and jacuzzi) is something quite difficult in an apartment and a treat not everybody can afford in a house… ;((

Marie,
It seems that everybody agrees on the royal treat… ;))

Isabella,
Spa treatment is exactly what I should be taking at the end of the year instead of being stuck at a work desk… ;))

Gwen,
Thanks. Matthias Church is quite impressive!

Noushy Syah,
Budapest is still there, but the friends that lived in that house are now very far away…, so the royal treat may have moved somewhere else… ;))

Rune Eide said...

I have never been to Budapest, but your pictures have convinced me - I need to go there!

Thank you for your own pleasant comments and a Happy New Year both for yourself and for your wife(whom I think is appearing on some of the shots? ;-) )

Anonymous said...

Runee,
Thanks for your comment. You should include Budapest in your travel list; it truly deserves the visit!
It's true that Guida is appearing in some pictures (taken since 1970... ;-))

Lakshmi said...

What a visual treat ..I almost forgot for a moment where I was ..

Joy said...

More wonderful photos from you! And the last one made me particularly jealous!

joy
Your Love Coach
The Goddess In You
Norwich Daily Photo

GMG said...

Backpakker,
Joy,
Thanks for your support. I truly understand you; if I could I would be back there... ;))