31 May 2023 – This one will be quite a few pics – busy day! as it happens it was also a very busy day for Budapest as well – little did we know but the night would include the Europa League final in the new Puskas Arena – and the central part of Pest was overrun with fans of both Sevilla and Roma, who ended up going to penalties before Sevilla win as the clock was nearing midnight. Fanfest, and groups of fans batting with their chants and songs all afternoon. But this is all you get about it – didn’t take any pics of them specifically – although you can see some of the crowds in the second one here from atop the St. Stephen’s Basilica:
First main event of the day for us was a guided tour of the Basilica – the largest church in Budapest – dedicated to Hungary’s first king, St. Stephen who was crowned in 1000 AD. Of course first was a stop at a local bakery for a quick bite, but then our tour guide took us through the church for about an hour, providing lots of cool historical and architectural facts. Pics below from the interior – I can’t recap all the history – you can go look that up – but a couple of key items to note… almost unique in Catholic churches anywhere, the main alter features a statue of St Stephen, instead of the Holy Virgin Mary. This required approval by the Pope.
Also on display in the main church is Hungary’s greatest treasure – ‘the Holy Right’ – the naturally mummified right hand of The Saint himself. Recovered from his tomb when he was canonized in 1083, it is now contained in a bulletproof glass box and displayed in a golden vault which is paraded around the Basilica outdoors every year on Aug 20, the holiest of days in Hungary.
“The Holy Right”
After touring the inside, our ticket also included an elevator ride up to the top of the Basilica and access to a viewing terrace that encircles the dome and grants panoramic views across the city. Besides the pics at the top of the page, a few more here. There is also a room called the Treasury that contains som historical artifacts from the church’s history, as well as a replica of the Holy Crown (real one held at the Parliament building) – by legend gifted to Stephen I by the Pope for his coronation – and a model of the basilica from a past time when renovations were being made.
After the tour, our walking odyssey rally started – but not after a quick bite at a sidewalk cafe. Shown here before we caught the metro under the river also: Budapest’s oldest tree (one of them anyway), a view of the famous ‘Chain Bridge’ (closed to pedestrians unfortunately), and a couple of other cool buildings. Once we got to the Buda side of the river, we started up some steep streets on foot, finally reaching the Fisherman’s Bastion, and the walled entrance to Buda Castle hill.
The Buda Castle District atop the main hill overlooking Budapest is a small town unto itself but includes quite a few historical attractions – including the Matthias Church, the Buda Labyrinth and the Mary Magdalene Tower. We arrived a bit late in the day so did not have the chance to pay for entries to some of the sites, but we did walk along the main circling walls along some tree covered paths to get a good sense of the place. We will have to return one day to really explore.
With a schedule to keep, we headed downhill toward the river, and to a little mom-n-pop place for another round of hearty Hungarian specialties – sat upstairs so not a great pic of the inside, but small place with only about 8 tables. We made it with 5 min before kitchen close (7pm) but the cold beer was just as welcome.
After dinner, despite our throbbing feet we still had some walking to do – so walked along the river to the Margaret bridge (named for St Margaret – another prominent Hungarian figure who was canonized for her selfless charity in the 13th century). Then capped off the evening with a boat tour down the back up the Danube, with the prominent buildings lit at night. Last couple are the massive Hungarian Parliament building – somewhere else to justify a return to Budapest and a tour inside.
Relatively early night after the boat and the last of our 24,000+ step day. Tomorrow off to Brno via train, and some welcome rest for our feet.