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Beauty of Budapest is steeped in history
By Dr. Nihal D. Amerasekera
One of the great advantages of living in London is its proximity to some of the most beautiful cities in the world. Having been to Florence and Barcelona in the spring, my wife and I decided to have a peek behind the old iron curtain for a change. We weren’t disappointed.

Hungary has an interesting and chequered history. The original settlers, the nomadic Magyars, arrived in the country from Central Asia about 2000 years ago. The Hungarian language has much in common with Finnish.

Christianity was introduced to the country during the reign of King Stephen in 1000 AD. The vast Ottoman Empire expanded to cover the Balkans and Hungary (1365-1403) and has made its indelible mark on this beautiful city. The Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918) had a tremendous influence on the country.

The Jews, Serbs and Germans arrived in this city in vast numbers throughout the ages. This ethnic mix was conducive to industrial and cultural prosperity.
In 1949, however, Stalin’s henchmen led Hungary into socialist tragedy. After four decades of Soviet domination, despite an unsuccessful revolt in 1956, Hungary remained shackled and emerged from the iron curtain in 1989, bruised and battered but not broken. It is now a full member of the elite European Union.

Buda and Pest
Two million of Hungary’s ten million population live in the capital city. Budapest is a union of two old cities — Buda and Pest — divided by the majestic blue Danube. Pest to the east is flat as a pancake and is the commercial and administrative centre. It is often called the poor part of the great city although the majority of shops, restaurants and night spots are located here.
Its most famous structure is the massive parliament building completed in 1902. Its neo-gothic style was influenced by the Houses of Parliament in London. It has an impressive limestone façade facing the waters of the Danube.

Buda is to the west of the river and is built upon several hills, the most famous being the Castle Hill. The Castle has all the elegance of a royal palace. It was restored after World War II and is a house for official departments and museums. There are breathtaking views of the city and the Danube from all round the hill.

We arrived at the modern Ferihegy airport on a warm September morning. Our wooden chalet was up in the hills on the outskirts of the city in a picturesque village called Petnehazy. It was amazingly peaceful and helped to fill our days and nights with calmness and serenity. The journey to the city was by bus and tram. Their public transport system is one of the best I have seen. It is comfortable, cheap and runs on time. I was surprised not to see conductors and ticket collectors.

Budapest has the continent’s first underground railway and only the second after London. Although there are traffic jams during rush hour, it is never as bad as in the big cities of the west. There are many BMW and Mercedes vehicles expressing the country’s affluence. There are also many old Lada and Trabant cars from Russia and old East Germany, a grim reminder of the bad old days.

The panorama
The best way to see the panorama of Buda and Pest is to board the number 2 tram as it winds its way slowly along the banks of the river almost the entire length of the city, past the Parliament building, Roosevelt Square and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in view of the many beautiful bridges across the river. The Danube Promenade with its lovely walkways, gourmet restaurants and coffee houses has been a magnet for the rich and the famous to congregate.

Budapest is a fine example of excellent city planning. The layout of its network of streets and squares is elegant and practical. Most of all, we enjoyed walking along the tree-lined Andrassy Street which houses some of the finest buildings in Europe such as the old Opera House and St. Stephen’s Basilica.
Hungary is famous for its thermal spas. There are many of these scattered in the city but the most famous is the Gellert, named after a bishop who converted many Magyars to Christianity. Some unhappy heathen Magyars shoved the Bishop into a barrel and rolled him down the Castle Hill to his death. Gellert Spa is like having a bath in a cathedral with its art nouveau fittings, colourful mosaics, marble columns and stained glass windows. These are just hot springs and for the faithful is a cure for all ills — from piles to rheumatism — and a gift from God.

Budapest is a city of culture. The architecture of the public, private, ecclesiastical and governmental buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries is just stunning. There are numerous museums and art galleries to suit every taste.

Music has always been an integral part of Budapest — a city of world famous opera and concert halls which attract musicians from all over the globe. Lehar, Kodaly Liszt and Bela Bartok were all born in Budapest. Beethoven, Haydn and Tchaikovsky spent time in the city performing and teaching. I felt privileged to sit on a marble slab in Liszt Square and hear a lone violinist play his vast repertoire of the best in classical music.

Brought up on dynamite curries Hungarian cuisine was not to my taste. Their famous Goulash soup was great. The generous but occasional use of hot paprika gave some zip to an otherwise bland diet. There are many international restaurants catering for all tastes and no one needs to go hungry in Hungary.
Eger is famous for its fine wines. Bulls Blood Red could excite even the most discerning connoisseur. For those who prefer the hard stuff, Polish and Russian Vodka and the many varieties of Schnapps, would guarantee a good nights sleep.

On our last day in the city we took a cruise down the Danube on a moonlit night to the music and songs of Lehar’s Merry Widow. It was a memorable evening, indeed. After a fortnight, we were sad to leave a thriving city of such elegance and exquisite beauty. Any traveller who wishes to see the grace and sophistication of Europe of the 19th and 20th century should have Budapest in his/her itinerary.

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