A Sojourn in Budapest (Part 2)

Roman Colosseum from the ancient Celtic, then Roman town of Aquincum

Today we got up bright and early (okay... not that early...) to see remnants of two periods of history (separated by almost a thousand years). The first was the Roman period, the second, the medieval renaissance periods which founded the Buda Castle.

Our first stop was to the ruins of a colosseum. Certainly this particular colosseum ruin is not as well preserved, large, or impressive as the one in Rome, but it is cool to see that even here, right where the Danube described the border of their empire, the Romans thought it necessary to put in the entertainment and culture of a colosseum (even if they were having people die in there). Apparently it was a necessary fixture in every town to keep the people happy and occupied. I also heard talk about a Colosseum in Tunisia that is apparently comparable to the one in Rome and pristinely preserved since it was under the sand for quite some time. I'd love to visit one day (once the turmoil calms).

A view of some of the ruins of Aquincum

Our next visit was to the town of Aquincum itself, or at least what's left of it. Before visiting the actual ruins, however, we stopped into a very cool museum containing all of the pieces and whole artifacts recovered from the Aquincum excavation site. Here were beautifully restored floor, wall, and ceiling mosaics, statues, coins, countless little metal and pottery items from clothing, cooking, and other mundane tasks, as well as some exciting things like an entire Roman helmet!

Random stones along a paved area in the town

The two-tiered Roman bath system.

The stove supports

After taking our time in the museum and having our guide, Janos, explain things to us, we continued outside to the ruins proper. Janos explained how Roman towns of this size were generally constructed in a T shape with the market at the intersection and the temple at one end. We were able to see where the main roads would have been, where buildings would have been, and where the temple and baths were. We also learned how the baths were constructed with two levels - a level beneath where servants and slaves would stoke fires to steam water so that it could go to the level above where people were actually bathing. We learned also that the first governor's house had heating this way throughout the heat. The Romans... had radiant heat...

Leading toward the temple at the end of the road (where the grass is)

Ancient Roman street drain

Finally, we also went down the main road of the ruins and saw the temple that sat at the end of it. Janos noted that only priests were allowed inside the temples and that worship actually occurred in front of a statue of the particular god that was just outside the temple. This is quite different from pretty much all current Western religions. From here it was off to Buda Castle and its museum to learn about the history and to also see the magnificent sight. Unfortunately the group was tired and so it was decided the tour would be cut short. There's a lot I could still see in the Buda Castle complex if I have the opportunity to return to Budapest in the future!

A stunning view of the buildings and gardens in the Buda Castle complex

The outside of the Buda Castle is quite impressive. Prague Castle swept up majestically on the hill on which it was built. Krakow's Castle seemed to be built on a bluff, but Buda Castle, though on a hill, seemed to just jut up out of nowhere, it's height due to its size rather than the natural ground. On top of that, the buildings within were quite beautiful, and I'm sure were even more so when built. The picture to the left shows the president's window, right there, in plain sight (the house is also white, but a very different style). After we finished gawking at the outside of the Buda Castle complex, we went in to the castle and went through the museum. It was fascinating, but difficult to get photos. Probably the most interesting thing is that the lowest three to four levels of the castle were all that existed in the Middle Ages. Once it was rebuilt in the Renaissance, those levels became the basement of the overall castle. A big increase in size! We were also able to look at statues, coats of arms, and some small items from the castles in their respective time periods. Also, At the very bottom of the castle was a quaint chapel.

Chapel in Buda Castle basement

We also walked through the Castle gardens and out on a terrace that went around the castle. Both were very impressive and led to some beautiful photos. A view to St. Stephen's Basilica that I visited the day before, one of the Buda Castle gardens, and an artistic shot with trees, the Budapest hills, and the tip of one of the Buda Castle towers:

In between these activities we had a lovely lunch (I had blue cheese tagliatelle) on a steamboat that is now a restaurant and hotel. Unfortunately it didn't leave the dock while we were on it, but it was still beautifully maintained with carpet and darkly paneled wood interior and great food. Afterward we went out to a restaurant with a sort of buffet, a good way to round out the night. I returned exhausted and prepared to get up and go home the next day!