Then we had a super tasty dinner at a Spanish restaurant nearby (Asador). Got some jamon in our belly!
We did another bounce around walk today where we saw lots of things - ultimately we had to end at the Parliment building for our tour.
We first passed St Istvan’s (Steven’s) church.
Istvan is the king who brought Christianity to Hungary so they made him a saint. Instead of Jesus there’s a big statue of him on the altar.
And inside this overdecorated house is his hand!
Then at another memorial to the people who died in the holocaust we played with this cool fountain that goes off as you approach so you can walk right through it!
Next we ran into - A statue of Ronald Reagan!
The Hungarian prime minister put this up to distract from some other shenanigans - saying it’s a nod to his Cold War presidency. Word is the Budapesters find it ridiculous. Ridiculous or not - everyone was taking photos with it.
We passed some more statues of famous Hungarians...
Imre Nagy - former prime minister
And Josef Attila - a poet.
Then we went to Parliament! Here’s another photo of it behind us...
Ha! This looks like Mike has done something crazy but really the sun was in my eyes - This one is better.
The Parliament Building was built when Hungary was a ruling country in Europe (During the Austro-Hungary empire). So it’s huge and elaborate- Rick says now only 1/8 of it is used.
Here are some interior photos
The golden staircase (fully covered gold ceilings that start just out of reach).
The assembly room they still use.
Cigar holders they don’t use anymore. They used to be able to smoke in the building but not in the assembly room so these are just outside where the ministers could leave their cigars and come out for a few puffs during breaks in the session. I was surprised by how many there are!
After more walking and sightseeing we headed to the Train station - Were off to Vienna!
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