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The Treasure of Central Europe
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Beautiful sunset in the Hungarian capital
Think of a city located in the heart of a tiny Central European country. It was destroyed and devastated many times during history. Now it has many contemporary characters and the “Pearl of the Danube ” certainly has countless reasons to visit. This place is the marvelous capital of Hungary, a country which like a bridge unifies the eastern and western parts of Europe . It is a legendary city, rich in remarkable sites, history, celebrated persons, and jam packed with attractive, trendy people. This is a town that sightseers always love and constantly want to visit back.
Budapest does not give place to gigantic skyscrapers, but offers many pleasant days for those who like to spend time in a historical place. If you want to observe the remains of the old times in a fairly modern city, Budapest is an ideal place to visit. The location of the Hungarian capital is breathtaking. The Danube divides the city into two parts. Buda and Pest . They have distinctive characters. Up on the hilly Buda one can discover a lot of deep yellow colored buildings, museums, galleries, churches and parks. The past visibly left his footprints here. Don’t be surprised to find yourself traveling quite a few hundred years back in time. This part of the city is full of popular sights, such as the Castle District, the Royal Palace , and the famous Matthias Church . The cathedral gives place to many concerts all year round. You can not take enough pictures of the 400 years old Turkish monuments and the 2000 year old Roman ruins. They can be found side-by-side and cherish together the beauty of the old squares. Buda is also the green belt of the city, where people like to walk and hike. Pest is kind of the lowland part of Budapest . It is more modern, urbanized and populated. There are many restaurants, jazz clubs, shopping malls, and cafes. The atmosphere of an old European café house attracts many people who love to enjoy tasty cakes and strong coffee.
During the communist regime, everything went into bad condition. Now people are refurbishing the city trying to preserve houses in their original states. Old buildings are being reconstructed, repainted. You get a feeling of the city’s old character. Be daring, walk on the streets, cross the parks, walk on the bridges which unify Buda and Pest and are all lit up all night. Over the years, the Chain Bridge became the symbol of Budapest . It is beautiful and looks nice on a photograph as well.
The public transportation system of the city is really developed; you can reach everything by using metro, trolley, or bus. But it is always nice to walk, feel the atmosphere, and listen to the church bells every day at noon. Don’t be surprised to see red paprika hanging on the wall of an old building, as decoration. You may have a chance to see people wearing colorful national costumes and selling hand made embroideries. Hungarians are proud of their cultural heritage and try to protect their folk arts. Let yourself amazed by the facade of really old buildings and magnificent places functioning as hotels. Smell all those delicious odors flying in the air, especially around dinner time. If you enjoy foods, dine out in one of many elegant local restaurants and enjoy the Gipsy music. Take pleasure in the parade of flavors, spice and colors. You will see everywhere the red powder paprika, the world famous yellow pepper, onions. Using those ingredients, everyone can create something delicious. You cannot leave the country without tasting at least the Goulash soup, which is different from its American version. There is no doubt about it. Try different home made foods (fish soup, chicken paprika, stuffed cabbage) and you will understand why Hungarians are famed for their culinary culture. It is impossible to resist the temptation of the nicely prepared homemade foods. They not only look good but foods here are so tasty and rich in flavor. But do not be surprised if you spend the week after your return home on a diet.
The Hungarian capital attracts a lot of people from all around the world. The hospitality of the country’s citizens brings back many tourists each year. In general Hungarians are nice, and they welcome tourists with open arms. It is interesting to listen to them when they communicate in Hungarian. It is a very unique language, does not resemble to any other world languages. For an outsider ear it may sound like a nice melody. Jo Napot kivanok! If you make an effort and memorize those words, you will be able to say hello in Hungarian in a polite way. If you try to say “koszonom”, which means “thank you”, you will definitely amaze all the native speakers. English is taught and spoken by many Hungarians, but if you are not shy, locals will appreciate your attempt.
Budapest is truly a beautiful city rich in exceptional treasures. It is worth to spend here a week or two in order to be able to experience what it is like to be Hungarian.
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