The best guide possible

Brian's second cousin Zsuzsi is an architect and town planner. She is also the author of several books on the history of towns and town planning. Who better to take us on our own personal guided tour of the Castle District with its interesting architectural styles and history? So, we set off with Panni and Zsuzsi for what proved to be a really interesting day.

To quote Wikipedia: "Buda Castle sits on the south tip of Castle Hill, bounded on the north by what is known as the Castle District (Várnegyed), which is famous for medieval, Baroque and 19th-century houses, churches and public buildings. The hill is linked to Clark Ádám Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge by the Castle Hill Funicular. The castle is a part of the Budapest World Heritage Site, so declared in 1987."

Not surprisingly, the area is one of the major tourist attractions of Budapest, so it was quite busy, but we certainly enjoyed the VIP treatment. Zsuzsi knows the area like the back of her hand and was able to give us so much information about the major buildings and their history. We learnt so much and saw so much beyond what the average tourist gets to experience. The four of us enjoyed a very pleasant light lunch at one of the many restaurants which was marred only slightly by Brian spitting the dummy at the poor level of service.

From the vantage point of the Fishermen's Bastion, Zsuzsi was able to point out various features of the city from its development in mediaeval times when there were the two villages of Buda and Pest to the bridging of the Danube, initially with pontoons then with the historic Chain Bridge. Zsuzsi is also a guide and volunteer at the Budapest History Museum, located in the Castle District complex. Sadly, time didn't allow for us to tour the museum itself, as it had been a long, hot day and we were all starting to flag.

Saying our fond farewells to Zsuzsi and Panni, we wandered back to our hotel for a breather before heading out for a light dinner then an early night.Read more