Day 2 - Monday, May 1, 2017 - Budapest- Buda

After breakfast at the Hilton overlooking the Danube, we were met by Szofia for the walking tour of Buda.

The first stop was St. Mattias church, founded in the 13th century and named after King Mattias who held the Ottoman's at bay in the 15th century. Unfortunately, after the Ottoman conquest in the 16th century, it was turned into a mosque and the interior covered with white paint. After the expulsion of the Turks in the 17th century it was returned to being a Catholic church. When the Hudson Valley Youth Chorale toured in Budapest in 2002, our daughter Anna sang with the chorale in the church. Carmen who came along as a chaperone said it was a very emotional experience.
St. Mattias Church with statue of St. Stephen in the foreground
(St. Stephen was responsible for bringing Christianity to Hungary)

Our tour took us down to the old palace (now a government building) where we were able to see the changing of the guard. This is quite a choreographed procedure with drums, uniformed soldiers flashing their sabres, boots clicking and ramrod straight soldiers with rifles exchanging positions at the guard post.
Changing of the guard

From there we walked to the Hospital in the Rock. Buda hill is made of limestone and consequently, has many tunnels that have been carved out of the stone. There are so many, that the large bus that brought us from the airport wasn't allowed to come to the main entrance of the Hilton due to concerns about weakening the stone over the tunnels. During the siege of Budapest by the Soviets in 1944 (Hungary had sided with Germany in the hope that land taken away after World War 1 would be returned), the tunnels were turned into a protected hospital. Needless to say, conditions were dire as supplies, including water, became unavailable during the siege. The tunnels were used again as a hospital during the unsuccessful Hungarian uprising in 1956. At the time of the Cuban missile crisis, the tunnels were turned into a nuclear bunker by the Soviets. After the fall of Communism, the hospital/bunker was turned into a historical museum with much of the original equipment and facilities. There are many wax figures illustrating the horrific conditions in the hospital. It was well worth the visit but a depressing reminder of the consequences of war.


We were on our own for lunch and the rest of the day which we spent exploring other parts of Buda hill (and taking a nap).

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