Budapest Travelogue
Budapest Travelogue
If you are picky, I recommend Budapest to you;
If you are easygoing, I still recommend Budapest;
If we compare Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to a beauty, she would be the standard beauty Chen Hong (there are many celebrities named Chen Hong, but I mean the one who devoted herself to the eccentric director Chen Kaige). Although she is not an extraordinary, unconventional, and unique spirit, people of all ages, genders, and from all over the world would admit that she is indeed beautiful. Her acceptance spans a wide range of time and space, and her recognition is like a diabetes patient's test result with four plus signs.
Budapest's greatest charm is that she is a beauty from every direction.
So, whether you are learned and well-traveled, or a rough warrior like those in Water Margin; whether you are a benevolent person who loves mountains or a wise person who loves water, or you like architecture and bridges; whether you are a glutton or an ascetic; whether you are a shopaholic or a free spirit; whether you prefer luxury or simplicity; whether you are a dignitary or a millionaire; whether you are a romantic or a heroic type; whether you are like Linghu Chong or Huang Laoxie, everyone loves her, and even immortals love her.
I am not showing off my talent by listing so many points, but comprehensively summarizing the charm of this beautiful city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, from various aspects. Let me elaborate.
First, beautiful mountains. The distant mountains are like eyebrows.
But the mountains in Budapest are not distant; some are right in the middle of the city. The world is turned upside down, with the city embracing the mountains.
Gellért Hill faces the Elizabeth Bridge. At its top, the Statue of Liberty holds a palm leaf high, watching over ships on the Danube. Buda Castle sits on Castle Hill, where you can gaze at the waves of the Danube flirting with you, making your heart tremble.
Even the restaurant where I dined occupied an entire nameless hill. While watching lively folk dance performances and eating, the entire beauty of Budapest became my back garden. It made me feel like Empress Dowager Cixi, or at least like Little Li Zi beside her, occasionally wanting to shout in a shrill voice: "Imperial decree arrives! Receive it!"
Second, beautiful water.
You may not know that China's Lancang River becomes the Mekong River when it flows abroad, but you must know "The Blue Danube." It is said to be Austria's second national anthem, and Strauss's statue has become a symbol of Vienna, but the Danube's charm is fully displayed only in Hungary.
If the Danube is compared to a pearl necklace (not Chen Hong anymore, otherwise Chen Kaige would say I'm hitting on his woman), then Budapest is the most exquisite pendant on the necklace.
Red flowers need green leaves to set them off. The beauty of the blue Danube water in Budapest is complemented by the bridges.
The most famous is the Chain Bridge, a landmark of Budapest. Its mottled tones show its age. The lion sculptures at the bridgehead are majestic and firm, and the most peculiar thing is the subtle expression on their faces. When you are in a good mood, they seem to smile with all their teeth; when you are depressed, their expressions become as gloomy as Premier Li Peng's.
North of the Chain Bridge is Margaret Bridge, named after a princess who devoted herself to religion (she also has something against Chen Hong. She devotes herself too, be careful, Director Chen might sue her). To the south is Elizabeth Bridge, named after Empress Sisi. It is entirely white and modern in shape, so it is also called the White Bridge. There is also Liberty Bridge, which looks bronze. During my stay in Budapest, our car shuttled back and forth across these bridges, and the scenery of Buda and Pest on both sides of the Danube never got boring.
Buda and Pest were once two separate cities, and their merger is only a little over 100 years old. Connecting them are these nine bridges, each with a unique design and charm.
Third... Before I can say third, a quick-witted friend interrupts: "After beautiful mountains and water, it should be beautiful people, right?"
Please don't say such things to provoke Hungarian girls. They are thoroughly ugly, and it's a collective ugliness. Isn't that easy for them? Are you pouring salt on their wounded hearts? And iodized salt at that!
The ugliness of Hungarian girls is described in detail in my other Ctrip travelogue "The City Full of Beauties Has Finally Been Found!" It's a national secret of Hungary. If you are interested, feel free to click. But please finish reading this one first? I would be very grateful. You are such a good person!
Third, people are not beautiful. Oops, I misspoke.
Third, beautiful architecture. The most beautiful building in Budapest is undoubtedly the Parliament Building, a typical neo-Gothic style with spires, sculptures, reliefs, and decorations, all extremely magnificent. At 268 meters tall, whether seen from afar or up close, it exudes grandeur. It killed countless rolls of film! I clicked the shutter like typing on a keyboard!
I didn't bring a digital camera then, otherwise I wouldn't have felt sorry for the film. Speaking of digital cameras, I get annoyed. I finally decided to buy a 5-megapixel one, but soon 7-megapixel ones came out. Even Sony is against us. Forget it, I won't stoop to their level. Back to business!
Another important site is Heroes' Square, also called the Millennium Square. It was built in 1896 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Hungary. The square is spacious, with a tall memorial column in the center. On the platform at the base are carvings of the leaders of Hungary's seven major tribes.
I looked carefully at the seven leader statues. No matter how I looked, they resembled the Xiongnu that the national hero Yue Fei fought against. Although I don't know what the Xiongnu looked like, I could almost hear the seven leaders muttering: "It's easier to shake a mountain than to shake the Yue Family Army!" Fortunately, my surname isn't Yue, or I might be done for!
On both sides of Heroes' Square are beautifully built buildings, which are two major museums of Hungary.
The palace on Castle Hill is breathtakingly beautiful, with a sense of vicissitude. Nearby is the Matthias Church, over 700 years old, and the Fisherman's Bastion on the city wall, offering a panoramic view of Pest on the other side. Those who understand world history, including Islamic jihad, the Crusades, Christianity, and the Black Death, will linger here.
At that time, I hugged the horse's leg of a Crusader statue and refused to let go. I growled at the tour guide who was urging me to move on: "Whoever says to leave, I'll be mad at them!"
The tour guide had no choice but to sweet-talk me, saying that the Danube sightseeing cruise was even more beautiful. Half-believing, I let go. Otherwise, the horse's leg would have been broken by me.
Our boat departed from the Margaret Bridge pier, and the exquisite buildings on both banks unfolded like a scroll. This stretch along the Danube was the first part of Budapest to be designated a World Heritage site, the city's most essential part.
Even the graffiti on the embankment walls was artistic and culturally sophisticated. Unlike domestic graffiti, which is just ugly words like "Only monks come to drink water."
The most striking thing was that there were hotels on the river island with lush grass, reminiscent of the poem. The atmosphere made me want to jump into the river like Qu Yuan.
After the water route, let's talk about the land route.
Every building around the Royal Opera House is remarkable. Now, echoing the opening remarks, we can understand why both highbrow and lowbrow people fall in love with Budapest. Because most of Budapest's architecture is Baroque.
Let me show off my shallow knowledge: Baroque architecture in Budapest is equivalent to Chinese parallel prose. It is extremely ornate, with roofs, sculptures, statues, and carved beams, every detail exquisitely decorated to the extreme, armed to the teeth. It allows people with different tastes to find recognition and spiritual home.
During my visit, I also visited a representative aristocratic manor. That's what I call aristocracy! The exquisitely beautiful building was so large that even with my Nikon 18mm wide-angle lens, I needed five shots to stitch it together. The accumulated aristocratic demeanor made me feel so inferior that I almost suffocated, like climbing Xuebao Peak.
What impressed me most were the countless heads of various wild animals hanging on the walls, still fierce and tough. These were the personal masterpieces of the hunter-owner. This inspired me. I have been gradually turning my travels into travelogues and posting them on Ctrip, just like this aristocrat hangs the heads of rare wild animals on beautiful walls. I too am being an aristocrat! Thank you for the noble guidance.
Just the beauty of architecture could fill a thick book. I'll skip 100,000 words here. I can only give a glimpse.
Fourth, beautiful food.
This is my specialty. To avoid getting too excited and having a heart attack, I'll only give you an outline. Use your imagination to fly freely with me. What? You're not Jang Dong-gun from "The Promise"? No problem. I'm not the owner of the Flower Armor either. Let's go!
Fine wine: apple wine, pear wine, red and white wines, especially kumis, don't miss it;
Fine meat: the best nomadic beef and mutton need no advertising from me;
Fine milk: drink cow and sheep milk until you're full before coming back. But don't say irresponsible things like "Yili and Mengniu milk are not for human consumption" when you return home;
Fine vegetables: organically grown greens nourished by the blue Danube can make you understand why Chinese farmers grow separate vegetables for themselves;
Fine soup: the communist ideal of goulash is realized here. Although it still has a long way to go compared to "Expert Recommended: The World's Most Delicious Soup" (please refer to my humble work), it is still a different world;
Fine cheese: cheese lovers, go enjoy yourselves; if you don't consider yourself professional, don't risk eating goat cheese.
Just outlining this made my mouth water so much it almost flooded the keyboard. To avoid a computer short circuit, I'll reluctantly stop sharing my expertise.
Fifth, beautiful photos.
Take a photo with the Pushkin statue, or a Baroque or neo-Gothic one. When you bring them back, even the girl at the photo shop will buy an extra set to keep. I thought she was interested in me, the handsome guy, but later realized she was just a shallow girl who worships foreign things and thinks the foreign moon is rounder. I wasn't interested in her either!
I digressed again. The girl is not shallow. The moon and sun in Budapest are indeed different.
I went in summer. The sun sets at 10 p.m. and rises again at 4 a.m.! It's more workaholic than the Japanese. It works itself to death. Wait, isn't there a modern poem called "The Undying Sun"?
The moon is also different. Its reflection in the shimmering blue Danube—can it be the same as the reflection in a ditch-like Huai River?
I'd better stop, or someone might report me as a spy sent by the Hungarian Tourism Bureau, or at least as a shill hired by the mayor of Budapest with a lot of money. Unfortunately, I still have some Hungarian forint at home, which is solid evidence! I'm totally a shill.
