Silhouette of a Horse

At Heroes' Square there's ample opportunity to get some nice silhuets of the statues, like this one of one of the horses of the seven tribal leaders.

Heroes' Square - Hősök tere

One of the major squares in Budapest is Heroes' Square or Hősök tere as it's called in Hungarian. In the centre of the square is the Millennium Monument with statues of the seven tribal leaders that founded Hungary in the 9th Century and a half-circle of statues of other important Hungarian figures. The square is flanked by two museums; the Palace of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts. Behind it is the big City Park. The square and Andrássey Avenue, which leads to it, is a World Heritage site.

Old Style Arcade

Budapest has it's fair share of modern malls but these old style arcades in Pest on Josef Attila utca have a lot more charm, even though quite a few of them seemed to be out of business.

A Night in Budapest

The view from Castle Hill in Budapest on the Buda side of the River Danube is magnificent, especially at night as the city and the Chain Bridge is lit.

Chaining Buda and Pest

One of the main sights in Budapest is this, the Chain Bridge lit at night. The suspension bridge from 1849 was the first permanent bridge to span the River Danube in Budapest and its official name is Széchenyi Lánchíd after one of its main backers, István Széchenyi. Tomorrow I'll show you another photo of this beautiful bridge from the Castle Hill on the Buda side.

On a Pedestal

On a pedestal just by the Hotel Intercontinental stands this statue of Baron Eötvös Jozsef (in Hungarian the first name is the last name and the surname the first). He was a Hungarian writer and statesman who lived 1813 - 1871. He was twice the Minister of Education and once the Minister of Religion. His greatest achievements was the National School Act and the emancipation of the Jews.

House of the Nation

The Hungarian Parliament in Budapest is the largest building in Hungary and the largest parliament in Europe. It's also one of the oldest legislative buildings in Europe.

Looking at the Parliament

The statue of Imre Nagy stands on a little bridge over a small pond facing the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest. Imre Nagy was a communist politician who twice was Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary. His second term ended as the Soviets invaded Hungary and toppled his government during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. He was arrested, tried for treason and executed two years later.

Under the Arch

Budapest is awash with modern statues like this one of important Hungarian figures. The statue is of the former president Károlyi Mihály, who was Hungary's leader 1918-19 for four months during a short-lived democracy.

On Both Road and Water

Whenever I get to a new city, I try the local hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses if they have them. The same in Budapest where it was a traditional type with a recorded guided in multiple languages. Often the tickets also include a river cruise, but then you have to change into boat at some stage. Not so for the sightseeing bus on the photo though, it's an amphibian bus, so it'll take you on both a road trip around the city and on a river cruise on the Danube as well without you having to change vehicle. Next time that'll be on my list.

Looking over the Danube

The Danube River divides the city of Budapest into two parts, Buda on the western bank and Pest on the eastern bank. The walks along this great river cries out for these quiet moments where you can just stand and look into the distance, contemplating life's ups and downs.

Going Retro XIII

My last retro post for now is also the first of a series of pics from a weekend-get-away in Budapest. This one is of the Margaret Bridge which spans the Danube and connects Buda and Pest with Margaret Island. The bridge is under heavy restoration so it's covered in scaffolding and half blocked off. Nevertheless the beauty of this bridge is obvious.

Going Retro XII

This photo of the newest bridge in Copenhagen, the Teglholmsbroen between Teglholmen and Sluseholmen in South Harbour, shows how difficult it can be to control the Hipstamatic for iPhone when what you see on the screen is not what you get. Remember to turn that on in the settings or face the consequences.

Going Retro XI

Some of the graffiti on the walls at H.C. Ørsted Power Plant is pretty good, even though I'm not exactly thrilled about this idea of painting on other peoples walls. Here I forgive the rascals as these walls are not in use anymore and will probably be torn down in the near future.

Going Retro X

Like the post of yesterday this one is taken at the old coal storage at H.C. Ørsted power plant, but showing the bigger picture. As you can see the car matches the walls perfectly, almost like it's camouflaged.