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Budapest (Hungary)
There is more to Budapest than fish soup, paprika (辣椒粉)and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
With its multifarious (繁杂的)history, incredible architecture and rich cultural
heritage, Hungary"s capital has the justly deserved sobriquet (绰号)of ’the Paris
of Central Europe", set apart from other Hungarian and European cities by its
beauty. The city straddles a gentle curve in the mighty Danube River, the Buda
hills rising dramatically on the west bank while the Pest district marks the
start of the Great Plain to the east.
The largest Hungarian city by a mile, Budapest is the heart, soul and
memory of Hungary, with the Danube coursing through its veins(静脉，血管). The city
has a complex identity, currently facing something of a crisis with the allure
of modern Western luxury in conflict with the simple traditions of its Eastern
European roots and penchant (强烈倾向)for all things classical.
The Castle District on Castle Hill is the premier destination for visitors
and contains many of Budapest"s most important monuments and museums, not to
mention grand views of Pest across the snaking Danube. The walled area consists
of two distinct parts: the Old Town where commoners lived in the Middle Ages,
and the Royal Palace. Stroll around the medieval streets of the Old Town and and
take in the odd museum. A brief tour in one of the horse-drawn hackney
cabs(出租马车)is worthwhile for the leg weary. The Old Town is filled with
attractively painted houses, decorative churches and the famous Fishermen"s
Bastion. The latter was built as a viewing platform in 1905, named after the
guild(行会)of fishermen responsible for defending this stretch of wall in the
Middle Ages. It has commanding views over the city, and is dominated by seven
gleaming turrets(角楼，塔楼)(representing the seven Magyar tribes who entered the
Carpathian Basin in the 9th century) and a statue of St Stephen on horseback.
Immediately south of the Old Town is the Royal Palace.
The Royal Palace has been burned, bombed, razed, rebuilt and redesigned at
least half a dozen times over the past seven centuries. What you see today
clinging to the southern end of Castle Hill is an 18th and early 20th-century
amalgam(混合物)reconstructed after the last war. It houses, among other things, the
impressive National Gallery (which has a huge section devoted to Hungarian art),
the National Library and the Budapest History Museum. At the rear of the museum
take a relaxing break in the palace gardens. Ferdinand Gate under the conical
Mace Tower will bring you to a set of steps. These descend to a historic Turkish
cemetery dating from the decisive Independence battle for Buda of 1686. To get
to the Royal Palace, take the Sikló, a funicular(登山铁道)built in 1870 from Clark
ádám, or for the more energetic, walk up the `Royal Steps" or the wide staircase
that goes to the southern end of the Royal Palace |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:19:23