 Budapest bridge |
The mighty Danube slices Budapest in two. In fact the city has never been quite whole. Before they came together as Budapest in 1872, Buda, Pest and Obuda were separate cities with distinctive features and cultures. Today it is the Pest side which accommodates the parliament, shopping plazas, modern hotels, street cafes, cabarets, bars and traditional goulash restaurants with gypsy violinists, and the Buda side which holds the great treasures of the Castle Hill, which stretches 1500 metres along the right bank and is the ultimate and inevitable attraction for Budapest visitors. Gothic and baroque, hip and happening, generously gregarious and warmly welcoming, Budapest has a commanding presence, to be sure.
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