Learning to waltz, Wienerschnitzel-style!: Budapest Trip II: The Rest of Day 2

so on the same day that I went to see the Great Synagogue, I also did the following...

Admired the poppies with the Parliament building in the background. When I was little and we lived in Italy, my Mom would often stop along the road so that we could all look at the poppies. There are A LOT of poppies along side the roads and train tracks in Hungary - it was nice to remember those Italian dayz....

I went to one of the indoor markets near the US embassy. It took a little bit of 'communication', hand signs, etc., but in the end this lady made me one of Hungary's specialties...

LANGOS! They are pretty much like a 'Navajo taco' bread with sour cream, cheese and ham on top. In other words, 'health food' LOL! But I have to admit, it did taste good and I was glad to get inside and have a reprieve from the neverending rain!

After the Great Synagogue visit I walked around cuz I had a bit of time to kill until my Hungarian Folk Dancing show in the Duna Palota (Danube Palace).

Here is the Danube Palace. I think this is one thing that is interesting about Budapest. During the day Buda Castle is 'disappointing', but the Parliament building looks GREAT! At night the Parliament is disappointing and Buda castle looks GREAT! Here we have Duna Palace, doesn't look great on the outside, but inside it's nice....soon you'll see how the Buda Theatre looks great on the outside, but is not so great on the inside....just something I find interesting about Budapest....

Corridors in the Danube Palace....

Nice, eh? I like it....

Some of the decor was 'interesting' to say the least....cool looking, but also 'odd' looking....

Hello Audience! I'm here to....not sing for you tonight ;)

This was one of the rocking-est flutes I'd ever heard!
So as you can see, and I'd say this was a good over all summary from what I saw, Hungarian folk dancing is kind of a lot of knee-slapping (like Bavaria), arms up in the air and jumping (like Russia) and the music just gets faster and faster and faster to the point of almost not being 'on-beat' and 'in-tune' - VERY ENERGETIC!

Thanks Danube Palace! I enjoyed my time with you! It was good fun....

So after the concert St. Stephen's Cathedral was looking pretty hip!

Zoom out!

Zoom in!

So, when I was in Budapest last I took some pix of the inside, I might as well show you here....

While the outside makes me think of Spain....it looks 'good' and is 'ok'....a good cathedral....the inside....is....

MAGNIFICENT!! And one of the BEST cathedrals I have ever seen! SO WELL DONE!

I loved the 'stone'/marble....everything was just done so well....

Looking up....

So impressive....so impressive.....

The organ....

The Cathedral was completed in 1905 and houses the mummified hand 'Holy Hand' of St. Stephen, Hungary's first Chrsitian king....

Here is the holding place of the hand....

and here is a picture of a picture of what his hand looks like....I don't know....I guess you have to grow up with reliquaries to feel comfortable with them. I remember when I was little in Italy we went to, I think l'Aquila, and went into a cathedral and as a 5-year old I am staring at these skulls and bones with sapphires, lace and rubies all around them just feeling really 'eww' about it all....but...that's the way it is for other people's beliefs...so....