June
25th - June 27th; Austria, Hungary
Vienna;
Downtown
I had been to Vienna before so I didn't take
a huge amount of photos.
The shiny building in this photo wasn't there
when I was last in the
city (or I don't remember it) but it contrasted
with the older
buildings. I had lunch at the top which
gave an excellent view of the
city streets.
Vienna;
Downtown
An interesting statue on one of the side streets.
Vienna;
Maria Theresa Platz
This is a statue of the 18th century empress of Austria and queen of
Hungary and Bohemia. It is in the center of Vienna and it was
surrounded by its best museums.
Vienna;
Hofburg
This area housed the palace of the ruling Hapsburgs from 1278 to
1918 when their empire collapsed. The building (with tons of
history
behind it) now houses several museums. I went to all three
(Ephesus, Musical Instruments, and Weapons). I've been to Ephesus
so it was interesting to see some of the looted artifacts and there
were numerous musical instrument displayed that belonged to
Mozart and Beethoven.
Budapest;
Gellert Hill
From this view the twin cities of Buda (left) and Pest (right) can
be
seen divided by the Danube river. The bridge in the lower right
is
the Elizabeth bridge while the one in the middle of the picture is
the
Chain Bridge.
Budapest;
Gellert Hill
This was another shot from atop of the hill and gives another view
of
Pest which is the more urban of the twin cities.
Budapest;
Szabadsag Szobor
In English it means Liberation Monument. It was
erected in 1947 to commemorate the Russian
victory over the Nazis near the end of W.W.II. In
the battle, all of the bridges connecting Buda and
Pest were destroyed. The statue can be seen from
all over the city and rests on Gellert Hill.
Budapest;
Pest
This is a close up view of the Danube from the Pest side of the river.
In the upper right corner you can make out Castle Hill.
Budapest;
Labyrinth
This was in an underground labyrinth under Castle Hill. The passageways
were created and used by the Turkish Military during the 16th
century. It was very cool and very dark but the maze was set
up so
that you couldn't really get too lost. Not a good place for claustrophobics.
There were several weird statues in the place but I didn't get the
story
on them...I assumed that they were contemporary.
Budapest;
Castle Hill
This was taken from atop of Castle Hill in Buda. In the distance
you can
see the Parliament building and the Chain Bridge. Far off on
the
horizon is Margaret Island.
Budapest;
Parliament
It was hard to get a good angle on the building
up close because it was roped off and secured by
armed guards. The building was completed at the
turn of the century by 1,000 workers who took 17
years to complete it.
Budapest;
Chain Bridge
This is the main bridge that connects Buda and Pest together.
You can
see Castle Hill in the distance and also the famous lions standing
guard.
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