Meandering in Budapest

Today I am posting more of the photos I took as we walked and rode around this fascinating city.  First, a few facts about Budapest, Hungary and the Danube River.

The Danube River flows through or along the borders of ten countries:  Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine and Romania.

Hungary is a landlocked country in the heart of Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia.  It is slightly smaller than the state of Indiana and slightly larger than Scotland.  The government is a Parliamentary Republic.  An elected president is chief of state and a prime minister is head of government.  Parliament consists of a 386 seat house called the National Assembly.  Voting age is 18.

Above is the photo I took of the Parliament building as we passed over the Chain Bridge.  Below is an image of the Parliament building at night that I found on Google.  It's possible to tour the inside of the building but we did not have that opportunity.  I hear it's beautiful, though.

Above is the view from our hotel room.  Our hotel is located on the flat Pest (pronounced Pesht) side of the Danube and overlooks the hilly Buda side.

The Hungarian flag alongside the flag of the European Union.  Hungary became a member of the European Union on May 1, 2004.  

As evening approached, we walked along the river as the lights began to come on.  The photo below shows our ship in front of the Chain Bridge.

The next day we traveled to Szentendre (St. Andrew in English).  It's a small town just outside Budapest which has been known as an artists' colony since the 1920s.  It has cobblestone streets and contains a number of galleries and shops, including a museum featuring the art of Margit Kovacs, Hungary's renowned ceramic artist.  No photos were allowed inside, but some of the photos below were taken in the courtyard just outside.

Tomorrow… we leave Budapest and head out for more adventures.