Lions without tongue? No way! :) and other Budapest, Hungary Off The Beaten Path Tips

This is actually not off the beaten path, it's actually on one of the main landmarks, the Chain Bridge.

On both ends of the bridge, there are two lions "in guard", and there is a legend about them not having tongue.

Sorry to say that, but I just got to know, that they do have tongue, but it's just not visible from below.

János Marchalkó who made the sculptures after hearing the people making fun of the tongue story jumped into the Danube according to another legend.

I got to know all this from a report with the caretaker of the Bridge since decades, Mr János Fazekas, who lives in an appartment in the tunnel in fornt of the Bridge. If you go to the tunnel, you will see his front door on the right hand side, but please don't bother him, he has his hard duty by keeping this wonderful Bridge in good shape! :)

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In the castle district, on the corner of Úri utca and Szentháromság utca, you can see the Statue of András Hadik on a horse.

Let 's not go into historical details about Hadik, great leader in battles in his time, just concentrate on the balls of the horse! :)

The statue itself has a greenish layer made by the time spent there, but the testicles are shiny!

Here is the clue: Students of some schools go there before exams, because touching the naughty parts of the horse means luck in their tradition. :)

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This is something you just have to try, when you are walking on Váci utca near Vörösmarty square.

On the corner of Váci utca and Kristóf tér you will find the office of the Russian Airlines (Aeroflot) with black glasses.

Just hide half of yourself behind the corner (see picture! :) and lift your legs and arms to show your fellow travellers and to others (don't be shy, they will like it! :) the "Flying Russian", which is a very rare thing to see!! (I can surprise my hungarian friends with it as well! :)

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Andrássy avenue offers you an amazing variety of beautiful buildings, no wonder it is listed as a World Heritage!

You want to know more about their history, original builder/owner, stlye, etc?

Just get on the M1 underground which goes all along under the avenue and check the exposition panels in the stations which tell you more about the buildings near the actual station!

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The most expensive (for sale since ages - no one bought it yet...) piece of land in Budapest is just on the right hand side of the tunnel which goes under the Buda Castle.

There are some issues about the building permits for this ground...it can't be to high, it has to be fitting into the view, etc...this makes it even more complicated.

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There are some really bad examples of contemporary architecture in Budapest (Kalvin square glass offices just for one...) but you can also find some interesting, let me say good ones as well!

I believe that the ING group's newly opened headquarter on Dozsa Gyorgy ut is one of them.

If you visit the Heroes Square, take a short walk on Dozsa Gyorgy ut and check out this building, together with the "time wheel" in fornt of it on the other side of the road (more on that later).

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Other Contact: Address: Dozsa Gyorgy ut 84/b

The Bridge below the St. Gellert statue offers a great view of the traffic of the Erzsebet (Elisabeth) Bridge. And it's also a good place to do a panoramic shot including the Chain Bridge, the Elisabeth Bridge and the Liberty Bridge with the buildings between them on the Pest side (Hotels, Inner City Church, Economical university...).

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The Tunnel under the Castle Hill is the home of Mr Janos Fazekas and his family, who is the master of the Chain Bridge.

He lives in the appartment at the entrance of the Tunnel since 40 years and he still likes his job, even though he gots lots of "funny" alarms from youngsters passing by about the lions of the Bridge running away and so on...:)

His duty is to keep the Bridge as it is, check the state of the chains and the structure and also to clean the Lions who occasionaly "receive" hats and cigars in their mouth and other strange things.

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Once up in the Castle Hill, be sure to walk around and see the smaller streets as well. Some of the houses are still wearing the same color as in the medieval times. Lots of history around! :)

Try this walk: when you are at the Matthias Church, wlk in to the Horse with shiny balls (see my tips! :) and turn left on Uri utca to catch the house pictured here. Then go left again and then right so you can be heading to the Castle but have seen some more then the others! ;)

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Imre Nagy was a Hungarian Prime Minister just before the uprising in 1956. He tried to introduce a less strict form of communism in Hungary (pulling away from Soviet domination).

After the crush of the uprising he was a refuge in the Yugoslavian Embassy, but later he was told to be given free passage, but on his way out he was arrested and executed 2 years later in 1958 by the communist regime. His body was exhumed and given a full state burial in 1989.

His bronze statue on Vertanuk (Martyrs) square shows him standing on a bridge, watching towards the Parliament.

Vertanuk tere is on the corner of Kossuth Lajos ter (M2 underground station), near the Parliament - corner of Nador, Vecsey and Bathory streets

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