Before going to this city always thought a place like Prague. I guess I went Budapest with much expectation, first I saw the city from the hill and I said that if you see the Prague you don’t have to see here. In fact, I was wrong, Budapest has a different beauty. In Budapest, we first went to Gellert Hill, which is on the Buda side of the city, you can see the city completely from here with bridges.

There is a statue at the top belong to Bishop Gellert. This person played a role to change Hungarians religion to Christianity. The Hungarians were Pagan at the beginning but then they forced to accept Christianity. The Hungarian king in 1000 after Christ St. invited St. Gellert to Hungary who was a missionary. This person gets sign from the king that all Hungarians accepted Christianity and Hungarians being Christian suddenly. Pagans who where angry becoming Christian they put St. Geller into vat sent to down the hill, after that day this hill name is Gellert Hill. In the meantime, Budapest called as, Buda and Pest. In 1873 the city of Budin and Pest come together today this capital city takes name from a combination of to cities. Buda side of the city is a bit hilly therefore you can see Pest part on the other side of the Danube river.

Second place we visited, the “Fisherman’s Bastion” Bearer of the fishermen. This building built neo gothic and neo-baroque style in the Danube River bank. There are 7 towers each tower represent one Hungarian community. This structure beginning is in 1895 and construction was completed in 1902. Towers are very aesthetic and give good photo with the evening sun. Here you can eat something while watching the city and you can listen live violin at the nice cafe. There is Matthias Church in this building complex. This church dated to 1015, church’s roof covered with Hungarians tiles. It is quite large church. Kanuni Sultan Suleyman (Ottoman Emperor) converted to this church to mosque when he captured Budapest and used as a mosque. Today, this place takes visit by tourists, but also important for Hungarian people who want to exhibit their art to tourists and get some revenue. In Hungary almost at every corner possible to see someone plays violin. You can easily understand how important the art for Hungarians. As in Vienna here also you can go to classical music concerts. In the meantime, the world’s most expensive Hilton is on the side of this historic church and standing there with all grinning modernity. Such a country importance art and history how they would let to built this ugly building just in the middle of this historical monuments. Some body must be paid for that much money.

In Pest side Gul Baba tomb to be seen. This tomb is still repair by the Republic of Turkey. When we been there tomb was repairing, we unfortunately were unable to enter. Gul Baba, is a Bektasi Dervish, come here when Hungary was under the Ottoman administration and Hungarians loved him. Today when you go to visit him you can’t see anything else then a small mausoleum and a statue. Tomb in the middle of houses in Pest side.
In the evening you can go to Vica Street. This place like Istiklal Street in Istanbul you can make shopping here. However, I recommend you Szentendre Town to get something as gift. This place is a lot cheaper compared to Budapest. In Vica you may eat something, currency exchange and you can walk which is enjoyable. When you change money please be careful to read the board in front of the offices and confirm with them that the currency which is written on the board is including tax. If you don’t confirm that, they cut some commission from your money.

Budapest is a city which you can see comfortably by foot. After you obtain a map from the hotel you can walk comfortably. City has good metro system. I was surprised when I heard that Hungarian metro system is the second metro in the world after England. However, you can get a subway map from your hotel and learn how to use very quickly. If you get of in the Ferenc Ter Metro station and begin to walk along the Danube River you will see first Great Market Hull. This is a huge and historic building. The ground floor for the food in general, especially the red peppers are sold, the top floor you can find various gift items. I recommend you to see this building because it is interesting form the inside and outside. After market visit if you continue to walk on the Danube river bank you will see boats on the side of river. They make 1 hour tour to 9 €, in English and German languages. Boats goes until Margit Island. This island in the Danube river side there is a hotel and many social facilities in side, it is open to the public. It is possible to walk from one side to other this 2.5 km long island in 20 minutes. According to rumor King Bela IV. was tired of occupation of his country, he promised him self if his country be free one day, he was going to build a monastery in the island and give his first born child to this monastery to dedicated to work on religion. The king keep his promise when the country get rid of the occupation he had a child named Margit, and the king built a monastery in the island closed his daughter to this monastery, but Margit died here in this monastery very young. After that day the island’s name is referred to as Margit Island. During Ottoman occupation this monastery has been destroyed. After receiving this information in the boat tour I suggest continue to walk on the famous chain bridge. It is very pleasant been a pedestrian on the bridge and to take photos. You can pass from Pest side to Buda side from the bridge and take short distance running cable cars to the royal palace. Here is very close to Fisherman’s Bastion. If you like to walk you can use the stairs instead of lift to go royal palace. Today the palace using as a museum of art. You can get sunset photos of Chain Bridge and Budapest from this hill. Please do not forget look to your back while you take landscape photos art museum also gives nice photos by the sunset with yellow lights.

I think one of the places you should see is Heroes’ Square. To come here from your location you should first reach the M1 metro, get off in Hosok Tere you are just in the middle of the square. This is a very nice place to take photos, all the tourist groups comes to this place and have a look around than start to capture. It is possible to capture interesting images here. My husband taken photos of photographers here in this square and prepared a series. The images came out pretty funny. If you say that it is enough to take photo of people in this square I’m inviting you to walk to the agricultural museum. Entry is reminiscent of the old castle, is already an old structure. Structure around the lake there are ducks and water snakes. There are small wooden terraces constructed over the lake you can sit to banks and have sunbathed. While you eat there something, at the lake side you will be witness to ducks chasing of snakes. While we there weather was very good, people were usually with dogs. In Hungary many people have dog. We learned that marriage institution doesn’t work good here therefore people found a way to resolve their desolation to feeding dogs. Hungary is a European country but it is not possible to say that it developed like other European countries. When I heard their retirement salary than I understand that Turkey has given better conditions then Hungary. They get retirement salary around 300 $ only. They have no industry, there is only one factory working in this country. The only income of them is tourism and they get lot of tourists. They are not pleased to enter the European community. It seems this brought them the expensiveness and unemployment. When they entered the community the only sugar factory of the country bought by a European company and after while the company said that it is expensive to make production there. They closed the factory and started to import sugar from a European country. This caused too many people lost their job.

Who comes to Budapest musn’t go back to see Esztergom and Szentendre. Of course, people are going there with tours. But we (my wife and I) went ourselves and paid only 52 € including lunch, travel agency were asking for each person 100 €. We first went to by metro Arpad Hid. There is a first stop of the buses to Esztergom and Szentendre. It is € 5 per person, trip took just over an hour. We sow that people are traveling with their dogs on the buses. We have also learned that buses are going on the endless ways here, they go every street and stops every 5 minutes. Esztergom is a small place, except the Esztergom Castle there is a small bazaar and small houses. Unfortunately, there is a very small part standing from the castle. Hungary’s largest church located within the castle. I would encourage you to see in side of it. During the Ottoman time there was a mosque over this church but in the time of Austrians they collapsed the mosque and build church instead of it. If you are not afraid of height you can climb from the narrow bell tower stairs to watch around from the hill. Also in the bell tower has a great eco-system. I sang a Turkish song and I got a good applause from keeper. After church visit you can go down to bazaar again. It is so cheap you can buy fruit or cloths for your self.

During the day, there are 3-4 buses departs from Esztergom to Szentendre. We have taken one of it around 14:00 afternoon and I think we could go only 30-40 km far Szentendre in 1,5 hours. I will repeat, but everywhere in Hungary, such as buses are so slow and their stops are very close to each others. That’s why to go 30-40 km takes more than an hour. Anyway we reached to Szentendre at the end. This is a very pretty coastal settlement by the side of Danube. There are many small craft workshops, small restaurants and souvenir shops. It was interesting for me, as in Turkey lace tablecloths sold works and they demand mostly by the Turkish women. You should walk on the small streets to see this lovely place, while you walk you can see suddenly a small street exhibition. One of the narrow streets by widening the road would seem to open to the Danube River and roadside cafes in the beautiful groomed, they invite you to eat something with good smells. If you do not want to walk you can get a phaeton from the old square, the man will be waiting there for you with his old costume. You can spend a few hours here as I told before there are some places with good prices to get souvenirs. Last train from here to Budapest at 23:00 midnight. Train departs every 10 minutes, reaching to Budapest takes 1 hr. If you spend 4 days in Budapest this will be enough to see city and around.

• Gaziantep
• Budapeşte
• Amasra
• Topuk Plateau
• Taskisigi Lake