^UP^
Apparently, the Parliament building in Budapest is the number one tourist attraction, but Grace had booked in advance. The best way to get there was by two Metro lines: our first interchange. It's less stressful then the London Underground.
With time to spare before our alloted slot, we stopped at the cafe Séf Asztala for tea and, er, muesli for one and coffee for the other. The cafe has big windows and a view of the Parliament directly across the square.
They keep saying that the Hungarian Parliament is "based on" or "inspired by" the one at Westminster, but, really, it's grander and more ornate, both inside and out. You have to go on an organised tour, with headset narration, but it was fine.
The most important artefact on display is the gold crown of St. Stephen, in legend given to him by Pope Sylvester II. The recorded information in our ears was inconsistent. At first, they said that the crown appears to be a Byzantine coronet with a Northern European dome added. But that seems not to suit the narrative, so the next segment said that it was a single, consistent design. The cross on top is tilted. No-one knows why or when.
The crown has two armed guards and you aren't allowed to take photographs in the room. Wikipedia has a good photo though.
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| The corridors of power. |
Allegorical painting on the ceiling. |
This used to be at the top of the dome. |
Farewell, Pariament. |
After Parliament, we headed in the direction of the cathedral, which wasn't far. We passed a memorial to Holocaust victims and a column to commemorate the Red Army's liberation of Budapest from the Nazis.
Our guidebooks both claimed that entrance to St. Stephen's Basilica is free of chage. Not now it isn't. Still, cheap enough. It's like any other grand Catholic cathedral, except that they have the saint's mummified right hand on display. Allegedly. It's someone's hand anyway.
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| Red Army memorial. |
Holocaust memorial. |
St. Stephen's Basilica. |
St. Stephen's Basilica. |
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| Dome of St. Stephen's Basilica. |
The dead hand. |
Back in the sunshine. |
We came across a Mexican restaurant for a late lunch, Chimichanga, right by the cathedral. OK, not ethnic Hungarian, but pretty good.
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| A walk on the riverbank at night. |
Buda all lit up. |
A nearly full Moon. |
After returning home for a rest, we headed out for dinner (two Metros again) at another restaurant recommended in the guides, Monk's Bistrot, near the Elizabeth Bridge. Very good food, lovely ambience, jazz trio playing: all very nice. Pricy though. In later days we came to understand that the area is a tourist hot-spot, which perhaps explains the prices.
^UP^
