Homeward bound

After the zoo, we grabbed a panne dolce for a snack, not as good as the first because it was cold but still good. We walked through the park to the Szechenyi baths and admired the architecture then went to the grocery store for some last minute souvenirs before heading back to the hotel. We only had to wait a few minutes at the hotel before our taxi arrived to take us to the airport. A few hours later we were on the plane heading back to Merry old England.

Budapest Zoo

From there we made our way to the city zoo. We saw a number of fantastic animals with lots of interesting sculptures and ornate houses. The most impressive was the domes elephant house with it teal tiles and jade green elephant head at the opening. The interior was palatial with beautiful mosaics and chandeliers. The zoo also had a model of a Hungarian farm, with an interesting hairy pig, dog, sheep, goats and geese. Small ponies were used to cart around the food and waste from the farm. We saw bears, tigers, lions, leopards, meerkat, camels, rhinos, giraffe, kangaroos, wallabies, warthogs, mara (a rodent that looks like a cross between a deer and a rabbit, which I had never seen before), wolves, vultures, owls, cranes and many others. my favourites were the armadillos who seemed to think that we were there to feed them and came running over sniffling at us. Ian was quite intrigued with watching the porcupines eat. It was a great visit.

Final day-City Park

Monday 17 November - we started off our last day in Budapest with some pastry from Gerbeaud. After clearing out from our room we dropped our stuff at the reception desk and made our way to city park. We walked to Vajdahunyad castle which now house the agricultural museum. We also saw the statue of anonymous commemorating the first chronicler of Hungarian history. I touched the tip of his golden pen for good luck on my dissertation.

Pest at night

Once we had wandered around the inner city to our satisfaction we hoped on the metro and headed back over to Buda's castle district to hit some of the shops we had visited the day before. After making our purchases we strolled around the castle district and enjoyed the amazing views of Pest lit up at night from the Fisherman's Bastion and the Sandor Palace before heading back across the river for dinner at another restaurant on Andrassy Utca, This time an opulent cafe with chandeliers and large mirrors. Where we had an excellent meal and wrote some postcards before strolling the rest of the way up Adrassy Utca to the hotel.

Pest-inner city

Following our relaxing morning at the Baths we walked back over to Pest to have lunch and explore the inner city. We had lunch on Vaci street, known for its shopping. We enjoyed the tourist menu which was composed of classic hungarian food: goulash to start followed by paprika chicken with gnochi and a jam filed pancake for dessert. Once fortfied by some good food we stopped in a few souvenir shops then did a tour of the inner city sites. There were lots of beautiful smaller palaces and churches as well as some impressive art nouveau banks and office buildings.

Gellert Baths

Sunday 16 November - After our whirlwind sightseeing tour of the previous day our weary bones were quite happy to go to Gellert to enjoy the baths. Budapest is well known for its baths and there are complexes around the city. We chose to go the baths at the Gellert hotel because they are renowned for their art nouveau splendor and because they had co-ed swimming. We made our way via metro to the river then crossed at the Elizabeth bridge to the Buda side and the Gellert district. We walked past the cave church and a number of ornate stone bus stops. When we finally made it to the Hotel is was typically amazing and ornate. However, it wasn't until we got inside to the bath complex that we were blown away. The Foyer had frescoed ceiling, mosaic tile floors, stained glass stained glass arcades, stone sculptures and a fountain. Our first stop was the swimming pool. The pool is co-ed with amazing carved pillars, marble walls, fountain spouts which constantly circulates the water and jets from the floor. Above the pool is a glass arcade which was partly retracted exposing the blue sky. After circulating in the pool we went to the warm bath to soak our muscles. After the communal pool we separated to the male and female thermal baths. In the thermal baths there were marble floors and tile mosaic walls with square skylights cut into the arched ceiling. There were two main baths, one 36 degrees and one 38 degrees. After soaking in these baths one goes to the cold, dunk bath to refresh, I also visited the steam room before going to have a massage. It was a perfect and absolutely luxurious way to relax.

Millennium Monument

Finally after dinner we strolled up Andrassy Utca to the Millennium monument which was striking at night especially with a three quarters full moon overhead. From there we walked to city park getting a view of Vajdahunyad castle at night and finally back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

St. Stephen's at night

With our Gerbeaud pick me up we had renewed energy as we returned to St. Stephen's Basilica for a concert. The concert was presented by Members of the Franz liszt school. WE were treated to Handel, Mozart and Beethoven amidst the splendor of the Basilica. The concert gave us a great opportunity to see the Basilica fully lit up and really admire the detail and colour of the decoration. It was a wonderful evening. After the concert we had a lovely diner at a Abzint, a cafe on Adrassy Utca. It was a great meal with good service and a modern atmosphere.

Gerbeaud

Once we had crossed the Danube once again and were back on the pest side of the city, we decided to treat ourselves to something sweet and rest our feet. We made our way to the famous Gerbeaud patisserie where we got a sampling of pastries and the best hot chocolate I have ever had. Not only was the food great but the atmosphere was suitably luxurious. Chandeliers illuminate the rooms with their damask wallpaper, gold framed mirrors and ornate bistro tables. It was a much needed break from all the on the go adventures of the day.

Chain Bridge

After St. Stephen's we made our way to the chain bridge. The chain bridge was the first connection across the Danube, opened in 1849. It has four magnificent lion statues guarding the ends of the the bridge. We were lucky enough to be crossing the bridge as it turned from twilight to night and thus saw the lights come on on the bridge and along both sides of the city. The bridge gave great views of parliament and Sandor castle lit up for the evening as well as the city lights reflected in the river.

St. Stephen's at sunset

St. stephen's Basilica is a lovely church, with a dome surrounded by complex statues. We entered the church and I was overwhelmed by the intricacy and luxury of the ornamentation. Pillars topped with gold, 12 candle candleabra along with paintiings, mosaics, friezes, stained glass and sculpture. In a side room, we saw the hand of st. stephen ensconced in its ornate shrine. We then climbed the many stairs to the top of the church where we emerged outside the dome just as the sun was setting. We were able to enjoy fantastic views of the city as the sun gilded the spires and domes across the skyscape.

Pest side

From Magrit Island we walked to Pest to the main train station, from there we made our way up Adrassy Utc (likened to the Champs elysee) Where we poked our head into the fabulously ornate opera house. Next was on to St. Stephen's Basilica.

Magrit Island

Magrit Island is located between Buda and Pest and is basically a massive park. It holds a sports complex, alpine slide, ruins of a Franciscan church, an ornate water tower and Hotel. Path crisscross the island revealing benches and fields as well as a small zoo. The Island was known for its large rabbits which are now housed in the zoo, but Ian's favourite animal was the small brightly coloured ducks. Many people rent small bicycle driven carts to explore the island but we made it about 2/3 up the length of the island on foot before heading back. We stopped for a sausage and large pretzel from a street vendor for lunch.

Sandor Palace

From the Fisherman's Bastion we went to Sandor palace. There is a cog-wheel railway which connects the palace to the chain bridge below. At the palace gate we met the Turul bird statue which represents the Hapsburgs and overlooks the palace courtyard and the city. The Castle courtyard also has great views of the city along with fantastic bronze statues around the palace. We wandered around the castle courtyard at the edge of the courtyard stalls are set up selling souvenirs. At one stall we bought a cinnamon flavoured panne dolce. This Hungarian treat is a bread baked into a hollow cylinder shape which pulls apart in a spiral. It was warm and wonderful. From the palace we walked along some of the interesting side streets making our way to the Vienna arch and the district walls. We walked down to the river and up to Magrit Island.

Fisherman's Bastion

Once arriving in Buda we meandered around,appreciating the lovely architecture and quaint streets and steps. Eventually we made our way to the Fisherman's bastion. This is one of the sights that I really wanted to see when planning the trip and it did not disappoint. Built in 1905 this "neo-gothic masquerade" offers amazing views of the city. We were lucky to have warm weather and blue skies so it was comfortable walking around and making the architecture all the more striking. We walked around the Bastion taking in the views as well as the arches, pillars, and statues as well as the musicians playing on the steps. Right next to the bastion is St. Matthias church with its amazingly tiled roof. From there we made our way to the Sandor Palace stopping in some souvenir shops and a small market along the way.

Parliament

Saturday 15 November-On our first real day in Budapest we decided to cross the danube and explore the castle district in Buda. We had a bit of trouble finding the metro station closest to our hotel and ended up passing by a very crowded flea market. However, we finally managed to find the metro and the ticket guards helped us figure out how to purchase our tickets from the automated machine which can be used in either Hungarian or English. The metro was station was very clean and the trains were fashioned, blue with large silver numbers. There were few stops but we took the metro under the river to the Buda side. The trains are also quite deep and the escalator consequently are quite steep and long. However as we emerged from the metro we were greeted with a fantastic view of parliament across the river.

Hungary anyone?

Friday 14th November- Ian and I woke up at 1:30 in the morning to catch the bus to Gatwick airport. From there we flew to Budapest, taking a taxi to the hotel. After a quick change we made our way to the gallery by 3:30. The exhibition, Crossroads, opened at the MAMU gallery at 6:00. There were lots of friends and family of the 11 UWE artists as well as some Hungarian supporters of the museum. The gallery owner, the show organizer from UWE and the UK ambassador to Hungary all spoke at the opening and my work had a prominent place during the speeches. At about 8:30 Ian and I started walking toward the restaurant where the after party was being held. We saw a lot of lovely lit building and ornate lampposts along the way. We met up with the other artists at the restaurant and had something to eat before heading back to the hotel.

Oxford

Saturday 8 November - Since we had the car for the weekend, Ian and I decided to take a trip to Oxford. We actually parked outside the city and took the bus in as it is difficult to drive directly into/around the city. It was a lovely, warm and sunny day and we wandered around as we pleased. There are lots of old stone building and stone streets. Because it is a university town there are also many museums. We visited the Museum of science and the natural History museum. The natural History museum was amazing, it had skeletons of a wide range of animals including elephants, a polar bear, a giraffe, as well as dinosaur skeletons. There were also many stuffed animals and creatures in specimen jars. There were also displays on minerals and fossils. While in Oxford we had a nice lunch at the Newshop restaurant and visited the Bodleian library. There were lots of nice shops and quaint streets. We stayed until a little after five, at which time it was quite dark then made our way back to Bristol.

Bridgewater carnival: squibbing

When we went to the carnival last year we went with a group and had to leave the parade early and miss the infamous squibbing. Squibbing is a tradition unique to bridgewater and is difficult to describe. We almost missed the festivities again as we had to get the car out of the parking lot by midnight and the squibbing did not take place until 11:30. However, it was worth both the wait and the stress. A number of squibbers (about 50) lined main street in two columns. Each carries a squib which is a long stick like a broom handle with a firework at the end. They then light small fires between the columns and on the signal the squibbers all light their squibs and hold them over their heads. The effect for both squibber and crowd is like being inside a firework or a rainstorm of fire. THe squibs last for about 5 minutes with much yelling and shouting. It was an amazing experience.

Bridgewater carnival: floats

Friday 7 November - Since we had such a great time last year, Ian and I decided to go back to the Bridgewater carnival again this year. We rented a car and brought along three of our friends, Aisling, Anna and Caryn. It was quite an international group as they represent England, Ireland and South Africa respectively. We left Bristol just after five and parked in Bridgewater around 6:30. We made our way to the parade route and found a good spot to stand, we had a clear view and were near the beginning of the route. The parade began a little after seven and was amazing. The common themes for floats this year were carnival, jesters, one world and America. There were tons of lights as well as great costumes and dancing and lots of enthusiasm. We had a great time.

Flash.... (no bang)

Wednesday 5 November, On the official Guy Fawkes day I went to the Bristol zoo to enjoy bangless fireworks. The show was designed with the animals and young children in mind. There were loads of people with pushy pushchairs and pushy children but the display was quite beautiful. There were fireworks similar to the traditional ones, only smaller and rooted to the ground as well as spinning fireworks, lanterns and streaming fireworks with no bang at the end. It was an interesting alternative, however it was difficult to know where to look without the sound.

Remember, remember the 5th of November

Saturday 1 November - Ian and I braved the wind and rain to see at least part of the fireworks display this weekend. Throughout november we will hear and see fireworks almost every night as people celebrate "fireworks night" or Guy Fawkes day. The Brits often celebrate by having private fireworks displays and parties with bonfires in their backyards. The towns and villages also have larger displays. The display this year was mostly red and green fireworks and not particularly exciting (although spirits were quite damp considering the rain). However, we are looking forward to continuing the celebration this weekend when we go to the Bridgewater carnival.