Shopping for Souvenirs in Budapest

It was my third visit in  Hungary's capital last December 2013 but still  I want to visit it  again. I haven't got enough  of  Budapest yet and I still want to explore it again. This city is simply amazing considering it historic sights and monuments.

View of the Parliament and the Danube River from  the Fishersman's Bastion.

Budapest, the capital of Hungary is  one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. That is not a question for me and the reason why I keep on coming back in this city.

The main reason of my third visit in Budapest was to witness its Christmas markets. Indeed, it was very interesting. During this time, you can find a lot of vendors in their kiosks and stalls selling a lot of stuffs from home decors to Christmas decors, kitchen stuffs, clothing, winter accessories, candles, crystals, woodcrafts, foods and more. I was actually looking for a table cloth linen in Budapest but due to limited time, I was not able to find it. Good to know that premiertablelinens.com is available online. I can browse it and see what I want. I want to give it as presents to my sisters when I go home for holiday this spring season.

Shopping in Budapest can be a great experience and can be fun. Go to  Pest if you are a luxury shopping.It is the most expensive part of the city. You'll find Hungarian linens and lace, pottery, and other items, in souvenir shops. Don't also miss the Great Market Hall (Nagy Vásárcsarnok) at Fővám tér. It is recently renovated markethall with essential atmosphere: You should know how to bargain if you plant to buy something.

I am  happy to  bring home again some souvenirs from Budapest. As usual, postcards and  fridge magnets are always present.

Sound and Music in Lake Balaton

I was browsing awhile ago some photo  albums from my previous travels. I was smiling when I saw some pictures of me and my friend when we visited  Lake Balaton. I could still remember when we were walking from the parking lot where our bus parked going to the lake. You can hear music along the way because some stores and restaurants were playing  music on their CD player.

Statue in  Siofok, Lake Balaton during our visit last August 2011.

 On our way back to the parking lot, there was a group of performers who were playing guitars. I am not quite sure if they get their fryette amp at guitar center. I am telling you folks, the music they played were quite entertaining. We stopped for awhile and  listened  to them. I am trying to browse more pictures if I took some photos from these musicians to share to you but sorry guys, I cannot find pictures of them.

Anyway, I will just share an image taken in Lake Balaton during our visit last summer 2011. It was indeed a very enjoyable trip with my friend Jean.

The Best of Budapest

There are a lot of beautiful and interesting cities to visit in Europe. Each city is unique in its own way.  Budapest itself has its own uniqueness. It can offer a lot of things to every guest and tourist. Besides this city is not so expensive compared to Paris, London or Zurich.

There are a lot of means to get in to Budapest. You can find cheap international flights to this city especially if you book it ahead of time. It is also reachable by train, buses or by boat depending on your point of departure.

Don't miss these famous attractions and sights when visiting Budapest, Hungary.

Buda Castle is considered to be one of the tops sights in Hungary's capital. It is located on the Pest side of Budapest. From there you can have an amazing view of the city. Take a walk in the castle district and be sure to visit the Matthias Church, the Fishermen's Bastion and the Holy Trinity Square.

The Parliament Building from the Fishermen's Bastion.

The Parliament is another interesting structure of the city. It is the most grandiose building on the Pest embankment. It is the second largest parliament building in Europe after the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania.

The only way to go inside the Parliament is through guided tours which is said to be free for inhabitants of European Union.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the tallest building in Budapest. It has the same height as the Parliament building. The mummified right hand of the founding king of Hungary, Saint Stephen since the 11th century is found inside this Basilica.

The Heroes' Square, called as Hosok tere in Hungarian is also worth to visit. You can find the Millennium Monument in this famous square of Budapest.

The Heroes' Square during my second visit last June 4-5, 2012.

The Citadel on the Gellert Hill and the Statue of Liberty are worth a short hike. You can also take the bus no. 27 to go there.

Other top sights in the city are the City Park, Danube Promenade, Margaret Island and a walk to the Andrassy Avenue are all worth to experience.

If you are coming from France, Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain, cheap carriers like Easyjet, Ryanair and German Wings are servicing flights to Budapest.

St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest, Hungary

It was already my second visit to Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. The first time I visit this city was in summer 2011. During my second visit lately, I was with friends who are touring Europe. It was a lot of fun and I believed a very memorable trip for all of us.

One of the sights we visited was St. Stephen's Basilica.It is a Roman Catholic basilica in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038), whose mummified fist is housed in the reliquary.

St. Stephen's Basilica is one of the most important tourist spots in Hungary. It is also the third highest building in Hungary.

After taking some photos of this  building, we proceeded our walk to Buda castle.

 The rear view of the Basilica taken during our trip last June 3, 2012.

St. Stephen's Basilica has a width of 55 metres (180 ft), and length of 87.4 metres (287 ft). It was completed in 1905 after 54 years of construction, according to the plans of Miklós Ybl, and was completed by József Kauser.

Visiting Siofok, Hungary

This is one of the places we visited during our trip to Hungary last summer. This was a trip full of fun and laughter together with a friend. Siofok is a popular destination in Hungary for both locals and tourists due to its location near Lake Balaton. It is well-known for its nightlife and beaches.

That trip we had in this Hungarian city was quite a memorable one especially the chilling in Lake Balaton. Sorry, we were not ready for swimming that time.

You can see a lot of shops and restaurants in Siofok especially on your way to Lake Balaton.

Siofok's tourist information board. I and a friend, Jean visited this city last August 2011.

Trip To Budapest-Sights Not To Miss

I am reminded about Budapest because I saw a 4-day trip going there for 249.00 Euros. This is quite a good deal because you will be flying in one of those international flights from Germany to Hungary's capital. Included in the trip are also a 3-star hotel accommodation with breakfast for three nights and a sightseeing tour in the city. I really find this trip very cheap but this is not my priority now because I had been to Budapest last summer 2011. I still want to visit this city in the future and would like to stay longer to experience more of its sights. I might probably be flying there with one of the discount airlines from Germany like Easyjet, Ryanair or Germanwings.

Panoramic view of Budapest from the Citadel. You can see the Chain bridge that crosses Danube River and the Parliament building on this photo.

If you are planning to visit Hungary's capital city, these are some of the sights not to miss when you are there.

The Castle Hill and the Castle District- This area is a must when you are in Budapest. The main sights you can see there are the Royal Palace (the main attraction in the castle hill), the Fisherman's Bastion (to have an impressive views across the Danube to Pest), the Matthias Church and the National Gallery. There are still other museums to see there. Among the few are The Historical Museum of Budapest, Marzipan Museum, The Music Museum and some other more.

The Matthias Church on the Castle Hill.

The Parliament Building- This is considered to be one of the most popular tourist destination not only in Budapest but in whole of Hungary as well. It is a notable landmark of Hungary and one of Europe's oldest legislative buildings. Its construction was started in 1885 and it has a Gothic revival style. One of the famous parts of the building is the hexadecagonal
( means sixteen-sided) central hall.

You can have a nice view of the whole Hungarian Parliament Building when you are on the Castle Hill especially on the Fisherman's Bastion.

St. Stephen's Basilica- I did not have the chance to go inside the Basilica because our bus did not find a parking lot nearby. I just saw it from outside. St. Stephen's Basilica is a Roman Catholic Church which was named after Stephen, the first king of Hungary. It is one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest equal with the Parliament Building with 96 meters height. The architectural style is Neo-Classical.

The Heroes´ Square- I also love this part of Budapest. It is one of the major squares in this city. The Millennium Memorial, its iconic statue complex was completed in 1900, the same year where the square was also named. Hosok tere, its Hungarian name, is surrounded by two important buildings, Museum of Fine Arts on the left and Hall of Art on the right.

The Millennium Memorial in the Heroes' Square during our trip last August 2011.

I was so happy after having some personal snapshots from this square. This is one of the sights where we stayed for around thirty minutes because our tour guide was explaining about it.

Like other capital cities in Europe, there are still a lot of sights to see and to experience in Budapest. If you have more time when visiting this city, you can also see and experience more its sights, its people and its culture.

The Fisherman's Bastion in Budapest, Hungary

The Halászbástya or Fisherman's Bastion takes its name from the guild of fishermen that was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages. It is a viewing terrace, with many stairs and walking paths in Budapest, Hungary.

Below is the snapshot I took during our visit last August 2011.

he Halászbástya or Fisherman's Bastion is a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, on the Castle hill in Budapest, around Matthias Church. It was designed and built between 1895 and 1902 on the plans of Frigyes Schulek.

From the towers and the terrace a panoramic view exists of Danube, Margaret Island, Pest to the east and the Gellért Hill. Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896.

My Europe Travel 2011

I am very happy and contented with the travels and trips I experienced this year. I was able to visit again a lot of interesting cities and countries in Europe. It was so far, the most-travelled year I have. Before year 2011 ends, I want to make a roll-call of the wonderful places I visited in Europe this year.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

I thought it was only a dream. That dream of visiting one of the world's famous cities finally came true. When you talk about Monte Carlo, you will also mean its widely known casino and its prominence.

the world's famous Monte Carlo casino in Monaco. Taken during our trip last April 2011.

I also had the chance to see some of the famous sites in Monaco. Among the few are the St. Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco Ville and the Prince Palace (not enough time to go inside), the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium (from outside), La Condamine, the Formula 1 Grand Prix and a lot more.

The nearest airport is the Nice Côte-d'Azur International which is around 40 kilometers away from the city-centre in neighboring France. There are always cheap flights to Nice depending on the time of your visit and how early you book it.

Côte d'Azur, France

This is so far one of the beautiful coastlines I visited in Europe. Côte d'Azur, commonly known in English as the French Riviera is truly a fantastic place for me. Among the places we passed-by and visited here last spring were Nice, Cannes, Antibes and the nearby city Menton. I love especially Nice, the capital of the Alpes-Maritimes département. The French Riviera coastline is 560 miles long and consists of both sand and shingle beaches.

I still wish to go back to Côte d'Azur someday.

the Promenade in Nice, France from our trip last spring 2011.

Berlin, Germany

Germany's capital is truly one of the best and most interesting cities to visit in Europe. Since I had already visited London and Paris, I can say that Berlin is comparable to these world cities. Among the few sights I experienced in Berlin are the Brandenburger Tor, Siegessäule (Berlin's Victory Column), Berliner Fernsehturm (TV Tower), the Gendarmenmarkt with the German and French Cathedrals, the Reichstag or Parliament building, Potsdamer Platz, Kurfürstendamm, Rotes Rathaus (City Hall) and many more.

Berlin has two operational airports, the Tegel International Airport and the Schönefeld airport. The latter is the base for most low-cost airlines. Another airport, the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport is expected to open on June 2012, the third airport in this city.

the most famous landmark not only in Berlin but in whole of Germany as well, the Brandenburg Gate. I was there last winter of February 2011. No more snow that time but it was very very cold.

Budapest, Hungary

It was so far one of the most enjoyable trip I had in Europe. My summer trip to Hungary with a friend named Jean was truly awesome. We did not only see some of the sights in Budapest but also visited other places in Hungary. Among the few are Szentendre, Gyor, Visegrad, Esztergom, Herend, Lake Balaton and Siofok.

One of the best experience I had was the cruise from Esztergom to Visegrad.

the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest on the bank of Danube River. This is one of the European cities I visited last August 2011.

My Europe travel experience for 2011 will be continued soon! I am thankful for this very wonderful and blissful year despite of some trials in my life. I am also hoping for more travels in 2012. In God's will!

The Town Hall of Győr, Hungary

It was a very memorable trip we had in Hungary last summer of this year. We did not only visited a lot of places but we did also experience a lot of things which are always worth remembering. Probably, that is one treasure that we can keep after seeing or visiting a certain place, the fun, experiences and most of all the memories.

Győr, called in German as Raab is located halfway between Budapest and Vienna. This is where our hotel is located during our five days trip to Hungary. Gyor is also one of the old towns in this country.

I have below a photograph of the Town Hall of Győr.

The Városháza or Town Hall at night. One of the images I took as we had a night stroll in Gyor last August 2011.

The Town Hall called as Városháza in Hungarian, has a Neo-Baroque architecture. It boasts a 190 ft or 58 meter- high tower. It has a U-shaped form and was built in 1896-98. Concerts and other programs are often performed in its magnificent festival hall.

The Heroes' Square in Budapest, Hungary

I remembered one of the tourists who was with us during our trip to Budapest last August. She said that she was fascinated about this part of Budapest which is the Heroes' Square. Hősök tere, as it is called in Hungarian is one of the major squares of Budapest, Hungary, rich with historic and political connotations. It lies at the end of Andrássy Avenue (with which it comprises part of an extensive World Heritage site), next to City Park.

the Millennium Monument, in front of it is a large stone cenotaph surrounded by an ornamental iron chain.

taken during our visit last August.

Hősök tere is surrounded by two important buildings, Museum of Fine Arts on the left and Palace of Art (or more accurately Hall of Art) on the right. On the other side it faces Andrassy Avenue which has two buildings looking at the square — one is residential and the other one is the embassy of Serbia (former Yugoslavian embassy where Imre Nagy secured sanctuary in 1956).

View of Budapest from the Citadel

Citadel is a fortress located on the top of the strategic Gellért Hill in Budapest, Hungary. From there you can see a very good panoramic view of the whole city of Budapest, its eight bridges and the famous Danube river.

taken during our visit last August 2011.

The fortress was built in 1851 by Julius Jacob von Haynau, a commander of the Habsburg Monarchy, and designed by Emánuel Zita and Ferenc Kasselik, after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. It occupies almost the entire 235 metres high plateau. The fortress is a U-shaped structure built about a central courtyard, being 220 metres long, 60 metres wide, and 4 metres tall. It had a complement of sixty cannons.

Cruising in Danube by Esztergom, Hungary

Our cruise in Danube river from Esztergom to Visegrad was included in our Hungary trip last August 2011. It was a wonderful cruise seeing beautiful landscapes and nature around. Don't you know that Danube River, called in German as Donau is the second longest river in Europe next to Volga? Yes, it is and I am happy and contented to once again experience a cruise in this famous river of Europe.

Esztergom, a city in northern Hungary. It is a historical city located 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It is known to be the capital of Hungary from the 10th till the mid-13th century when King Béla IV of Hungary moved the royal seat to Buda.

Danube river in Esztergom, Hungary. The image here is the Esztergom Basilica, the largest church cathedral in Hungary. This was taken during our cruise last August 2011.

The Fisherman's Bastion in Castle Hill in Budapest, Hungary

I am trying to remember again the trip we had in Budapest, Hungary. It was quite a short trip but it is very nice and interesting. One of the sights we visited and experienced is the Castle Hill. It is located in Buda on the western side of the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary. Some hours of stay in this sight is not enough but at least I was there and I truly enjoyed our sightseeing.

The Fisherman's Bastion, called in Hungarian as Halászbástya, is a perfect site to have a good view of the Hungarian Parliament. It is a large white tower and lookout terrace complex you see hanging over the side of Castle Hill beneath the Mátyás Church. It was built between 1890-1905, and is named after both the medieval fishmarket once nearby and the Guild of Fishermen who defended this section of the wall during past wars.

It was hot in Budapest during our visit. Good that there are kiosks that sells ice cream in there. It was perfect during that hot summer season. Below is an image during our visit last August 2011.

The Fisherman's Bastion in Castle Hill in Budapest

The mounted statue between the bastion and the church is King Stephan (Istvan in Hungarian) the first king of Hungary (crowned about 1000.) He was declared a saint for his efforts in bringing Christianity to Hungary. He carries the apostolic cross with two crossbars – a symbol granted him by the Pope.

The Parliament Building in Budapest, Hungary

Let's go travel again some cities in Europe again. This time I am sharing a bit about Budapest. And yes, I am happy to see Budapest last weekend. It is the capital of Hungary and considered to be one of Europe's most delightful and enjoyable cities.

The snapshot you see below is the Parliament Building in Budapest, also known as The Hungarian Parliament Building. It is called in Hungarian as Országház which literally means "country house". It is currently the largest building in Hungary. It is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary and one of Europe's oldest legislative buildings. It is a popular tourist destination of Budapest being a notable landmark of Hungary.

This image was taken as we were in Castle Hill, located just across the building.

The Castle Hill - District I of Buda, the oldest part of the city containing the eponymous Castle and many of Budapest's best-known attractions (Fishermen’s Bastion, Labyrinth and Mathias Church).

The Parliament Building (Országház) is a neogothic jewel, beautifully situated overlooking the Danube. One day visit in Budapest is not enough to see everything. I wish to visit this city again to go inside the Parliament building.