Budapesti Delegációja (Mission to Budapest)

Last week involved a three day mission to Budapest in order to attend a meeting with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and a conference hosted by the International Social Security Association (ISSA). I did not book any vacation days to append the mission, which meant that I only had one afternoon and two evenings free to do any sightseeing. However, it turned out that by not visiting any museums, I had enough free time to take a cursory look at most of the main sites in the city.

Budapest was originally two cities: Buda which is on the west side of the Danube and Pest which is on the east side. Several of their most impressive sites are along the bank of the river and I found that the best photos of many of the larger sites on either bank are the ones taken from a distance on the opposite side of the Danube.

A shot of the Buda Castle while standing on the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. The brightness of the sun overwhelmed my camera so the photo looks hazy but the air was actually very clear.

The Music Fountain on Margaret Island. As a performance was not scheduled during my short visit to the island, there was no music played while I was there but the water was still sprayed in various rhythms and patterns.

Shoes on the Danube Promenade. This is a memorial to victims shot on the Danube by Arrow Cross Militiamen in 1944-1945. There were also two jet skiers on the river.

The main altar of Szent István Bazilika (St. Stephen's Basilica).

The Mace Tower at the back of the Buda Castle. While the front of Buda Castle has an ornate design akin to a Royal Palace, the rear has walls and this tower which resemble more typical castle fortifications.

I climbed to the top of Gellert Hill where the Liberty Statue overlooks the city.

A view of Budapest and the Danube from the top of Gellert Hill. This photo was taken in front of the Citadella facing north. Margaret Island can be seen in the distance, further upriver past the second bridge.

A distant shot of the Országház (Hungarian Parliament) on the east bank, taken from the west bank. This building is incredibly pristine for a structure of its size, white colour scheme and age (completed in 1904). Also, if you're on the other side of this building and want to cool off during a hot day, there is a great pedestrian fountain that you can walk through while it sprays a cool mist of water. I did not have time to visit the interior.

At the east end of Andrassy Street is Hősök tere (Heroes' Square). This shot was taken at sunset and my camera could not do justice to the dark blue of the sky that evening. On the far right is Vajdahunyad Castle, which was sufficiently illuminated on the exterior to view at night.

So that was Budapest over an afternoon and two evenings. While I missed the Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion, I felt like I still managed to see most of the other main sites. The city is elegant and tourist friendly, plus it had great weather (sunny and around 30ºC the whole time) while Paris in September has already cooled down. I did not see many migrants during my time there, although I didn't visit the train station where the clashes with police have taken place (and apparently a lot of the migrant traffic had already shifted towards Serbia and Croatia by the time of my visit).