Tourist Day at City Park

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On 9 November, it was an overcast day, but we decided it was time to go an be a tourist again and explore a part of the city. We chose City Park (Városliget) and being only 3.4 km away, we decided to walk. (We have yet to take public transportation while in the city, but we did buy ticket books).

Our first stop in the City Park was Heroes’ Square (Hősök tere).

Heroes’ Square is comprised of two colonnades with statues featuring Hungarian leaders and key historic figures as well as a scene below depicted their part in history.

In the center of the colonnades is the Millenium Monument with a column topped with the Archangel Gabriel holding the Hungarian Holy Crown and the apostolic double cross. At the bottom of the column is Árpád, the founder of the Hungarian nation, and six chieftans.

On the left side of the square is the Palace of Art (Kunsthalle). We did not go inside, but Robert got a great photo of the top of the entrance.

After Heroes’ Square we headed over to Vajdahunyad Castle (Vajdahunyad vára). The pond next to the castle has been emptied and is getting prepared to become the winter ice rink. The castle itself is amazing with its detailed and different architecture styles. Interesting fact: the building used to be made of wood and cardboard, but became popular enough that they rebuilt it in the early 1900s with brick and stone.

Inside the castle courtyards there is a statue called Anonymous. It is of an unknown chronicler from the 12th century that wrote Gesta Hungarorum (Deeds of the Hungarians). Writers and aspiring writers come from all over to the touch the pen in his hand for luck. The pen has been touched so often, that it is shiny.

After the castle grounds, we decided to meander around the rest of the park. Since it is the off season there were quite a few places that were closed of for renovations or repairs so we ended up getting detoured and found this place.

After walking around for a few hours we finally ended up at Széchenyi Thermal Baths (Széchenyi gyógyfürdő), the largest medical bathhouse in Europe. While there are many geothermal baths in Budapest, this is definitely one of the most popular ones. It is sources by two thermal springs with temperatures of 165 °F and 171 °F. There are three outdoor pools and 15 indoor pools. We will definitely be coming back to visit it.

After seeing the thermal baths we decided to grab a bite to eat before heading back. We ended up at a burger “shack” on the edge of the City Park.

It was a fun day visiting the park, and though we had to use the umbrella a few times, the 7 miles of walking was definitely worth the trip. I will visit the park again since there were still many places we haven’t seen yet.

And now for a collection of Robert’s random pictures.

It is a popular thing all over the world to put a “Love Lock” on a bridge. Apparently, it is also a thing in Budapest.