My Chinese colleague and I spent all our time in Budapest from the second day of our trip onwards.
在匈牙利的第二天起，我和中國同事一直都在首都布達佩斯。
While Budapest is now known and recognised as a single city, it used to be divided into three cities, with Buda and Obuda on the west side of the Danube and Pest on the other side. Buda is the hilly part of town where the famous castle and citadel were erected, while Pest is now the commercial heart where all of Budapest’s long-distance railway services arrive. The hostel where my Chinese colleague and I stayed was quite close to the Keleti Pályaudvar (Eastern Station). It was remarkable for being part of the church building, but the interiors were separate.
卻說布達佩斯還未合成一體前分為三個城市，以多瑙河為界線，河以西包含布達（Buda）及老布達（Obuda），皇宮和堡壘分別位處布達的兩座山上；河以東為佩斯（Pest），現時是布達佩斯的商業區及多個長途火車站所在。我倆入住的旅館，位於離布達佩斯東站（Keleti Pályaudvar）不遠的教堂的後面，建築上與教堂相連，但室內與教堂分隔。
The street passing by the church adjoining our hostel
與旅館相連的教堂位處的街道
Keleti Pályaudvar and one of its grand halls
布達佩斯東站及裡面其中一個堂皇的大堂
Our first day in Budapest started with our quest for a restaurant that one of my Hungarian colleagues recommended for a dessert. We walked past Keleti Pályaudvar and took one of the main commercial streets of Rákóczi út.
我們在布達佩斯的第一天，從旅館出發，經過東站後，取經市內其中一條大道Rákóczi út走到佩斯的中心區，一心想到匈牙利同事介紹的甜品店。
Rákóczi út
A housing block along Rákóczi út, typical around Budapest
典型匈牙利式「四合院」式住宅，位於Rákóczi út
We came across the Zsinagóga (synagogue) by accident and wandered through the interior. The synagogue is the largest in Europe (followed by the one in Plzen), and in its backyard there is a metal tree for commemorating the Jewish victims of World War II.
途中無意中給我們看到猶太教堂（Zsinagóga），乃全歐洲最大（其次為捷克皮爾森）。教堂的後園有一棵鐵線樹，用以紀念二次大戰中遇害的猶太人。
The main entrance to the synagogue
猶太教堂正門
The interior of the synagogue
教堂內部
The metal tree
鐵線樹
It was almost mid-day when we finished visiting the synagogue, and we arrived at the restaurant at a good time, so our desserts could satisfy our hunger and provide us with enough energy until our next destination!
從教堂出來差不多中午，到達甜品店時剛好是時候稍為填填肚子，好讓我們有力氣前往下個目的地再吃一頓！
Some interesting architecture on Károly krt. en route to the restaurant
前往甜品店經過的Károly krt.街
Vörösmarty Tér (Vörösmarty Square), where the restaurant is located
甜品店位處的Vörösmarty廣場
Just desserts: Somlói Kocka (left, served with whipped cream) and Flódni (yeast cake)
地道甜品：Somlói Kocka （左）及Flódni （酵母蛋糕）
The Vörösmarty Tér (Vörösmarty Square) is at one end of the shopping street Váci utca, the other end of which was the Central Market Hall (Nagyvásárcsarnok). My Chinese colleague and I started shopping for souvenirs and handicraft along Váci utca. Fortunately it didn’t turn into a shopping spree because there were better places inside the Market Hall.
Vörösmarty廣場正是購物街Váci utca的開端，另一端就是我們的下一站大市場（Nagyvásárcsarnok），中國同事和我在購物街沿途買了些特色手工藝品，幸好沒買太多，因為原來大市場才是最佳地點！
Váci utca
The Market Hall was a three-storey building, where fresh produce was sold in the basement and ground floor while the upper floor was filled with shops selling all types of handicraft including embroidery, traditional costume, porcelain, Christmas decorations. There was everything that one could imagine while the prices were lower than the shops outside. How could we resist the opportunity to indulge in more shopping? Soon we were left with empty wallets and stomachs, which meant time for a meal in one of the stalls. We felt well replenished after our meals (but obviously not our wallets!)
大市場分三層，地庫和地面賣新鮮食品，琳琅滿目，上層專賣手工藝品，剌鏽、傳統服飾、陶瓷、聖誕飾物等應有盡有，而且品質不錯，價錢比外面的商店還便宜，怎叫人忍手？一輸入貨後，不祇是錢包，肚子也空空的，那裡的快餐攤檔正好給我們的肚子補充一下（錢包則沒這麼幸運了！）
The Market Hall was right beside the Szabadság híd (Independence Bridge) which took us from the Pest side (where the Market was) to the Buda side. The other side of the bridge was the citadel (Citadella) on top of the Gellérthegy (Gellert Hill). Before we embarked on our hike uphill, we spotted a cave which was in fact the site of a church.
從大市場走出來，跨過獨立橋（Szabadság híd），便從佩斯踏入了布達，一下橋便是堡壘（Citadella）位處的蓋雷特山（Gellérthegy），未上山看到有個山洞，前先鑽進去看看，原來別有洞天，是一家教堂。
Szabadság híd
獨立橋
The statue of Szent Istvan, the first king of Hungary 匈牙利第一任國皇聖士堤反的雕像
The entrance to the cave church
山洞教堂的入口
A special place of worship 獨特的教堂
The cave was only at the foot of the Gellérthegy, and there was still quite some way to the top. Once we’ve finished the climb, we were greeted by the Liberty Statue which commemorated the liberation of Hungary from World War II. There was a museum inside the Citadella which we decided to give it a miss. There was already plenty to see around the Citadella, especially in terms of the scenery as the view of the Danube kept changing during our ascent.
山洞祇是在山腳，離山頂的堡壘還有段距離。到達山頂，迎接我們的，就是自由女神像，紀念匈牙利從二次大戰中解放。堡壘內有家博物館，不過我們沒進去，祇是在堡壘外圍兜兜圈。多瑙河與蓋雷特山形影不離，河景則隨着山腰和山頂不同地方變化。
The view of the Danube halfway uphill
從山腰看到的多瑙河
The Liberty Statue
自由女神像
The Citadella under guard
堡壘外的防衛
The Budavár (Castle Hill) and Széchenyí Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) from afar
遙望布達山城堡及鏈橋
Looking back at the Citadella and the Statue of St. Gellért
回望堡壘及山上的蓋雷特雕像
I wouldn’t know how hot it actually was, but we were certainly quite desperate to cool ourselves down. The Coke granita was pretty helpful, but we still had the urge for a splash. Budapest is studded with swimming pools and thermal baths all over the place, so it wasn’t too difficult to find one. We found the Rudas baths near the Citadella and allowed ourselves one hour in the water.
炎炎夏日下，上到山頂後全身發熱，喝可樂冰冷卻一下，但下山後仍恨不多先去游泳舒服一下，結果到了市內眾多溫泉泳池之一的Rudas浴場游了一個鐘頭。
The swim indeed did its trick, and the cooler weather by then also helped. We felt sufficiently refreshed for our final destination of the day, which was the Castle Hill of Budavár. These days the Castle is home to several museums and a library, and is connected to the Széchenyí Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) at the foot of the hill by means of a cogwheel railway.
游泳後不祇身體涼快了，天氣也沒剛才那般熱，正是時候向全日最後一個目的地進發——布達山城堡（Budavár）。城堡現已變身為好幾家博物館及一家圖書館，而且和山腳下的鏈橋（Széchenyí Lánchíd）有一道齒輪列車連接。
Budapest History Museum, en route to Budavár
前往布達山城堡經過的布達佩斯歷史博物館
The external face of the Castle building
城堡的外貌
The museums at Budavár 城堡範圍內的博物館
Outside the National Art Gallery 國立美術館外
The cogwheel railway (left) leading to the Széchenyí Lánchíd
齒輪列車（左）與山下的鏈橋（右）連接
Views of the Danube from Budavár (see also the video clip below)
從城堡山遠望多瑙河（亦可看以下短片）
The view of Buda on the 'back' side of the Budavár (i.e. away from the Danube)
城堡山「背面」的布達（即是並非面對多瑙河的那面）
Farther to the north was the church called Mátyás Templon, right next to the Halászbástya (Fisherman’s Bastion) which is the site of the mediaeval fish market. It was somewhat puzzling, however, as to why a fish market was chosen on top of a hill instead of by the river.
從城堡從北走，還有一座教堂，名為馬加什教堂（Mátyás Templon），毗鄰是漁人堡（Halászbástya），中世紀是漁市場，不過為何是在山上而不在河畔則教人摸不着頭腦。
The Mátyás Templon (left) and Halászbástya (right)
左：馬加什教堂、右：漁人堡
Coffee with a view of the Danube
在走廊咖啡室可飽覽多瑙河景色
Looking up to the Halászbástya
從漁人堡下回首
The day was drawing to a close. We made our way downhill from the Halászbástya and looked for a place for a meal along the river in vain. We thus decided to cross the Chain Bridge back to the Pest side. There we managed to catch the first glimpse of the Castle and the Chain Bridge with their lights turned on for us to admire an evening backdrop.
那時暮息漸濃，從漁人堡下山，沿着河畔找家館子用膳也找不着，打算取道鏈橋到對岸的佩斯，跨過鏈橋後，剛好是華燈初上之時，鏈橋和山上的布達山城堡閃爍生輝，又是另一番景象。
The cogwheel railway and, on its right, the tunnel going under the Budavár
齒輪列車及穿過城堡山的隊道
Széchenyí Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) 鏈橋
First signs of night time 華燈初上
After just the first day, we’ve already seen quite a few things around Budapest. It was well worth the sweat!
整天跑了這麼多地方，但能看到這麼多東西，再辛苦、再汗流浹背也值得！
在匈牙利的第二天起，我和中國同事一直都在首都布達佩斯。
While Budapest is now known and recognised as a single city, it used to be divided into three cities, with Buda and Obuda on the west side of the Danube and Pest on the other side. Buda is the hilly part of town where the famous castle and citadel were erected, while Pest is now the commercial heart where all of Budapest’s long-distance railway services arrive. The hostel where my Chinese colleague and I stayed was quite close to the Keleti Pályaudvar (Eastern Station). It was remarkable for being part of the church building, but the interiors were separate.
卻說布達佩斯還未合成一體前分為三個城市，以多瑙河為界線，河以西包含布達（Buda）及老布達（Obuda），皇宮和堡壘分別位處布達的兩座山上；河以東為佩斯（Pest），現時是布達佩斯的商業區及多個長途火車站所在。我倆入住的旅館，位於離布達佩斯東站（Keleti Pályaudvar）不遠的教堂的後面，建築上與教堂相連，但室內與教堂分隔。
The street passing by the church adjoining our hostel
與旅館相連的教堂位處的街道
Keleti Pályaudvar and one of its grand halls
布達佩斯東站及裡面其中一個堂皇的大堂
Our first day in Budapest started with our quest for a restaurant that one of my Hungarian colleagues recommended for a dessert. We walked past Keleti Pályaudvar and took one of the main commercial streets of Rákóczi út.
我們在布達佩斯的第一天，從旅館出發，經過東站後，取經市內其中一條大道Rákóczi út走到佩斯的中心區，一心想到匈牙利同事介紹的甜品店。
Rákóczi út
A housing block along Rákóczi út, typical around Budapest
典型匈牙利式「四合院」式住宅，位於Rákóczi út
We came across the Zsinagóga (synagogue) by accident and wandered through the interior. The synagogue is the largest in Europe (followed by the one in Plzen), and in its backyard there is a metal tree for commemorating the Jewish victims of World War II.
途中無意中給我們看到猶太教堂（Zsinagóga），乃全歐洲最大（其次為捷克皮爾森）。教堂的後園有一棵鐵線樹，用以紀念二次大戰中遇害的猶太人。
The main entrance to the synagogue
猶太教堂正門
The interior of the synagogue
教堂內部
The metal tree
鐵線樹
It was almost mid-day when we finished visiting the synagogue, and we arrived at the restaurant at a good time, so our desserts could satisfy our hunger and provide us with enough energy until our next destination!
從教堂出來差不多中午，到達甜品店時剛好是時候稍為填填肚子，好讓我們有力氣前往下個目的地再吃一頓！
Some interesting architecture on Károly krt. en route to the restaurant
前往甜品店經過的Károly krt.街
Vörösmarty Tér (Vörösmarty Square), where the restaurant is located
甜品店位處的Vörösmarty廣場
Just desserts: Somlói Kocka (left, served with whipped cream) and Flódni (yeast cake)
地道甜品：Somlói Kocka （左）及Flódni （酵母蛋糕）
The Vörösmarty Tér (Vörösmarty Square) is at one end of the shopping street Váci utca, the other end of which was the Central Market Hall (Nagyvásárcsarnok). My Chinese colleague and I started shopping for souvenirs and handicraft along Váci utca. Fortunately it didn’t turn into a shopping spree because there were better places inside the Market Hall.
Vörösmarty廣場正是購物街Váci utca的開端，另一端就是我們的下一站大市場（Nagyvásárcsarnok），中國同事和我在購物街沿途買了些特色手工藝品，幸好沒買太多，因為原來大市場才是最佳地點！
Váci utca
The Market Hall was a three-storey building, where fresh produce was sold in the basement and ground floor while the upper floor was filled with shops selling all types of handicraft including embroidery, traditional costume, porcelain, Christmas decorations. There was everything that one could imagine while the prices were lower than the shops outside. How could we resist the opportunity to indulge in more shopping? Soon we were left with empty wallets and stomachs, which meant time for a meal in one of the stalls. We felt well replenished after our meals (but obviously not our wallets!)
大市場分三層，地庫和地面賣新鮮食品，琳琅滿目，上層專賣手工藝品，剌鏽、傳統服飾、陶瓷、聖誕飾物等應有盡有，而且品質不錯，價錢比外面的商店還便宜，怎叫人忍手？一輸入貨後，不祇是錢包，肚子也空空的，那裡的快餐攤檔正好給我們的肚子補充一下（錢包則沒這麼幸運了！）
The Market Hall was right beside the Szabadság híd (Independence Bridge) which took us from the Pest side (where the Market was) to the Buda side. The other side of the bridge was the citadel (Citadella) on top of the Gellérthegy (Gellert Hill). Before we embarked on our hike uphill, we spotted a cave which was in fact the site of a church.
從大市場走出來，跨過獨立橋（Szabadság híd），便從佩斯踏入了布達，一下橋便是堡壘（Citadella）位處的蓋雷特山（Gellérthegy），未上山看到有個山洞，前先鑽進去看看，原來別有洞天，是一家教堂。
Szabadság híd
獨立橋
The statue of Szent Istvan, the first king of Hungary 匈牙利第一任國皇聖士堤反的雕像
The entrance to the cave church
山洞教堂的入口
A special place of worship 獨特的教堂
The cave was only at the foot of the Gellérthegy, and there was still quite some way to the top. Once we’ve finished the climb, we were greeted by the Liberty Statue which commemorated the liberation of Hungary from World War II. There was a museum inside the Citadella which we decided to give it a miss. There was already plenty to see around the Citadella, especially in terms of the scenery as the view of the Danube kept changing during our ascent.
山洞祇是在山腳，離山頂的堡壘還有段距離。到達山頂，迎接我們的，就是自由女神像，紀念匈牙利從二次大戰中解放。堡壘內有家博物館，不過我們沒進去，祇是在堡壘外圍兜兜圈。多瑙河與蓋雷特山形影不離，河景則隨着山腰和山頂不同地方變化。
The view of the Danube halfway uphill
從山腰看到的多瑙河
The Liberty Statue
自由女神像
The Citadella under guard
堡壘外的防衛
The Budavár (Castle Hill) and Széchenyí Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) from afar
遙望布達山城堡及鏈橋
Looking back at the Citadella and the Statue of St. Gellért
回望堡壘及山上的蓋雷特雕像
I wouldn’t know how hot it actually was, but we were certainly quite desperate to cool ourselves down. The Coke granita was pretty helpful, but we still had the urge for a splash. Budapest is studded with swimming pools and thermal baths all over the place, so it wasn’t too difficult to find one. We found the Rudas baths near the Citadella and allowed ourselves one hour in the water.
炎炎夏日下，上到山頂後全身發熱，喝可樂冰冷卻一下，但下山後仍恨不多先去游泳舒服一下，結果到了市內眾多溫泉泳池之一的Rudas浴場游了一個鐘頭。
The swim indeed did its trick, and the cooler weather by then also helped. We felt sufficiently refreshed for our final destination of the day, which was the Castle Hill of Budavár. These days the Castle is home to several museums and a library, and is connected to the Széchenyí Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) at the foot of the hill by means of a cogwheel railway.
游泳後不祇身體涼快了，天氣也沒剛才那般熱，正是時候向全日最後一個目的地進發——布達山城堡（Budavár）。城堡現已變身為好幾家博物館及一家圖書館，而且和山腳下的鏈橋（Széchenyí Lánchíd）有一道齒輪列車連接。
Budapest History Museum, en route to Budavár
前往布達山城堡經過的布達佩斯歷史博物館
The external face of the Castle building
城堡的外貌
The museums at Budavár 城堡範圍內的博物館
Outside the National Art Gallery 國立美術館外
The cogwheel railway (left) leading to the Széchenyí Lánchíd
齒輪列車（左）與山下的鏈橋（右）連接
Views of the Danube from Budavár (see also the video clip below)
從城堡山遠望多瑙河（亦可看以下短片）
The view of Buda on the 'back' side of the Budavár (i.e. away from the Danube)
城堡山「背面」的布達（即是並非面對多瑙河的那面）
Farther to the north was the church called Mátyás Templon, right next to the Halászbástya (Fisherman’s Bastion) which is the site of the mediaeval fish market. It was somewhat puzzling, however, as to why a fish market was chosen on top of a hill instead of by the river.
從城堡從北走，還有一座教堂，名為馬加什教堂（Mátyás Templon），毗鄰是漁人堡（Halászbástya），中世紀是漁市場，不過為何是在山上而不在河畔則教人摸不着頭腦。
The Mátyás Templon (left) and Halászbástya (right)
左：馬加什教堂、右：漁人堡
Coffee with a view of the Danube
在走廊咖啡室可飽覽多瑙河景色
Looking up to the Halászbástya
從漁人堡下回首
The day was drawing to a close. We made our way downhill from the Halászbástya and looked for a place for a meal along the river in vain. We thus decided to cross the Chain Bridge back to the Pest side. There we managed to catch the first glimpse of the Castle and the Chain Bridge with their lights turned on for us to admire an evening backdrop.
那時暮息漸濃，從漁人堡下山，沿着河畔找家館子用膳也找不着，打算取道鏈橋到對岸的佩斯，跨過鏈橋後，剛好是華燈初上之時，鏈橋和山上的布達山城堡閃爍生輝，又是另一番景象。
The cogwheel railway and, on its right, the tunnel going under the Budavár
齒輪列車及穿過城堡山的隊道
Széchenyí Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) 鏈橋
First signs of night time 華燈初上
After just the first day, we’ve already seen quite a few things around Budapest. It was well worth the sweat!
整天跑了這麼多地方，但能看到這麼多東西，再辛苦、再汗流浹背也值得！
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