Budapest, Hungary: part 2 （匈牙利 布達佩斯 之2）

St. Stephen's Basilica is a very impressive Catholic church. You go in, then you will know. It's hard to describe its beauty. I guess the visitors would agree with what I say and also feel stunned by its arcitecture.

I love the dome the most. "Wow" is what I think in my mind, but I just cannot find a perfect word to describe it. Anyway, it's very impressive and beautiful.

Besides, the stained glass windows catch my eye; unfortunatly, I cannot take clear photos of these windows.

It's the square outside the basilica. Restaurants are always there waiting for you. Haha!

Then we walk to Liberty Square. We do not know much about it, but it definitely has its own story. 

Kids have fun trying not to get wet.

"Memorial for Victims of the German Occupation" is at the square, too.

The documents, photos, flowers, and even a suitcase remind people of the miserable history, and teach people not to make the same mistake again.

 After that, we go to Hungarianthat Parliament. It is the landmark in Budapest.

The Danube river is nearby. It flows through many countries in Europe, including Hungary.

Visitors come here to see "the Shoes on the Danube Bank." The shoes give remembrance to the people, including a lot of Jews, who were thrown or shot into the river during WW2.

You even see kid's shoes, which is really really sad.

This is another landmark "Chain Bridge."

             

Budapest, Hungary: part 1 （匈牙利 布達佩斯 之1）

If you want to know more about Hungarian history, National museum is a great choice. It displays the national treasure by years. You can see the progress of this country. What impressed me the most is the hall with European mural paintings on the ceilings and walls.  Although I don't know their meanings, they still look astonishing to me.

After that, we walk to Central Market Hall, which is very famous for the wines called bull's blood and Tokaji, goose liver, red pepper powder, cheeses, salami, sausage, and souvenirs. 

The traditional food, Langos, is delicious. We try twice in Budapest. The first time we try it is at this market.

Then we walk to Liberty Bridge.

 The nearby cave church is a great spot to take pics of Liberty Bridge.

We buy the tickets for the first time in Budapest.

 Then we take the metro to Széchenyi Thermal Bath. Our kids love it very much. Who doesn't like soaking in the hot springs with his or her family?

 We chat and have a lot of fun here. This thermal bath is one of my favourite spots in Budapest.

Unexpected experiences

Sometimes travelers can have some unexpected experiences during the trips, which train the travelers to be more flexible.

The air-conditioning of our train carriage is not working. 2.5- hour train from Bratislava to Budapest becomes an unforgettable memory. It's really stuffed and hot. Some passengers complain, and some move to the bike area where some cool air comes from another carriage. The train conductor give us a bottle of water for compensation I guess.

Finally, we arrive in Budapest. Our apartment is really cozy and clean; most importantly, it is equipped with air conditioners, which is wonderful news to us in summer.

The Hungarian food we try is really salty. We feel so thirsty all night, and decide to have hamburgers in the following day.

We thought we could eat out every day in Budapest, but the salty food makes us hesitate, and cook by ourselves instead.

2-day trip in Bratislava, Slovakia (斯洛伐克)

We stay in Bratislava, Slovakia for 2 whole days.

We pass by Grassalkovich Palace and St. Parish Church Jan of Matha (Trojička). Then we go into the Old town.

After entering Michael's Gate, it's the Old town. In Bratislava, I like the old town the most. Shops, bars, and restaurants are everywhere.

Below is the famous statue "man at work" in the old town.

Bratislava Castle is also in this area. When we arrive at the castle, some boy scouts are singing some solemn songs. I feel emotional when hearing songs like those.

It's very comfortable to walk at the castle in the evening.

Another place we visit is the Danube riverside. It's heard that Danube River turns blue sometimes, but we do not see the blue river this time.

But we do see a blue church nearby. It's the Church of St. Elizabeth.

Actually, I don't have strong feelings about Bratislava. I meet nicer people in other countries, and I feel more comfortable with them.