St. Olaf Budapest Interim 2016: Day 111 (base 4): Fun and a Funicular

Jó estét!

The adorable funicular

Today, after many recommendations, a group of us went to the National Gallery at Buda Castle. To get there, we crossed the Széchenyi chain bridge and rode the funicular up the hill. Not only did the lift save us a lot of stairs, it provided a wonderful view of Pest. At the top of the hill, a beautiful vista of Pest greeted us with parliament and the St. Stephen's Cathedral peering out of the fog.

Buda Castle

Once in the museum, we saw paintings describing the recapture of Buda Castle in the first hall. The rest of the Gallery features a wide range of works from medieval carvings to contemporary Hungarian artists. There is even a painting of St. George and a cherub smiting a dragon with lightning. Since the Fine Arts Museum is undergoing renovations, a selection of it's most impressive pieces is on display at the National Gallery, which was quite a treat. We were lucky enough to arrive at the Gallery just as a special concert was beginning, and were serenaded by a cello, a piano, and a soprano during our visit. The music echoing through the Gallery's great halls was positively spectacular.

The view of St. Stephen's from the funicular

Upon leaving the Gallery, we witnessed the changing of the guard at the presidential palace. Walking around the top of the hill with the guard's drum beating in the background, we looked out over Buda through the fog before heading back down the funicular.

Emma at Bruce's rec

After putting finishing touches on the homework, we headed out to a Pad Thai restaurant recommended by Spruce-y Bruce. The restaurant was structured like Subway, and we were able to mix noodles and add-ins to produce a wonderful, and very quick, meal.

While some of us were at the gallery, Matthew ventured over to Memento Park, the final resting place of roughly 30 communist era statues and busts. They were taken down from around Budapest and put in a park just out side of the city limits during the peaceful transition from under soviet rule. The whole park was desolate except freshly fallen snow and Matthew.... and dozens of grim faced communist statues (it was a little intimidating). After a close call on a bus transfer, he returned to the hotel nearly an hour later.