Today we explored the Budapest Castle District and finished off with a candlelit dinner cruise. It was a pretty big day racking up almost 17,000 steps and climbing the equivalent of 26 floors.

The Buda Castle District is a beautiful area sitting on top of a hill alongside the Danube River and affords some excellent views back across the city. We explored the Budapest History Museum, Hungarian National Gallery and then the Hospital in the Rock Museum. The Hospital in the Rock Museum tour was very interesting and moving and was recommended to us by Ruth before we left. It was set up to look after the civilians and soldiers injured during WWII and then the 1956 revolution and later became a nuclear bunker. Instead of reflecting on the futility and destruction of war and conflict of which Budapest has experienced more than its fair share, I will share the great sense of awe and respect I gained for the men and woman who looked after the many civilians and soldiers at this hospital, especially the female volunteers who helped our during the 1956 revolution and the story of Friedrich Born. Friedrich was a Swiss delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Budapest between May 1944 and January 1945, during this time he lived in the Hospital. When he became aware of the deportation and slaughter of the Hungarian Jews he recruited up to 3,000 Jews as workers for his offices granting them protection and also managed to distribute about 15,000 protection documents issued by the Red Cross that prevented the deportation and death of many Hungarian Jews. He is credited with rescuing between 11,000 to 15,000 Jews in Budapest, a humanitarian hero in my books. The Hospital in the Rock Museum provides a sobering experience to juxtapose the uplifting experience of the rest of the Budapest Castle District.

After visiting the hospital we then wandered over to the Matthias Church and Fishermans Bastion. The church is a magnificent building and the intricate artwork inside is quite impressive. We also checked out a Hungarian History 3D show inside a 700 year old chapel which was quite good.

It was then time for lunch so we enjoyed a Hungarian sausage and a chimney cake washed down with a mulled wine. Luckily the sausage tasted good as the paprika and garlic taste kept coming back for the rest of the day.

It was then time to suss out the Maria Magdalena Tower (Buda Tower) which probably accounted for most of the floors we climbed today, it was a fair trek to get to the top but well worth it for the views across the city.

By now we had enough of sightseeing so it was back to the city centre where we wandered through the Christmas markets again before settling down at a restaurant near our hotel for a few well deserved drinks and people watching. A few things I have noticed since being over here is the high quality of the clothing and footwear people wear and the amount of smokers, it hard to believe how many people still smoke in Europe.

Tonight we had our Candlelit Dinner Cruise which was a sensational way to view the city from the Danube River while enjoying a beautiful four course meal. We both enjoyed the garlic prawns for starter followed by a pumpkin soup. Amy had the duck and I had the venison for mains and then we shared the brownie and chocolate cake for dessert. It was all very nice and was complemented with a nice bottle of red. We have had two bottles of red since we’ve been here and both have been Australian. I guess we should try some local wine but we don’t know the varieties so we’ve taken the conservative option and gone with what we know.

All in all today was another great day where we have learned a lot and been able to appreciate this grand city.

The following is a bit I’ve learned about Budapest and Hungary….

Budapest is one of Central Europe’s oldest city’s with a history that runs from being a small village, roman times and into the mongols, ottomans and beyond. The history of the city has always been one of occupation and exploitation due to its strategic location between Asia and Western Europe.

The origin of Hungarians involves migrations of people from as far back as 4000BC. Then nomadic tribes of Magyars arrived in the Carpathian Basin during the middle of the 9th century. Initially they were mercenaries for local armies but over time settled where Budapest now stands. In the beginning, Buda and Pest were two small villages. The Magyars were feared across Europe for their skills with the bow and arrow and they raided into Spain, southern Italy and northern Germany. Their raiding ways hit a wall against the Byzantine Empire forcing them to choose between the Holy Roman Empire or Byzantium for protection. Stephen I approached the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II and he became a Christian king at the end of 1000 thus creating the nation of Hungary and beginning a new chapter in the history of Budapest.

For the next three centuries there was constant conflict as several European dynasties fought over the throne. However things started to thrive during the 1400s and 1500s as Buda transformed into a cultural centre, universities were founded and the first book was published in 1473. Then the Ottomans arrived and they plundered Buda in 1526 and occupied the city for the next 150 years. The Ottomans introduced the Muslim religion and also contributed many of the Turkish baths that are still in the city today.

In 1686 the Holy League of Christian’s led an army against the Turks and by 1718 there was no more trace of the Ottoman rule. The long battle devastated Budapest and after that Buda and Hungary became a part of the Habsburg Empire.

During the 19th century the people of Buda struggled to disconnect themselves from the Habsburgs culminating in a national uprising in 1848. The reconciliation in 1867 brought two monarchies together from Austria and Hungary which enabled the next great phase in the history of Budapest with several decades of prosperity.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 was the catalyst for WWI to begin with Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. Austria-Hungary were on the losing side of the war and in 1918 Hungary declared its independence.

During WWII Hungary really had no choice but to side with Germany and entered the war 1941 however there were secret negotiations with Britain and America and Hitler ordered his Nazi army to occupy Hungary in March 1944. Budapest was heavily damaged by allied bombings and the siege of the Battle of Budapest during 1944. This period also saw over 437,000 Hungarian Jews deported to Auschwitz.

In 1949 Hungary became a part of the communist regime under the influence of the Soviet Union but in 1956 Budapest led the Hungarian Revolution which started as a peaceful student demonstration. Things got very ugly with soviet troops entering the city with many people killed and imprisoned. Makes you think about the current events in Hong Kong and how History continues to repeat itself with people fighting against repression.

We will learn more about the Nazi and Soviet occupation of Budapest when we visit the Terror Museum later in our visit.

Communism was finally defeated in 1989 with the first free election in 1990 effectively being a plebiscite on communism. Hungary become a free, democratic European republic, in 1999 it joined NATO and in 2004 it became a member of the EU.

A story of occupation, repression and conflict interspersed with great cultural achievements and economic prosperity. Despite the devastation over the years Budapest is now a magnificent and grand city and I look forward to learning more about it over the next two days.