15. Hungarian Parliament, Budapest
If this parliament building reminds of another, you have good reason to. The architect, Imre Steindl, was an honorary and corresponding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and apparently just loved Westminster. So much so that he nearly copied the layout when submitting plans to the Hungarian government. The key differences are the more embellished facade (although both buildings are in the Gothic revival style), the lack of towers and Big Ben, and the inclusion of a large dome smack dab in the middle. This dome is 96 meters tall, the same height as the nearby Saint Stephen's Basilica, which symbolizes the equality of the Church and the state as well as commemorating the founding of the Principality of Hungary in 896. Only about half of the building is actually used by the government as many offices have been relocated and the parliament eliminated its upper house leaving just one legislative body with two halls in the building.
View of the building from a bridge to the north
Closer up at night
Parliament on the river from Castle District of Buda
14. Žižkov Tower, Prague
Prague has a beautiful skyline, so long as you′re looking west. If you look out across the city towards the east, your eyes will be drawn to this painful eyesore like a dog to a ball. It towers (get it?) above everything around it by a significant amount and is still standing despite not being an active TV tower for over two decades. To make this unsightly, grounded space pin better, it was decided to attach creepy faceless baby statues crawling up and down this thing. Seriously? Apparently it was a temporary exhibit by artist David Černý in 2000, but people liked them so much that they have become a permanent feature. Prague does many things right, this is not one of them.
Eyesore of Prague's skyline
What are those strange protrusions running up and down the tower?
Dear god, babies? How could anyone like this?!
13. "Socialist Realist" Architecture, Budapest
Now this is in fact a real architectural style, but I put quotes around it because it's really just a nice way of phrasing "cheap and utilitarian". You see, the Soviet Union wasn't exactly loaded with cash, especially not after World War II when Hungary was politely forced to join. Add to that the Soviets' love of the common (seriously, two of the four guidelines for art under Stalin were that depictions be "typical" and "realistic"), and you get socialist realism. After the Red Army liberated Hungary from Nazi occupation, the Soviet Union began reconstruction of war torn areas, particularly Budapest. Lacking in money and creativity, most of the buildings turned out looking like prisons, Orwellian offices, or just plain concrete blocks. Our tour guide even told us that Hungarians joke about the contrast of the gorgeous Austrian-style facades and the boring socialist realist ones, often standing side-by-side, by referring to them as "beauty and the beast".
Communism on the left, Austro-Hungarian Empire on the right, Orthodox Church in the center: this is Budapest
It's almost insulting to have such an incredible Austrian facade standing beside whatever that thing is
12. U Medvídků, Prague
Established in 1466, this is one of the oldest continuously running breweries in all of the Czech Republic. Originally it was just a brewery, but has since had a large part of it converted to a beer hall and restaurant, serving up Czech cuisine and other favorites. One of their specialties is the X33 beer which is 12.6% ABV and meant to be drunk after your meal. Sadly they were out the time we went and we were unable to give it a try, but we still had some delicious food. I particularly liked my mashed potatoes, which may very well have been the best mashed potatoes I′ve ever had in my life, in no small part to what I can only assume was half a stick of butter. I didn't actually take any pictures here, but you can take a peek at their website here: link.
11. David the Tour Guide, Prague
In both Budapest and Prague we spent a chunk of our first full days in each city on free walking tours. These gave us a lay of the land, historical information, views of most of the key attractions in each city, and a lot of personal recommendations for local guides. I have never had a tour guide anywhere and for anything like David. He loves his city so much and he wants everyone else to love it too. Tours are his main job and he said he hopes one day to be the best guide in the city. This guy was so full of history, restaurant recommendations, jokes, and energy that we actually went on a second, different tour with him the next day! Can′t thank him enough for the great start he gave us and I would recommend Prague Extravaganza tours to anyone visiting.
Official tour picture, unfortunately the only picture of David I have
10. Petřín Park, Prague
This lovely hill lying just west of the Vltava river is an excellent lookout point for views of the skyline as well as just a nice place to walk around. The trees were blossoming while we were there which made the park even better. At the top there is a miniature Eiffel Tour that has a nice observation deck, a small mirror maze, and the Hunger Wall which was a pointless project by Charles IV meant to employ and provide wages for Prague′s citizens facing high unemployment. While at the top, we followed the sound of music only to find a temporary stage and a whole row of food vendors at what we assumed was for some concert that night. Off to the side was the real highlight of the event, though, as there was some kind of strongman−like challenge with young men carrying two huge computer towers while being timed. It was a bizarre feat to see and really made Petřín that much better.
View of the hill from across the river
Eiffel-esque observation tower
View of Prague from about a third of the way up the hill
Fun in the mirror maze
9. Chimney Pastries, Budapest and Prague
These delicious, delicious pastries should be everywhere. They are the kind of thing I would expect to see at the next state fair. They are made by wrapping dough around a large metal cylinder that is then placed over hot coals on a contraption that rotates them like a rotisserie chicken until delightfully crisp on the outside at which point they get smothered in sugar and walnuts. You can also get the inside coated in Nutella or served upright in a cup and filled with ice cream. You need to get one of these as soon as possible, I promise.
Stumbled across this stand in Budapest by accident at a fair at the former palace
8. Istiklal Avenue, Istanbul
This long and wide pedestrian street runs between Galata Tower and Taksim Square and is lined with all sorts of stores, restaurants, and bars. We ate some delicious, albeit gut rotting, kebab here on our first day, the next day we relaxed with some Turkish coffee and shisha, and on yet another night we bought Turkish delight and hung out in Taksim. Every night the street was packed and shops never seemed to close. There are also a lot of street performers all along the avenue, some of whom just seemed to be friends enjoying playing music together rather than working for money. Istiklal is definitely my favorite night stroll in Istanbul.
Average crowd along Istiklal
Statue in Taksim Square that we never really figured out, the wreaths are there because our first day there actually turned out to be National Sovereignty Day
One of the delicious kebabs eaten just off Istiklal
7. Szechenyi Thermal Bathhouse, Budapest
No trip to Budapest is complete without taking a dip in one of its many bathhouses. The vast majority of them lie in Buda due to the abundance of thermal springs there, but we chose a larger, older one in Pest that was also closer to us (side note: Budapest was formerly two cities on either side of the Danube, Buda and Pest, which were united giving us the present-day city). There are 13 pools inside ranging from 82 degrees to 104 degrees as well as an immersion pool that is 64 degrees. In the central courtyard there are two more pools and a full 50 meter swimming pool. There were also a couple of properly hot saunas in the basement that even Finns would enjoy. It seems that the only young people using the baths are tourists; the majority of patrons are old Hungarian folks, but I guess that adds some kind of charm.
Front entrance, note the statue of a baby riding a huge fish at center bottom
One of two outdoor pools
Shot of the whole courtyard, I didn't take my phone with me into the baths area so I have none of the inside :(
6. The Grand Bazaar outside of the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
In the heart of the historical districts of Istanbul is the Grand Bazaar, a giant market full of all kinds of stalls selling all different things. Unfortunately it has grown pretty tourist laden and very few locals actually go there to buy much of anything. That seems to be because they don′t need to go to a single bazaar for any shopping since the vast majority of streets seem to have vendors of one kind or another. We joked that all of Istanbul is actually a bazaar, but that isn′t actually that much of a joke. Some areas will have conventional shops with window displays, but most have narrow pedestrian streets with shops/stalls lining both sides that are displaying their wares on displays in front of the shop itself.
Just a standard side street
Same neighborhood, different street
Those bags are full of loose tobacco and that white bag in front is full of packages of filters, basically a head shop that's actually for tobacco use only
5. Shoes on the Danube Bank, Budapest
There are a number of Holocaust memorials in Budapest, but this was by far the most fascinating and chilling of them. Hungary was initially an ally of Nazi Germany but played little role in the war and was not very compliant with orders to deport Jews to Austria and Poland. After Hitler heard rumors that the Hungarian prime minister was looking to sign and armistice with the Allies, he immediately ordered the implementation of a standing occupation plan. By October 1944, the fascist Arrow Cross party was in control of the government and established a Gestapo-style party police force. This force was then responsible for around 80,000 Jews being deported to Nazi death camps as well as the murder of between 10,000 and 15,000 Jews in Hungary itself. Numerous times Jews in Budapest were rounded up, taken to the bank of the Danube, ordered to remove their shoes, then shot in the back such that they would fall into the river and be carried away. This memorial was designed to commemorate these victims by depicting just the empty shoes they left behind.
4. Ruin Pubs, Budapest
About ten years ago, some businessmen got the crazy idea to buy decrepit, abandoned buildings in the city center, renovate nothing, get some contemporary artists to recreate a 70s vibe, build a bar, and start serving drinks. Ruin pubs are about as Hungarian as it gets and they are truly a site to see. One of the most popular is Szimpla, and it is a great place both day and night. In fact, on Sundays they clear out the ground floor and have a farmers' market! With awesome decor, cheap beers, good music, and a lot of people, these pubs help form fun and unique nightlife unlike any other city I've seen.
Just a guy with three large dogs at the bar
Sunday morning farmers' market at Szimpla
Lounging in a bathtub because it's cooler than the benches
3. Matthias Church, Budapest
This cool ditty was first built in a much different, Romanesque style in the early 11th century. In 1241 some Mongols came and knocked it down, though, so the current structure was built in the latter half of that century. At this point the church was named after Saint Mary, but this was changed in honor of King Matthias (not Saint Matthias, namesake of many other churches) who ordered construction of the present tower. As can clearly be seen, the tiles of the roof are all kinds of crazy colors, which is perhaps the leading reason this particular church made it on my list. But what you can't tell from pictures is how incredibly fairy tale-esque the church looks from across the river. With the bright white walls and turrets in the foreground, the even brighter ceiling tiles catching sunlight, and the rolling green hills in the background, Matthias has it all.
Front of the majestic Matthias Church
Statue of Stephen I, the first king of unified Hungary, in a courtyard behind the church and before the walls facing the Danube
Closer view of the church's roof
View of the walls before the church from down below
2. Büyükada, Istanbul
The largest of the nine Prince Islands, Büyükada is a popular place for locals to get out of the city for a day. There is a small town on the north side of the island while the rest is mostly a park. At the top of one of the two peaks on the island is an old Greek orphanage that has long been abandoned and is fenced off to prevent visitors from venturing inside and causing it to collapse. On the other peak is the Ayia Yorgi church and monastery from the 6th century that seemed to have been a pilgrimage site for some. The island was beautiful and a nice retreat from nearly two straight weeks of cities.
View of the island and another smaller one in front of it from the ferry
Decaying ruins of the orphanage
This guy and another mutt accompanied us for a bit of our hike across the middle of the island
View from the island with the monastery on the far left
1. Infinitely beautiful mosques, Istanbul
I could list every mosque we visited and saw, but that would require every spot on this list. Everyone knows about the Hagia Sophia, or the Ayasofya as it is now known. Once an orthodox Christian church under Byzantine rule, the Ottomans converted the building to a mosque rather than destroy it. This offers a unique blending of architectural features, histories, and artwork. The Ayasofya is no longer a functional mosque and is instead a state−owned museum. Not more than three hundred yards away is the Blue Mosque, known to Turks as Sultanahmet, which is even larger and more beautiful. Sultan Ahmed was only 19 when he commissioned the mosque to be built in the early 17th century and not only did he overseer progress directly, he actually took part in some of the manual labor. The Süleymaniye Mosque is the largest active mosque in the city and sits atop one of Istanbul′s seven hills, providing an awesome view of the city. The interior of this one is my favorite as the painting was so intricate and vivid and really played off of the domed roof. Rüstem Pasha Mosque is less impressive from the outside, but its interior is covered entirely in blue and white iznik tiles that are simply amazing. I′m not fully sure why this mosque isn′t referred to as the blue mosque as it is significantly more blue than Sultanahmet. All of the mosques we visited were beautiful and unique and we spent quite a bit of time in each. It was truly amazing to actually stand before some of the places that you always read about being so wonderful and being able to realize just how true that is.
Ayasofya from Sultanahmet Park
Interior of Ayasofya from the back balcony
Since the Ayasofya was originally an Orthodox Christian church, the Hagia Sophia, several Byzantine mosaics remain that depict Jesus with Mary and both are indicated as saints
Sultanahment mosque from Sultanahment park
A distorted but mostly complete panorama of the ceilings
Closer picture of the dome, my favorite feature
Exterior of Süleymaniye Mosque, Sultan Süleyman is buried in the mausoleum on the left while between that structure and the mosque lies a graveyard
Space above the main entrance and the ceiling above that
Central dome of Süleymaniye, I particularly like the red and black circle in the four corners with Arabic calligraphy
The mihrab (indented portion of the wall facing Mecca) of the Rüstem Pasha Mosque entirely decorated in iznik tiles
Rear of Rüstem Pasha with more tiles and paint work
So there you are, the best parts of some of the best cities I have been fortunate enough to find myself in. I would highly recommend people check these cities out for their next vacation; you can go to London another time. There is so much Eastern Europe has to offer that often goes overlooked, so don′t overlook it!
At this point it is good to be back in Copenhagen, though, and I don′t plan to do much more travelling outside of country until I′m done with classes at the end of May. Two weeks of intense travel is, well, intense, so I′ll be hanging around home for a while and hoping that the weather finally begins to resemble the mythical season of spring.
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