Buda Castle Hill

After spending all of my time yesterday on the Pest side of Budapest, this morning I followed the path of Buda and spent the morning on Buda Castle Hill.

I didn’t push myself, so expect a short post.

Ascending Buda Castle Hill

A hill, Buda Castle Hill, rises a short distance back from the Danube River on the Buda side.

Roads and walking routes climb the hill. Buses and taxis ply the roads. (Private cars also drive on them, but that’s irrelevant to me.) I didn’t use any of that. There’s also a funicular, which is how I ascended and, later, descended Buda Castle Hill.

The funicular is a small one. Each funicular car has only two compartments. Each has a bench that can comfortably accommodate four or five people. There’s standing room for roughly the same number more. And there’s only one car per funicular “train.”

It’s the sort of funicular with two counterbalancing cars attached by cables. When one goes up, the other comes down.

Buda Castle

I have to admit that, despite being near it, I still don’t know what Buda Castle is. Neither of my guidebooks mentions Buda Castle, just the castle district.

My walking tour app has a listing for Buda Castle, and pegs it as a must-see, no less. I used Apple Maps to get me to Buda Castle. When I got there, I didn’t see anything that looked like the picture in the walking tour app listing.

The app has a mapping feature. Where its map said Buda Castle was, there was a building undergoing major restoration work, including prying off some of the facade, I assume to be reattached sometime after I leave.

On the other side of a block-or-so-long rectangular park, there’s another large building undergoing similar restoration work. Based on the trompe l’oeil hanging from some of the sides of the scaffolding surrounding it, I think that building is likely exceptionally handsome when I’m not around.

Kitty-corner to those two buildings, there’s another large, attractive, stately structure. Its main section appears to be entirely intact, but temporary fencing surrounds it. There’s a side wing where most of the facade seems to be mostly there, but the interior of the wing is demolished. A construction crane resides inside.

I think I’ve found where the DLJSSIA (Don’t Let Joel See Stuff International Association) is focusing its efforts during my trip to Budapest.

Behind what I think is Buda Castle, there’s a large, impressive, imposing castle. I looked at it from the outside, but to see the interior, you have to pay to visit one of the museums inside. None interested me. So I pressed on.

Matthias Church

Further along Buda Castle Hill sits Matthias Church. The streets of the Buda Castle Hill District between the alleged castle and Matthias Church are very attractive. They’re lined with stylish, handsome buildings, most of which sport one of a palette of pastel hues.

There are also some impressive government buildings near both the castle and the church ends of those streets.

Matthias Church is smaller than St. Stephen’s Basilica, which I saw yesterday. But Matthias Church is very attractive. There’s a tall tower near the front, lots of exterior buttresses, and peaked windows.

The roof draws the eye. It’s steeply sloped and covered with vibrantly colourful tile patterns.

I read that the church was constructed in a Romanesque style in the 11th century, but underwent major renovations in the 14th century to convert it into the Gothic style that’s there today

The interior is tastefully decorated in a restrained but beautiful way. However, there are a few sculptures and fresco paintings. The vaulted ceilings are ribbed and wear elegant patterns in mostly faint blue and gold. The columns are elegantly and deeply fluted.

Overall, I thought the church was very attractive and something to write home about or, if not home, at least into the great abyss of the internet.

Matthias Church Tower

I mentioned the Matthias Church’s tower. For a small additional fee, I was able to climb up it. The only way up is via stairs. There is no elevator. They allow a small group in only every half hour, precisely on the half hour. You and the group you’re agglomerated into have to be back down before the next group goes up.

There’s a reason for these restrictions. There is only one set of stairs in the tower. It’s a narrow spiral staircase, much too narrow for two-way traffic.

The person at the ticket office and the attendant at the bottom of the tower both said there are two hundred steps. That was an approximation. It’s not that bad. Every so often on the way up, signs told me how many of the tower’s 197 steps I’d climbed. So it’s three steps easier than advertised.

About 60 steps up, there’s a small room containing some touchable samples of the tile materials that decorate the church floor and ceiling. There’s also a touchable reproduction of a gargoyle. Some weathered decorative elements sit in a small glass case. Because they’re protected, I assume those are originals. That’s the only rest stop on the staircase.

At the top, there are stunning views of Buda on one side, and the Danube and Pest beyond it on the other. The panoramas were worth the climb.

Fisherman’s Bastion

A square sits beside the church. It contains a large statue of St. Stephen. On the other side of the square is what’s called Fisherman’s Bastion. It was originally part of the city wall. It consists of a walkway that’s about a floor up, above a colonaded area. Inside the colonnaded area, there are a couple of restaurants. There’s a fee to climb up to the walkway above them. I didn’t bother. The colonnade is by the edge of Buda Castle Hill. The attraction is the view, which I doubt is any better than the views I got from the much higher church tower.

Fisherman’s Bastion also has a couple of towers. A sign at the bottom of the steps pointed to a restaurant and bar, which I think are inside the towers. I didn’t bother going into either of them, but I did have lunch in one of the restaurants in the colonnade. My table overlooked the Danube. Very nice.

And that was it for the morning.