Buda Hill and the Best View of Budapest

Modern-day Budapest is actually a combination of two rival medieval cities: Buda and Pest. While flat Pest is located on the eastern bank of the fabled Danube River and has traditionally been Hungarian, Buda, located on the western bank, is hilly, full of trees, and was historically inhabited by Germans, Ottomans, and Serbians before finally being assimilated by the Hungarians. 

* Buda was the former capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and thus contains Buda Castle, Matthias Church, and the Fisherman's Bastion.

* Built in the 14th Century, Matthias Church has played host to several royal coronations and weddings.

* A closer look at the Holy Trinity Column with its saints and angels.

* The current Church stands on the site of a former one, founded by Saint Stephen, first King of Hungary. Unfortunately the original church was razed during the Mongol Invasion.

* Entrance to the Church reminding me of the one in Notre Dame, Paris, albeit simpler.

* While multi-colored like the Churches in Poland, the predominant color here in Matthias Church is gold!

* Dramatic shot of Mother and Child.

* One of the chapels containing another precious statue of the Mother and Child.

* Frescoes detailing stories of Hungarian Kings, Saints, and Miracles decorate the various chapels.

* Very nice! The decorations are much cleaner as compared to the other Churches in this trip.

* A lot of the painting styles reminded me of the ones found in Orthodox Churches, which isn't surprising since Hungary (predominantly Catholic) has historically intermingled with Serbs and other people of the East where the Orthodoxy prevails.

* This awesome looking tomb is actually that of King Bela III, King of Hungary and Croatia (1172-1196). Trivia: King Bela's first wife, was actually the daughter of Raynald of Chatillon, leader of the Templars and one of the villains in the movie, Kingdom of Heaven.

* A fine mutt, buried with its masters?

* The altar of Matthias is just magnificent!

* Another shot of the altar, up close.

* A very crusader-looking altar. I felt like I was back in Jerusalem when I saw this.

* Various Coats of Arms adorn the walls of this room.

* The Missus posing with the Hungarian Crown Jewels. Check out the rock on that scepter!

* An eerie sculpture of one of the Hungarian Queens. The stained glass windows greatly add to this effect.

* We were lucky as there weren't a lot of tourists in the Church that day.

* More details on the Church ceiling!

* Here's a 360 View of the Church Interiors!

* Right behind the Church stands the imposing and majestic-looking Fisherman's Bastion.

* Which also offers the best view of Budapest. Check out the Hungarian Parliament on the right.

* Another view of Matthias Church this time from behind.

* The newlyweds giddy from the spectacular view.

* This would be a great venue for a fencing duel!

* Yup, no one here save us tourists taking pictures!

* Another view of Budapest; this time facing St. Stephen's Basilica.

* Check out that view! Cue Gregorian chants.

* On the way up to meet the King!

* Lovebirds pose in front of the Fisherman's Bastion.

* Quickly though as we did not want to obstruct this awesome view!