Budapest: a surreal city

St. Matthias church, Budapest

Forgive the blue skies for giving you the impression that it was a warm day whilst I took pictures of Matthias Church in the Buda Castle district, because during my entire stay in Budapest the weather hung around the -1 or -2 mark in the evenings, with barmy highs of 4 degrees during the day. Even so, Budapest struck me as a fairy-tale city, caught in limbo, unsure of where it stands. There’s something definitely surreal about the archaic grandness of the buildings juxtaposed with post-communist Brutalism and an ailing economy. Almost as if I was walking on to a film set, and behind the buildings there was an empty frame. There’s a certain bleak beauty to the wide streets and dwarfing architecture. Each building along the main streets around Deak Ferenc Metro Station are individually stunning.

I recommend a visit. We got a little snow whilst we walked around the Pest side, near to the Hungarian Houses of Parliament, and the city instantly took on a quiet, calming atmosphere. Despite the cracked heads of the statues and the grey, stained walls of the once gleaming buildings, this city is deeply romantic. The allure of the stupendously powerful Austro-Hungarian empire exists to this day. It’s rooted in the very bricks of the city, an everlasting pride.

Like I mentioned, these photographs were taken of St. Matthias Church in the Buda Castle district. It was constructed in the 14th century, but extensively restored in the 19th century.

I’ll be posting more about Budapest soon.