My very first glimpse of Budapest was a dark one. The plane from London landed at 12:30 AM. By the time we checked into the hotel, it was almost 1:30 AM—time to get some sleep. By 11:00 AM we were refreshed enough to get a real glimpse of the town. First stop, the ferris wheel, which was directly in front of the hotel. There was no queue, so we hopping into a car. The day was gray, but the clouds high enough so that we could see the Danube and the many historic buildings of the city.
Directly in front of the ferris while was a frame for people to hang "love locks." You've probably seen impromptu displays on bridges where people spontaneously start adding locks to the bridge. This particular display seemed to be purposeful. I think the city provided a frame to allow an outlet for those with the compulsion to place a lock somewhere. It was quite dense with locks. I snapped an image and then used it as the basis for this abstract. (Look carefully and you'll see locks.)
Budapest has many statues and fountains. This is the first time I've seen a statue with painted nails. Look closely and you'll see the blue enamel is chipping away. She needs a pedicure. What's perhaps more interesting is the carved fishnet that she holds. Imagine the work that went into the carving.
We spent quite some time walking every aisle of the covered market. The outside of the building is quite beautiful, but it is situation such that it's difficult to capture an image that does it justice. It is something that you must see in person. This image shows the expansive inside.
The first floor is primarily food stalls. From the quantity of meats I saw, I'd have to conclude that Hungary is a meat-eating country. The variety of sausages was astounding, some of them quite large. The locals buy fresh vegetables and meats from here. The tourists are attracted to the paprika. I've never seen so much paprika in my life—stall after stall of various kinds. There was so much paprika that I decided not to buy any. I suspect that the best quality is in the local supermarkets.
The upstairs of the market has clothes, table coverings, nested Russian dolls, leather goods, t-shirts, and other items of a souvenir nature. There are also many fast food stalls selling plates heaped with sausages, potatoes, and other Hungarian goodies. I passed on the food and opted to walk more outside. (Image: Budapest has artistic utility covers.)
