Buda, Budapest Hungary

This post should accompany our Pest post. To recap a little, Budapest was originally two separate cities. Buda sits on the western bank of the Danube that splits the two halves. We didn't get over to the Buda side as much as we would have liked. We did visit the Castle District of Buda. This medieval fortress houses the Fisherman's Bastion (a defensive wall), Matthias Church, Buda Castle, and a few other sites.

We were extremely lucky to be led around the Castle District by the Parditka family. Their oldest daughter, Emese, is studying history and tourism at university, we were given the grand tour.

Fisherman's Bastion is the only part of the wall of the Castle District in place today. When we were telling in Transylvania we saw similarly name towers in Brasov, Sighisoara, and Sibu. It goes to show the similar history they share. Back in medieval times, walls of Buda were maintained by the trade skill Guilds. So the Fisherman's Guild was in charge of maintaining this segment of wall. This isn't original though. It was reconstructed, when Matthias Church was reconstructed, in the 1920s.

Matthias Church is a gorgeous church. Dave and Emily have probably seen the prettiest churches in europe at this point. This has to be a top 15 most beautiful INTERIOR of a church. Every square inch of its interior was painted with beautiful designs and stories of local saints. It honestly took our breath away.

Buda Castle itself is a museum now and we didn't manage to go inside today. The surrounding area filled with arches, fountains, and statues.

All in all, it's a top old city of Europe. Definately worth a visit!Read more