Fourth Set of Photos

Our next stop was Kalocsa, Hungary.  After lunch we were transferred to Bakodpuszta for a horse show.  The horses are Arabian and Mongolian. 

 

The blue oxen are not good beef, in fact their protein is not digestible by humans so they are work animals only.

They did acts with the horses as would be done in battle, things I have never seen a horse do.

We left the ranch and proceeded to a house museum where we saw ladies embroidering using only a non-electric Singer sewing machine which worked with a treadle.  We also enjoyed a performance by a pair of Hungarian dancers.

 

Overnight we sailed to Budapest and docked at the foot of the Palace, Parliament, St. Matthias Church and several other churches.  It was spectacularly beautiful, especially at night.

 

There are two sides of the river making up the city, Buda and Pest where we docked.  Our first venture was to Heroes' Square where a colonnade displayed statues of kings, dukes and liberty fighters who influenced the history of Hungary.

 

Next stop was Castle Hill.  The Royal Palace has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses the Hungarian National Gallery.

We visited St. Matthias Church formerly used for the coronations of Hungarian kings. 

These are walls of an old monastery that have been incorporated into a new Hilton Hotel in the area.

Photos across the river from the castle area.  This is the Parliament building and St. Stephen's Cathedral

The next day we walked to Parliament and stumbled upon these bronze sculptures of shoes representing the Jews who were lined up, shot and shoved into the river to their death.

 

 

We took a tour of Parliament on our own.  It was easy to get around Budapest and we enjoyed being on our own for awhile.  We had gone on line, determined times for English tours and pricing so were feeling quite "continental."

 

This is the most expensive building ever built in Hungary,

 

Of course, you could live across the street from this beautiful complex in communist architecture.

 A hallway.

The Senate.

The magnificent stairway.

The ceiling above the staircase.

 
The balcony along the stairway.

This was a museum right across the street but I don't remember which one and haven't written it down.  The architecture was outstanding though and worthy of being included.