Sunday April 20, Budapest, Hungary ~ Happy Easter!
From the top of Citadel Hill with the Danube River behind us
The rest of our time in Budapest was pretty low-keyed. We did a fair bit of walking on Citadel Hill which affords a magnificent view over the Danube. It is also where you can find the Liberty Statue.
We had our lunch on Castle Hill which is home to another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Buda Castle has sadly been built, destroyed and rebuilt numerous times over a very tumultuous history.
The afternoon was spent walking around Margaret Island which was filled with people on a variety of human-powered vehicles: two, three and four-wheeled bikes, skate boards, small pedal and motorized golf carts, a three-wheeled version of a Segway, roller skates and probably a few I have forgotten.
The park had numerous flower beds recently planted and in full bloom. The lawns were covered with people relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. A cushioned jogging track rimmed the island and was being well used.
The park on Margaret Island
Not sure what this tree is, but the air was full of these winged white flying “gnats”
Afternoon snacks in our hotel room help keep my always hungry hubby happy as well as keep the cost down vs. room service or going out to eat.
Afternoon snack in our hotel room – crackers, quince and cheese with sparkling water
Last night we had a unique opportunity to go to see Johan Sebastian Bach’s concert, St. Mathew’s Passion at the Opera House. Often performed on Good Friday, and depending upon the version can last 4 hours. Here it was performed in German, and the program was written in Hungarian, so I was a little completely lost most of the time. Thankfully I am familiar with the storyline 🙂
“One of Western sacred music’s most revered works, it tells the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross.”
The dual choirs, children’s choir, six soloist and a full orchestra were brilliant. The conductor was quite animated and of course the setting inside the opera house was spectacular. What a wonderful way to celebrate Easter here in Hungary.
Budapest Opera House
Dual choirs and multi stringed orchestra
If you click this link (and then click on watch trailer) you can see a sample of what our evening concert was like. The version in this clip is a larger and longer version than the two hour performance we attended.
Today we will board our river boat, “The Sound of Music”. We had to check out of our hotel room by noon and can not board until 3:00 pm so that gave me a perfect opportunity to use the business center at the hotel to print up future hotel vouchers/documents and flight reservations.
A few Hungarian words:
- viszontlátásra – good-bye
- jó napot – hello
- Legyen Szíves – please
- Köszi Szépen – thank you
Our ship sails at 10:00 pm.
This is where our river cruise ship departs from
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful for seeing a fabulous concert in another language and simply being carried away by the music.
A Note From Abroad 
I think I can safely say that this is an Easter experience of a lifetime!
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Yes, it was a pretty special way to celebrate.
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Becca and I have enjoyed Bach’s SMP at the Oregon Bach Festival held in Eugene every year. This past weekend our group the Rogue Valley Chorale sang a Bach Motet as one of our numbers. I’m sure the performance and venue you were at will be with you forever. Your adventure sounds just fabulous. THANK YOU FOR SHARING. PS_ Is your title meant to be a double entendre?
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Spence, yes when I closed my eyes the music filled me up. Truly satisfying on many levels. As to your PS question – guilty! Hello to Becca.
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