It was a rainy tuesday. I got off of my first day of work at 15h, went home to rest a bit, and then took off with excitement to the river for the first time. My work colleague, flatmate and now friend Silvia, who had been here for nearly one month before I arrived, offered to show me around. We then left the bus at Ferenciek Ter, and I remember already feeling intrigued about that huge white bridge: what was on the other side? Where would it lead me? Which small treasures would I find there? (Budapest is a city that arouses my curiosity, but I would find out about it later.)
Heading to the river, we passed by this cute tiny street with some souvenir shops and restaurants, until we reached a larger one with loads of shops, restaurants and kiosks. We went through a passageway under an arch next to this kürtos and deli shop, and before we even got to the river there were already some so-pleasant-for-the-eyes points of interest: a bed of colorful flowers and a church stood on the left; further ahead, a weird-looking black stone monument, like a table with some people above it; almost on the river, a pedestal held a statue with one of its arms up, and once again beautiful colourful flowers contoured it.
Little by little, as I got closer to the river, this crescent feeling of admiration caught me while I spotted each of the details of the magnificent landscape, some of which huge in its dimensions, but tiny from the distance. Starting from the left, you can see the green beautiful Liberty Bridge and the white Elizabeth Bridge; on the top of the mountain, at Citadella, stands the Liberty statue; randomly placed amongst lots of trees, lies my favorite monument: St. Gellert; now on the right, you can see the Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion and my favorite bridge, the Chain Bridge. Besides these main points of interest, there are so many other interesting sightseeings that I can’t even begin to describe.
Now walking on the Pest Side promenade for the first time was the most pleasant feeling I’ve experienced on this amazing city. The vintage-looking yellow trams running along the river, the boats floating on the vastitude of the Danube, the beautiful aligned trees all across the pathway… And the details, oh, the details… cute direction signs, flowerbeds with beautiful lamps, the princess statue, small boxes hanging on trees (that you’re supposed to spy on so you can see pictures of how the landscape standing ahead of you looked like formerly), restaurants with charming tents…
By the time I got to the Intercontinental Hotel, other than one more beautiful flowerbed embellishing the landscape, there was this musician playing “Toreador” with a stick on some glasses. What a great surprise, it made the day even better. God bless street musicians!
Soon I was on my beloved place: the Chain Bridge. The lions guarding its stone arches and the classy lamps made me think, “what a valuable piece of classic Europe”. I was just so glad to be there. Last but not least, after a bit more of walk and passing by nice places to chill along the river, the bronze shoes monument and some statues, I finally got to the Parliament. But you need to be there in order to understand its greatness.
This article was written by Nathalie Diirr Miglio Bensabat
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