Journey’s End

March 21, 2016

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Tim Howard, Curator of Exhibits and Research, is currently conducting research in Prague and Budapest. He will be updating the blog as a Field Reporter while he travels and explores.

Well, it has truly been a trip through time. In Prague, I was transported to another place and time by the magnificent environment surrounding me. When first arriving in Budapest, I was somewhat apprehensive. The big city life seemed as if it would overwhelm the historical aspects, but my last two days here proved my concerns unfounded.


Budapest Day 2

The old Buda Palace, now the Hungarian National Gallery

Budapest was formed from two medieval cities, Buda and Pest, each on opposite sides of the Danube River until they merged. My first day in Budapest was spent in Pest. I spent the second day in the Buda; which includes the Buda Castle, the Hungarian National Gallery, Matthias church, and Hungarian Baths.

An apothacary museum in the palace district

 

Interior of Matthias Church

 

Matthias Church

 

Stephen's Tower from the 1300s

Budapest Day 3 
My last day ensued with over 20 miles of trekking through the town. I woke up early and walked down through the Pest side of the city and headed back to Buda, where I wandered around the older castle portion of the Buda Castle complex and visited the Budapest History Museum which focused on the paleontological, archaeological, and historical role of the area immediately surrounding the city, and the castle itself. There, I walked through the cellars of of the castle, some sections still from the late 1200s.
The afternoon completed the trip with a visit to the ruins of the Roman auxiliary camp of Aquincum, built to protect the Roman Pannonian border at the Danube in the first century CE.
 

Exterior of Buda Castle walls

 

Aquincum Ruins

 

The heating system under the baths at Aquincum

Now, I'm about to head to the airport to make my way home as I digest all of the amazing history and culture I absorbed on this short but wonderful journey. Be on the lookout for some new Museum programming, such as Beer Culture on April 22, and exhibits based on some of my findings here!
 

A night view of the Danube, with parliament on the left and Buda Castle on the right