01-Andrassy Blvd near my hotel on a gray morning.
02-My morning stop: Lukacs Coffee Shop, Andrassy Blvd, from my table on the mezzanine.
03-Lukacs. Yes, the pastries were great!
04-Google maps: Jokai Square (lower arrow left): Liszt Ferenc Square (lower arrow right), and Octagon (upper arrow)
05-Octagon intersection on Andrassy
06-Octagon intersection on Andrassy. The day was warm but quite gray.
07-Traffic at Octagon intersection on Andrassy
08-Standing in Liszt Square and looking at Jokai Square from the southerly side of Andrassy
09-The Liszt museum, residence, and studio were relocated to where you see the open window and the one next to it, on the second floor ...
10-...of this building on Andrassy Blvd, where—over the entrance canopy—you see...
11-...at the third flloor, this sculpture of Liszt...
12-...above which is this sign for the Franz Liszt College of Music.
13-In the museum, we see Liszt's prayer stand (right) and bed (corner). Moving around to the left...
14-...is his desk and composing keyboard.
15-Liszt's composing keyboard. No indication that any sound emanated from it.
16-Liszt's sitting room (parlor), and moving to the left...
17-... a pair of pianos specially made for him Liszt by Thomas Chickering & Sons, Boston.
18-When we lived in Mill Valley, we had a Chickering baby grand piano just like this one made for Liszt, ...
19-...but we didn't have our name on ours. (F. Liszt's Chickering baby grand piano.)
20-Vaci utca (the shopping street—arrow pointing up); Vörösmarty Square (left arrow); and Vigadó Square (arrow at right). East bank of Danube and boat docks at far right. (Google maps)
21-East bank of Danube, Vigadó Square, concert hall, riverside tram, boat docks (view from Castle Hill).
22-Pesti Vigadó (Concert Hall) and riverside tram
23-Pesti Vigadó, Budapest's second largest concert hall, 1859. Badly damaged during World War II. The post-war reconstruction took 36 years to complete.
24-Fountain in front of Pesti Vigadó Concert Hall
25-Same sculpture, side view. The closest boy holds a seashell in his right hand.
26-Riverside Tram along the Belgrad Rakpart
27-Heading to the sightseeing boat dock. Note Freedom Monument atop Gellert Hill (above Elizabeth Bridge).
28-Pest, east bank of the Danube, seen from the tour boat. Headphones offer a guided tour in any one of 20 languages.
29-Chain Bridge. Suspension type; first permanent bridge across the Danube in Budapest (1849). Above: Hungarian National Gallery, Buda. Far right: funicular to Castle Hill (1870). Funicular shelled by Germans (1945); restored 1986.
30-Chain Bridge, Gresham Palace, St Stephens Basilica. The 1906 Art Nouveau Gresham Insurance building was ravaged in WW II and restored for hotel use in 2004 by Four Seasons.
31-Chain Bridge; Gresham Palace. The bridge was severely damaged during Siege of Budapest (WW II). It was rebuilt and reopened 1949.
32-The Chain Bridge from the east bank of the Danube, looking south. The Freedom Monument can be seen on Gellert Hill in the right background.
33-Danube, Hungarian State Parliament. (Google maps)
34-Hungarian State Parliament Parliament (1902). Inspired in part by the Palace of Westminster. White neo-gothic turrets and arches stretch 250 meters along the Danube embankment.
35-Parliament, central domed element
36-Behind Chain Bridge is Parliament; behind it is Margaret Island. Seen from Castle Hill.
37-Parliament at sunset (from the tour boat)
38-Parliament from Fisherman's Bastion, Buda. Built early 1900s to capture and frame views of Pest and Parliament Building across the danube.
39-Parliament from Fisherman's Bastion
40-Parliament from Fisherman's Bastion
41-Hungarian Parliament
42-Our tour boat docked at Margaret Island
43-Carriages and drivers gather near the boat dock, looking for passengers
44-A crew practices offshore. The park on the 1½ mile long Margaret Island was established in 1869.
45-Crew
46-Google map. Arrows point to boat dock and water tower on island
47-Fellow tourists
