Hungary

2014 moments #3

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I would like to share my 10 most memorable photographs of the year over the coming days with you. These are shots that I am particularly proud of, while each evokes a sense of place and meaning from 2014.

Pink Freedom

PINK FREEDOM

This was just one photograph from a weekend in the Hungarian capital Budapest. The elegant Freedom Bridge, which spans the Danube, is framed in a glowing pink sunset. It’s a shot that embraces the architecture of a wonderful city, offering so much for the photographer and traveller alike.

The Photo Shop

Budapest album

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This is Budapest

Here are my reasons why the Hungarian capital is a great place to visit with a camera and tripod.

  • It’s an elegant city with many architectural landmarks to capture, including the stunning parliament building and the bridges which cross the Danube. There is always something to shoot.
  • Budapest is packed with attractive detail, from its stonework to iron decorations. Your macro lens can come into its own here.
  • It’s a city with views. Clamber up Castle Hill or to the imposing Liberty Statue and you’ll enjoy a bird’s eye view of Budapest. A great chance to practise those panoramic shots.
  • After dark, the city shimmers and is ripe for night photography. Some landmarks are so well illuminated that long exposures and a tripod aren’t necessary.

Enjoy my view of Budapest and I hope you have a chance to see it soon – it’s also a place worth returning to.

North London vista (2)

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Hungary’s splendid parliament building, set on the Danube
A dramatic dusk sky captures people crossing the Elizabeth Bridge
The Iron Curtain sculpture outside the House of Terror, telling of Hungary’s darker days
The Chain Bridge at night, streaming with traffic
Hungarian flags catching the breeze on Castle Hill close to the presidential palace
Night-time from Castle Hill
The colours and detail of a Pest street
From the Chain Bridge, the Danube catches the reflections of Buda
Part of an iron door grille. Budapest bursts with these small details
The parliament building and surrounds as seen from the roof of St Stephen’s Basilica
Freedom Bridge at dusk. The ornate green structure should be twinned with London’s Hammersmith Bridge
The rooftops from St Stephen’s Basilica
Budapest ironwork, curvaceous and elegant
The magnificent inner dome of St Stephen’s
An illuminated part of Castle Hill, including the Matthias Church to the left
A proud stone lion found on a building in Pest
The parliament building in its night glory
A panorama of Pest, seen from the elevated Liberty Statue
Across to Margaret Bridge from Castle Hill after dark
The Liberty Statue, adapted from communist times, breaks into a perfect sky over the Hungarian capital
A stunning pink dusk backlights the ornate Freedom Bridge
Part of St Stephen’s cathedral silhouetted against a winter sky
A pair of Castle Hill windows reflect the yellow building opposite
The Chain Bridge from Buda – the city’s most famous bridge
The bells of Buda’s Lutheran Church
The House of Terror, which tells the grim story of Budapest under the Nazis and Communists
St Stephen’s Basilica, imposing and glorious after dark

Danube moments

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This mighty river is the artery of Budapest. Visitors are drawn towards it, at all times of the day. From dusk to after nightfall, it is especially alluring.

I found its bridges framed by a dramatic winter sundown, while traffic streamed across the Chain Bridge after darkness had fallen.

Clamber up Castle Hill, and you can see the city set before you. The iconic Hungarian parliament building stands out like a magnificent birthday cake, while just beyond the river bank in Pest, St Stephen’s Basilica looms large in the night sky.

Many good reasons for walking around the city with a tripod slung over your shoulder…

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Hotel

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Lobby

It’s a picture of style, class and grace to soothe the weary traveller’s eye. There is space and symmetry – even the luggage trolleys seem to be working in harmony.

This is the Corinthia Hotel in Budapest, our home for two nights in the Hungarian capital. It was impossible not to roam around a little to capture the lines and shapes of the building in the little time that was spent there.

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I’m no expert in the art of hotels, but Miret Padovani of Flanerie Feminine is a seasoned traveller and hotel guest whose sumptuous site you may like to visit.

Hungarian jewel

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Heavenly ceilingThis building is one of the grand focal points of Hungary’s capital, Budapest.

St Stephen’s Basilica is a lofty, awe-inspiring piece of architecture – truly fitting for an important European city. 

Its vast dome is a pleasure to photograph, but not without its hazards – I looked so far up there was a compulsion to topple over. There are no restrictions on taking pictures unlike London’s equally significant edifices – a small donation will suffice.

Visitors can also take more than 300 steps to a platform for impressive views across Budapest. For fans of religious buildings and sweeping vistas, this is a must-see.

North London vista (2)

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