Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The liberty statue (szabadság-szobor) is a memorial located on Gellért hill (Buda side) in Budapest, Hungary. It is a 14 meters high woman holding a palm leaf and it is honoring the soldiers that liberated the country during World War II. Together with the resting place made of stone it is about 40 meters high and therefore visible from nearly every point of Budapest.
Continue reading “Szabadság-szobor”
What to do if times change, political systems drown and the streets are still filled with statues that don’t seem to fit anymore? In some countries these stone and steel giants have been destroyed, in Berlin the head of Lenin has been buried underground in a wood. In Hungary they decided to show these icons – in a place called Memento Park, close to Budapest.
Continue reading “Stalins boots & Lenins exile”
If you climb up the hills on the Buda side of Budapest, Hungary – maybe close to the Fisherman’s Bastion – you can walk for hours having wonderful views on the city. Following the trail to the south you’ll reach the palace (Budavári palota); the biggest building in Hungary. It dates back to the 13. century and king Béla IV.
Continue reading “Hungarian National Gallery”
The parliament of Hungary (Országház) is a wonderful building in gothic revival style standing directly at the Danube river. Its beauty is a large contrast to the sometimes inhumane politics made there. It has been built from 1885 on and the design has been inspired by the British parliament in London. The architekt Imre Steindl was unluckily never able to see his work finished, because he went blind before the work was done.
Continue reading “The most beautiful parliament”
The St. Stephen’s Basilica is a roman-catholic church in the heart of Budapest, Hungary. It is close to the vivid Erzsébet tér and the chain bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd). It dates back to the year 1905 and is the biggest church of Budapest. 8500 worshippers can find a place here and the dimensions of the building can only partially be seen.
Continue reading “Szent István-bazilika”
High above the Danube, at the heart of Budapest (Hungary): the Halászbástya (Fisherman’s Bastion) is a wonderful neo-Gothic monument, located where once the fish market of Buda was. The white walls and towers were part of the city walls of Budapest, this segment protected by the fishermen. It is close to the St. Matthew church and you’ve got an awesome view on the city from here.
Continue reading “Fisherman’s Bastion”
The Great Synagogue of Budapest, Hungary has been built from 1854 on by an architect from Vienna. It is located in Pest close to the city center, not far away from Erzsébet tér. It has been built in Moorish style and looks a bit like the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
Continue reading “Dohány Street Synagogue”
An important place in the centre of Budapest, Hungary, where you can learn one thing very good: how little you know about Hungarian history. Béla IV? Coloman? Ladislaus I? Imre Thököly? Lajos Kossuth? István Bocskay? Does this ring a bell? No? Don’t worry – somehow the stories of Eastern Europe have been hidden behind the Iron Curtain.
Continue reading “The Heroes’ Square”
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you will know the deep desire of having something from there back at home. Even if it is only food. And that doesn’t necessarily mean sushi, which is kind of street food in Asia. Luckily we’ve got Düsseldorf – a home base for many Japanese in Germany. Next to some very good restaurants there is one shop that always provides me delicious travel supplies: Waraku in Düsseldorfs Immermannstraße, not far away from the main railway station.
Continue reading “Japanese fastfood”
The first question is always: why does one stay in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany? Not the Frankfurt in the heart of Germany, the one with lots of skyscrapers of banks and Äppelwoi, but the one close to the border to Poland. At first it has to be said that even Frankfurt (Oder) has some nice city quarters and a good university – but for me it was only a good stop because on the next day I had to travel early to Bremen for a soccer match.