Today was another warm, but beautiful day in Budapest. This morning we crossed the Danube River to the Buda side in order to explore Castle Hill. Buda Castle and St. Matthias Church came into view as we crossed the Chain Bridge. Scotsman, Charles Adams in 1896, engineered the bridge.

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Once at Castle Hill we purchased tickets for the “jump on jump off” open air mini bus tour that stopped at four different destinations on top of the hill. The little mini-buses held about 20 people and we enjoyed whizzing around the old cobblestone streets feeling the cool breeze whip through the open sided carts.

Stop #1 took us to the main square, St. Matthias Church, and the Fisherman’s Bastion. It was busy, but not crowded as we ascended the steps to walk along the walls of the Fisherman’s Bastion. Built in the 14^th century the geometrical open towers and long walls allowed wives of fisherman to come and watch for their menfolk returning down the Danube River. Atop the Bastion walls we could see how important and majestic the Danube River is to the city. The river winds its way through the city like a giant artery, truly the heartbeat of Budapest!

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The Church of St. Matthias sits directly behind the Fisherman’s Bastian in the heart of old Buda. Built between the 13^th-15^th centuries St. Matthias is a perfect example of Medieval Byzantine Church architecture. The creamy white stone gracefully rose in columns and buttresses to meet the colorfully tiled roof. The entire cathedral sparkled in the sunlight.

Inside the eye was drawn to the countless colorful paintings and patterns on every surface. Zigzags, circles, diamonds, and swirls framed walls and religious art frescos. There were also lovely cases full of artifacts from the early uses of the church, including items that belonged to St. Istvan, the patron saint of Hungary.

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Just a few minutes before noon we gathered at the door to the bell tower. The church bells rang and we began our ascent within the tower. We stopped at two viewing platforms to see the bells. Since our family were veteran church tower “climbers”, we found the mere 197 steps to be easy! Once at the top, the little narrow stone path encircled the pinnacle of the tower. There were stunning views of both Buda and Pest!

Down the street from the church was a traditional Hungarian Lace shop, where we purchased several pieces of lace. Hungary is known for its lace-making and embroidery work. Several selections contained paprika pods embroidered into the lace. I asked the shopkeeper about the paprika and he explained that Hungary is the largest producer of paprika in Europe and the little spice is used in many national Hungarian dishes.

We caught our mini-bus and made our way to stop #2. The Hungarian Military Museum contained artifacts and uniforms from the 18^th-21^st centuries. I loved all the beautiful brocade and furs used in making the 19^th century Austro-Hungarian uniforms. The Communist room was also fascinating. There was even a US army uniform on display!

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Stop #3 dropped us off at Buda Castle, which was really a complex of 18^th-19^th century buildings. Today the buildings house the National Art, History, and Science Museums of Hungary. Because it was later in the day we chose to forgo a museum and just admired the square and architecture.

Stop #4 was at the foot of the hill and took us to the Castle Gardens. The roses and ivy colonnades were my favorite parts of the gardens. It was lovely day and a bride and groom wee having a photo shoot in the small ivy colonnade. The kids even found a nice soft green patch of grass to sprawl out and take a nap!

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We crossed back over the Chain Bridge and walked down Andressy Ave, which is the main pedestrian shopping street. Faywen even found a statue of William Shakespeare! While shopping we found a whimsical wooden stacking doll of all the former Soviet leaders. However my favorite find was an antique headscarf from a nearby Hungarian village. We finished the day with another lovely dinner sitting outside watching the locals and tourists alike meander up and down the pedestrian way. Though this time Liam chose NOT to eat Hungarian spicy chicken wings!