Budapest (H) (May 7-8, 2008)
In May 2008 I was invited to an internal conference in the Corinthia
Hotel in Budapest. The Hotel has a quite impressive lobby and conference
facilities. Pictures below show the income Hall, the dinner "wintergarten"
and the famous ball & conference room.
The evening of the first day, under a clear blue sky we made a boat trip
on the (blue?) Danube. We started at the banks on the Pest side, close to
the Erzsébet Bridge, with a view on the inner-city Parish church (1st
picture below) and navigated towards the Petofi bridge. After the Petofi
Bridge the modern construction of National Theatre appears on the left
bank (picture 2).
Then the boat took a U-turn and we headed back towards the city centre,
passing at our left side, this time the "Buda" side, the famous Gellert
Hotel (1st picture below), named after a Bishop from the Middle ages, and
known for its wave pool and therapeutic baths. We passed our starting point
and went under the Chain Bridge (2nd picture) to finally end the boat tour
with a U-turn at the "jewel of the City": the Parliament. It was constructed
from 1885 over 19 years by Imre Steindl.
As often is the case, so much to see and so little time: Budapest is
worth a visit of at least 3-4 days. It has similarities with Vienna but it
has a cachet of its own.
