Images from Budapest, 2000/2001

Budapest was amazing. The Hungarians have thrown away fifty years of their history, and the city is just starting to rebuild itself after a half-century of neglect. What exists now is a chaotic mess of beautiful old buildings with almost gothic early-century architecture, almost all of them undergoing refurbishment. The Russians left ten years ago, and few traces of them remain. The only monuments which haven't been pulled down date to the Habsburg dynasty and the Austro Hungarian empire- centuries-old statuary rising out of the Danube mist like some kind of strange fairytale. At night, the city radiates light and life, set to a heartbeat of techno and pulsing neon. Nightclubs and Internet cafes seemed to be easier to find in Budapest than London. Leaving Budapest was bitter. Arrival and Views of the City This is what Budapest was like as we first saw it on the daybreak after our arrival- an ancient stone city, shrouded in Danube mist. This view is looking southwards from the Margit Bridge, with Parliament on the left (on the Pest side of the Danube), and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge straight ahead. This view is looking northwards towards the Margit Bridge and Margit-sziget (island). Parliament is on the right across the Danube. Looking eastwards across the Danube from the Buda side, with theSzéchenyi Chain Bridge in the foreground and St. Stephen's Cathedral in the distance. Marton, Mihaly (Marton's brother), Cecilie and I went to Christmas Eve mass at St. Stephen's. They were celebrating the thousandth year anniversary of the Christianising of Hungary. Looking southwards along the Danube, with the Royal Castle on the right overlooking the river, and the Erzsébet and Szabadság bridges in the distance. Cecilie in a Soviet Air Force Colonel's coat she found at a flea market outside Budapest. The Photo is taken on the Pest side of the river, looking northward toward Margit-sziget. Myself across the Danube from Parliament. The Castle District Two views of the Byzantine-medieval (I'm not sure what else to call it) iron gate at the entrance of the Millennium Court.   Myself on top of the Castle District wall, with the Royal Castle in the background. The courtyard of the Royal Castle. The Matthias Church began construction 750 years ago and was finished in the 1800's. Several completely different styles of architecture were used, as technology advanced during the building process. Somehow it still looks coherent. Apparently architecture students from around the world come to look at it and try to figure out how they pulled it off. The interior is decorated with deep red and green coloured interlocking panels- it's wild, but unfortunately photography is not permitted. The Institute of folk art in the centre of the Castle District. Two views of a horseman, overlooking Buda away from the river. Our last view of the Castle District before we left. On the Ground Downtown architecture. Near-downtown residential architecture. We stayed just a block and a half away on Gyöngyház. The Four Seasons Hotel, which is being rebuilt to the original late 19th Century specifications. Even the silk wallpaper for the renovation was ordered from the same Belgian company which made the original. The machinery is also being recreated to the late 1800s blueprints. The marks of time on the building are so beautiful in themselves, one would almost wish they'd leave the building as it is. Myself walking downtown in front of the "Spinach Building," so named because of its colour and horrific ugliness. Every Budapest resident hates it apparently. In the bad old days it was also the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence. One of the few remaining signs of the Communist occupation... There are still hundreds of these tiny identical East German Trabants scuttling around the city. I thought they were cool, but apparently I wouldn't be able to drive one to the West, since they don't adhere to EU pollution standards. The Trabant in the foreground is an example of the last series built before they went out of production, while the one behind it is the type produced for almost 25 years. Another relic of Communist days. A tiny kiosk at a flea market outside of Budapest, overflowing with paperbacks. Cecilie and I got lost in these woods on the night of New Years Eve. What started out as a nice walk in the forest became very Blair Witch... especially after night fell. We ended up becoming completely turned around and walked across the turf runway of a glider training airport before we figured out where we were. Then we got back to the city and went to a giant all-night New Years Eve techno party. Lost! Myself in front of the Danube again, happy to have found civilisation. Night falls on Budapest The Széchenyi Chain Bridge and the Royal Castle, shot from across the Danube. The Castle District at a distance. Two images of the southern part of the Fifth District, downtown Budapest. These were shot from the Citadel, a medieval battlement on the Buda side overlooking the city.   The Erzsébet bridge blazes above the Danube at night. Back to the index page