SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 1999
OPERA HOUSE - NATIONAL MUSEUM


This is the Hungarian State Opera House. It was built in 1884 and seats 1400 people. Unfortunately it's only open from 1:00-3:00 pm and we were there at 11:00! Maybe next time.

So we headed over to The Central Market Hall (built in 1896) which is the largest enclosed market in Budapest and is also closed on Sunday's!



We then headed to The National Museum and it was open! The frame of the main entrance follows the pattern of the Erechteion in Athens. The museum also houses the Hungarian Crown Jewels. The Crown Jewels are the Crown of St. Stephen, the thousand year old Coronation robe that is embroidered with golden thread, the rock crystal sceptre and the man sized sword with its ornate scabbard, all of which are the holy symbols of the Hungarian State.



This is the stairway and the ceiling inside the museum. Right after I took it a lady that worked there said something in Hungarian to us, wagged a finger and walked away. So we thought that maybe we aren't suppose to take pictures inside, so this is it.



This is the Synagogue and it's the biggest one in Europe! It has more than 3000 seats in it.

This is just a closer look it's decorated in ceramic tiles.

Around the other side of the Synagogue is this memorial of the Hungarian Jewish Martyrs. It's a willow tree and the names of the citizens of Budapest who had been killed during the months of the holocaust are inscribed in its lines.


Hero's Square again! We were walking back over to the City Park that is behind Hero's square (and the Castle of Vajdahunyad is in the park) and thought we'd try and get a picture that would show what a large area it is.

The City Park is one of the biggest in Budapest. The Azéchenyi Medicinal Bath is in the Park and is one of Europe's largest and warmest thermal baths (waters are 77 C/170 F).

Then we spent a long time wandering around the park looking for the red marble tombstone of Jakab T. Horváth a hardworking lawyer of Pest who died almost 200 years ago. He left his money to the town and asked the town elders to bury him in the Park, with only one word carved on the headstone, FUIT....Was.





We never found it.
Third Weekend - Battyhány Square