My first trip to Budapest, 35 years ago

Posted 6 days ago

Budapest. I explored one of my favorite cities for the first time 35 years ago today. My team took a 3 hour train trip from Lake Balaton to see Budapest on our day off. We walked from Déli to the Castle District. After spending time in the Castle District, we walked down, crossed the Chain Bridge (Lánchíd) and went to the Váci utca (walking street). We had lunch and then walked down the river to Parliament, crossed the Danube on the Margit Bridge and went back to Déli to catch a train back to our summer home.

We had to walk up 260 stairs to get to the Castle District. It is the only time I have visited Budapest and not taken advantage of public transportation. But there is something to be said about seeing everything on foot.

I loved winding through the streets and having the spire of the Matthias Church come into view. I have taken pictures from a similar vantage point on a couple of my other trips to Budapest.

I had to get a picture of the smaller Eastern European cars with my shorter teammates.

The Matthias Church is one of my favorites. I love Gothic architecture.

Crossing my favorite bridge for the very first time. Kedvenc hídom.

July 1990

I was amazed at all the people lined up to get into the Adidas store. Adidas was not a very big brand in the States at that point in time. I took a picture of the same store front, which looks vastly different, on my last trip to Budapest in April 2024.

April 2024

We ate lunch at the Apostolok Étterem. I wanted to try to eat there with my son on our last trip but was not sure if it was open. I wish I had tried harder because the place we ate at nearby was very disappointing. I had Hungarian goulash that day. I am pictured with my teammates, Doug and Brent.

We spent some time in Kossuth Square. The statue on the right (Ferenc Rákóczi, II) was a place of shelter for many during a peaceful demonstration in October 1956. The Hungarian police or Soviets opened fire on the crowd. We saw films about that night at a memorial that is built underground close to this statue. The first statue or the one on the left of Kossuth Lajos has been replaced by another statue of him and other famous Hungarians.

“King Commie” is what my friend Brent said as we came across this statue of Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels. I saw this same statue 8 years later relegated to a park on the outskirts of town that showcase these monuments to Communism.

Looking south down the Danube. You can see so many landmarks from this vantage point on the Margit Bridge. Parliament on the left. Lánchíd. Matthias Church and Buda Castle. And far away on the hill is the liberty or freedom statue.

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