Budapest is divided into two parts by the Danube River, with Buda on the west bank retaining an older European feel in its narrow streets and cafes. The Chain Bridge connecting the two sides was designed by an English engineer and opened in 1849, featuring lions similar to those in London's Trafalgar Square. Highlights included the Fishermen's Bastion terrace overlooking the city, St. Matthias Church, the Hungarian Parliament building, Opera House, and the unique Dohány Street Synagogue.

1. Eastern Europe Travels 2012
Budapest is a tale of two
cities, with the Danube River
dividing Hungary’s capital into
two parts:
The hillsides of Buda on one
bank and the flatter Pest to the Elizabeth Platz
east.
An older, more charming
European feel is found in
Buda, with a layout of narrow
cobbled streets and cafes
tucked into cosy corners.
Danube River and Elizabeth Bridge

2. Our Tour Group

3. Chain Bridge
Views outside our Hotel
Sofitel Hotel
The Chain Bridge was designed by the English engineer William Tierney
Clark in 1839 and was opened in 1849. It has enormous significance in the
country's economic, social and cultural life.

4. The lions at each of the Chain Bridge abutments are very similar in design to the
famous bronze lions of Trafalgar Square.

5. A view from our Hotel looking over the Chain
Bridge to the Buda Castle and St. Matthias Church

6. A night view of the Buda Castle Hill illuminated in the
background over the Chain Bridge and Blue Danube
river. Rising 48 meters above the Danube, the Buda
Castle Hill district dominates the city. Buda is the place
where Budapest was founded.

7. Cafe Gerbeaud in Pest.
The famous Gerbeaud Cafe on Vörösmarty Square in Pest where we had our
dinner on the first night of the tour. In 2008 they celebrated the 150th
anniversary of its foundation in 1858.

8. Views Of Fishermen's Bastion
The Fishermen's Bastion is a terrace in neo-gothic and neo-romanesque style
situated on the Buda side of the Danube river. It was designed and built
between 1895 and 1902 and surrounds Matthias Church. Other restoration
work was carried out after its near destruction during World War II.
Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the
Carpathian Basin in 896.The Bastion takes its name from the guild of fishermen
that was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle
Ages

9. ST. Matthias Church And Fishermen’s Bastion

10. ST. Matthias Church

11. One of a number of views of Fishermen's Bastion in
Pest

12. Statue Of Children Fishing

13. Outside the Hungarian National Gallery

14. Peace War
Statues Of Peace and War

17. Hero's Square in Pest

18. This unique Jewish Synagogue was constructed between 1844-59 along
the famous Andrassy Boulevard. The second largest synagogue (the
largest stands in New York) in the world can take in 3,000 people. Its
Byzantine-Moorish style is a reminder of monuments in the Middle-
East. Two onion-shaped domes sit on the twin towers at 43 m height.
The towers symbolise the two columns of Solomon's Temple.

19. Decorative 1880 Wine House In Buda

20. Parliament House in Pest

21. The Hungarian Opera House construction started in 1875 and
opened to the public on the September 27, 1884.It was funded by
the city of Budapest and by Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and
Hungary .It opened to the public on the September 27, 1884.

22. Foyer In The Opera House

25. View of Pest from Buda Castle District

26. View of Pest from Buda Castle District

27. St. Stephen’s Basilica located in Pest

28. Inside St. Stephen’s Basilica

29. View of the Dome in St. Stephen’s Basilica

30. The Royal Palace In Buda

31. The Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Esztergom
outside Budapest is the seat of the Catholic Church in
Hungary.

32. Catch a tram or ride a bike
to the Buda Castle district

33. Bye for now