Day 9 - Budapest (Part 6)

HOP-ON-HOP-OFF CITY TOUR

So we crossed the streets and walked towards the Ferris Wheel at Margaret Square where a modest crowd had gathered for the City Tour.

Margaret Square
St Stephen's Basilica in background

THE GREEN LINE

The Green Line was the second coach line operating the Hop-On-Hop-Off City Tour. The line started at Elizabeth Square (Pest), made a round at the small green park near Chain Bridge, zipped across the city streets towards the City Park  to stop at the Heroes Square and the Szechenyi thermal bath.  Then it zoomed past more city streets until it reached the Elizabeth Bridge which it crossed to the Buda side to drop passengers off at the Buda Castle and Citadella. At the Citadella (The Citadel) the driver took a 15 minutes ciggie break. After the break, the Green Coach crossed the Chain Bridge to end up once again at Elizabeth Square,  all in making 19 scheduled stops.

Mr Driver (not his real name) was the large pleasant driver of the Green Coach. Aged late forties, blonde and fair-skinned, he was probably not a Hungarian because he did not have that distinctive hungry look. He parked the coach by the side of Margaret Square and stood outside for his ciggie break. A woman in her thirties appeared out of no where together with a little boy who stood politely two feet behind them. Mr Driver flirted with the woman, the wantonness in interaction indicative of something a little more complex. The rain did not bother them.

The young girl who checked our tickets before we boarded the coach looked disagreeable. In my books, she had to be a Hungarian although she's probably too young to look hungry. Oh dear me! Am I not showing some prejudice towards a people I do not know? I beg your pardon, I do.

My window seat was the first seat on the right after the door. As such, I was suitably positioned to watch the interaction between Mr Driver and the woman. I saw her eyes fluttered as she smiled coyly but I wasn't able to observe the man because his back was towards me. Meanwhile, the little boy at the back fidgeted uneasily.

When they were quite done with whatever it was they were doing, Mr Driver returned to his seat on the left of the coach. There wasn't any parting kiss, I noticed. The disagreeable girl who checked our tickets disappeared. On board with us was a pleasant dark-haired young lad in his early twenties. This was the tour guide for the Green Line. In my books, he was probably not Hungarian.

Street facing Buda

Little green statue at the road intersection on the right. Eotvos Jozsef (Hungarian writer involved in revolt against Habsburgers in 1848)

Andrassy Avenue

Vak Bottyan (General)

HEROES SQUARE

Heroes Square (a national pride) is a popular tourist attraction next to City Park by the Andrassy Avenue. The Archangel Gabriel stood on the towering pillar at the center. On his right hand is the Holy Crown of St Stephen. His left hand held two barred apostolic crosses awarded to St Stephen by the Pope for his efforts in converting Hungary to Christianity.

At the base of the central pillar are the iconic seven chieftains of the Magyars who led the Hungarian people into the Carpathian basin. On both sides of the pillar are the fourteen great stone figures in Hungarian history.

Left of Central Pillar Above 7 stone figures Statue of man with scythe (Labor) and woman sowing seeds (Wealth) Man in chariot using snake as whip (War)

Right of Central Pillar Above 7 stone figures Woman in chariot with palm frond (Peace) Man with golden statue (Knowledge) and woman with palm frond (Glory)

Szechenyl Thermal Bath

Thermal Baths legacy from the Turk's conquest

Museum of Fine Arts (left of Heroes Square)

Hall of Art (right of Heroes Square)

Municipal Zoo/Botanical Garden

city park

Back to the city

Zsinagoga Synagogue

Near Buda Castle The rain pelting down..

When it rains, it pours ...
This was the rooftop scene I came across just yesterday
after the second flight of stone stairs from Attila ut

And this was the beginning of the third flight of stone steps we discovered just yesterday
We turned back at this point, not knowing what to expect at the top of the steps

raining cats and dogs

approaching Buda Castle

Buda Castle on the left

Since it was raining cats and dogs, no prizes for guessing who got off the coach to explore Buda Castle, None!  The driver halted at the designated stop though, to pick up more passengers. I looked out the window as the passengers ascended the coach and saw Mr India (from yesterday) with his wife and baby sheltering at the doorstep of some building by the road. Since they did not board the coach, we could surmise that he did not buy the City Tour tickets.

After picking up its load, the coach turned a few more bends finally appearing at a secluded parking-lot. Mr Driver parked the coach by the side of the parking lot just outside a portable lavatory. Next to the lavatory was a cafe.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are taking a fifteen minutes break here. This is The Citadella," announced the young tour guide with the pleasant face.

It was drizzling outside. Some left the bus to relieve themselves at the portable lavatory. Some ran to the cafe for hot coffee. Most sat tight where they were, as did we. The Citadella (Citadel) is where the Statue of Liberty stood on Gellert Hill.

After the fifteen minutes ciggie break, Mr Driver was back behind the wheels. We turned around to leave the slopes. The pleasant tour guide advised us to get down at Stop # 17 (Marcius 15 ter) since we were heading for the Keleti Train Station. (for the record, we covered 17 out of the 19 Green Line stops.)

Bridge near Marcius 15 ter (Stop # 17)

Since it was drizzling we alighted from the Green Coach under the above bridge. It was cold and windy. The hideous raincoat kept me warm. We walked towards a bus stand a few hundred meters from the bridge to catch the bus to Keleti. A small bakery stood by the side of this street. After buying some pretzels and cheese sticks, I asked if I could use their washroom.

"No!", said the girl manning the counter, the look on her face telling me that she was every inch a Hungarian.

We continued walking towards the bus stand which did not seem to get any nearer. Approaching from the opposite direction was a man walking his black and gray Shih Tzu. The leashed pooch gazed steadily at me. I held its gaze until they walked past me. Curious to know whether the pooch was still staring at me, I turned around. The pooch continued walking with its handler, its shaggy little head turned away from the front and staring right back at me. It must be wondering where this particular garbage bag was heading.

Finally we reached the bus stand. Bus # 8 appeared. On its digital display were the words "Keleti Pályaudvar." We took the seat directly after the collapsing door. Across from me sat an elderly woman with a middle-aged woman. Both of them stared at me for wasn't I in my garbage bag a sight to behold? In front of them was a woman with a pram. The baby inside the pram gazed at me. The Hungarians were a curious lot.

I shut my eyes and ignored them until we reached the bus stop outside the Keleti Train Station. Taking off my garbage bag for the drizzling had eased, we headed for the Tower Terrace.  Outside the lift after the vestibule, we bumped into the family of five. They were heading out for dinner. I was glad I wasn't wearing the garbage bag at this point. Imagine the dramatic effect I might have on dear Ms Walk-Faster had I been so unfortunate as to be caught in one in her presence. Back in our room, we dined on pretzels and cheese sticks washed down with hot tea from the kitchenette. We did not have the appetite for finer grub.

It had been an eventful day. We had covered more tourist attraction than we could have covered had we followed the family of five.

The continuing drizzle outside meant that exploring the night scene of Budapest is out of the question. Sleep was especially sweet at this time of the trip because we were returning home on the morrow, and haven't I mentioned before that "Going Home is the best part of any journey?"

Mr Nice-Guy returned to the Tower Terrace early with two cans of beer which he shared with his old school chum. No prize for guessing why they were back early. It was the rain which kept them from the streets. Since the pretty receptionist was at her desk, they requested her to book the taxi for our drive to the airport on the morrow.

And the minute hand worried the hour hand of the clock towards dawn.

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