The Pest Side is the Best Side

Alright the Flying Danish continues on his preview of Budapest. Now class let us go over the highlights we are going to see in Pest, which lies on the east side of the Danube. Pest seems to be the more modern side of Budapest, and trust me it has a lot more to offer than just a proliferation of accent marks and z's. First off my hostel (Kalvin House) is located here, close to the Szabadság Hig (that's a bridge people), if hostel is even the right word (see photo). Speaking of bridges, the Megyeri Bridge that was almost named after Stephen Colbert (or Chuck Norris) is located about five miles down the Danube from here in case you were wondering.

Belváros (Inner Town) is the part of Pest that is next to the Danube. One of the most awesome sights in here has to be the Hungarian Parliament building, also known as the Eclectic Parliament. Besides being an amazing building inside and out, it also houses a number of artifacts including the Crown of Saint Stephen, which apparently is recognized as one of Hungary's national icons. Speaking of Saint Stephen, the Basillica of Saint Stephen is also located in Belváros. At 96m, it is tied with the Parliament building for being the tallest in Budapest. Besides offering great views of the city, you can apparently also find the mummified right hand of Saint Stephen here as well. Also in Belváros are several statues and monuments, including one called Shoes on the Danube commemorating Jews killed by the Arrow Cross Party in 1944.

Erzsébetváros is a district east of Inner Town, and is home to the Dohány Street Synagogue, also known as the Great Synagogue, the second largest synagogue in the world besides the Temple Emanu-El in New York City. Józsefváros and Ferencváros are districts south and southwest of Inner Town, and house a number of museums.

The best known street in Hungary is perhaps Andrássy Út, which stretches two and a half kilometers from near the Danube to Hősök tere* (Heroes Square) in City Park. Along with Castle Hill, Andrássy Út is listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is chockablock full of famous buildings, restaurants, monuments, and shops. In the center of Heroes Square lies the Millinery Monument. Heading north you can find many great places to visit including the House of Terror** which has many exhibits related to the Fascist and Communist regimes of last century. There is also the Hungarian State Opera House and the Museum of Fine Arts.

The street ends at Városliget, or City Park. City Park has everything you could want, castles (Vajdahunyad), thermal baths (Széchenyi, the largest in Europe), more museums, a zoo, an amusement park, restaurants, ponds, and let's not forget the Timewheel, the world's largest hourglass.

Despite Mindy's recommendation I am not entirely sold on the thermal bath idea. Then again, after India I might as well continue on my tour of cultural uncomfortable massages.

*Seriously dudes, double accent marks plus umlauts? It's a five letter word
**Not to be confused with Dr. Terror's House of Horrors