Budapest has a little more of a big-city feel, and is quite modern compared to Praha. This is mostly because it has been attacked and bombed hundreds of times, the most recent in World War II. Most of the major sights are reconstructed from their originals because so much was lost, but that doesn't make the city any less cool.
We spent the entire day in Budapest, seeing the sights and experiencing the city. We began the morning with a mass in a Catholic Church (St. Michael's) in downtown Pest (The east side of Budapest.) It was beautiful and the service was very nice, and they truly enjoyed our performance.
Next we had free time in the shopping district of Pest, just a few blocks away from the church. Thing really are much cheaper in Hungary! I purchased a few articles of clothing, both in the promenade and at street vendors, and I absolutely love them. They are things I could never get in the States, especially not for the prices I did!
After this we began our guided tour of Budapest, which started with a drive to a square and park in the center of the city. The sculptures here were positively breathtaking. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
Next stop was a museum of architecture in the same park. Several recreated structures stood in a circle around a courtyard. You started, and turned around, to see the progression of architecture as it appeared in Europe. Very cool!
Next stop was the Buda side of the city, where we toured Castle Hill. The views of the Parliament building were stunning, and the many different buildings and bastions were a wonderful sight. Caitlin and I also got gelato!
Caves under the Castle:
Dinner was in a gypsy restaurant, serving traditional Hungarian food. My entrée was fried eggplant, and it was rather delicious. The best part of the meal, though, was being able to hear gypsy musicians as we ate. Later, we got to sing with them as they improvised to our songs. One of the best things so far!
I'm enjoying Hungary very much; it is one of my favorite places I have ever visited! Tomorrow is another day in Budapest, with plenty of free time. I'm excited to experience more of the city!!
*Here are some additional photos from yesterday. The camera wouldn't upload the tail end of the pictures last night, so here are a few now for your perusal.
Panorama of Budapest from the hill.
Telki, a small village outside of Budapest where we sang.
Telki Festival, after the concert
PS I was going to include some videos, but alas, it failed to upload them. I'll show them to you at home.
