Tuesday, 15 May

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="044d4c00dduajq.gif"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="95" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 46 WIDTH="91"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="46" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="91" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <A HREF="id148.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Monday, 14 May"><U><IMG SRC="0450b0b0.gif" border=0 width="11" height="11" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>   <A HREF="id150.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wednesday, 16 May"><U><IMG SRC="0460b0b0.gif" border=0 width="11" height="11" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>       <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="11" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="11">   <A HREF="id133.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May"><U><IMG SRC="0480b0b0.gif" border=0 width="11" height="11" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="213af830.jpg" border=0 width="175" height="131" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Budapest, Chain Bridge over Danube with St. Stephen Basilica in Background</div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#003333" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Gastropod's Trail</B></FONT>     |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Gastropods Trail"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> Tuesday, 15 May</div> <div> Kecskemet, Hungary to Budapest, Hungary</div> <bR> <div> Kecskemet had been a stop on the way to Budapest, the fascinating capital of Hungary in which 20% of the total Hungarian population of 10 million live. It took us a little more than one hour to reach Budapest and another hour and a half to get through it, across the Danube and to a camping in the suburb of Romai fürdö which is next to the ruins of ancient Aquincum, the name the Romans had given to what is today Budapest. </div> <bR> <div> The first town, built by Celts, occupied about 30 hectares along the slopes of Gellert Hill (first century BC) a bit further south. It was called Ak Ink (meaning 'spring rich in water'). The Roman town was  built at the beginning of the Christian era, retaining the Celtic name (Aquincum), in the first century. In AD 106 the city became the capital of the province Pannonia Inferior. The headquarters of the governor and significant military force were stationed here, and its population numbered about 20,000. At the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Buda had 12,000-15,000 inhabitants, Pest 10,000, and Obuda only 2,000-3,000. Thus the total population of the three towns that constitute the present Hungarian capital stood at roughly 25,000- 30,000 - a big city in Central Europe in those days, ranking with Vienna, Prague, Krakow and Danzig. There was no urban centre of comparable significance in the Balkans. Moreover, no other city between Constantinople and Vienna had a population of over 5,000. The unique geographical position of the capital played an important role in the development of the economy. The Hungarian railway network was built before the industrial revolution (in the 1850s). All the main railway lines radiated out from the capital in all directions across the Carpathian Basin, towards Vienna, the Adriatic, the Balkans and northern Europe. </div> <bR> <div> Budapest as the largest river port of the Danube, became an entrepôt for raw materials, like timber and grain, and it was here that the products of an enormous agricultural hinterland were processed, stored and sold. According to some estimates, it was also the world's second largest centre of milling industry early this century. Up-to-date engineering and electrical works also appeared, and by the beginning of the twentieth century Budapest had become a centre of modern large-scale industry. In 1873 electric lighting was brought to the streets and the first underground railway of the European continent was opened here in 1896. In 1910 it was already a city of 1 million inhabitants. </div> <bR> <div> Under communism, it maintained a steady rate of development and with the dissolution of socialism in 1989, the city has entered the postindustrial age with the leading role of blue-collar industry being replaced by services and a white-collar workforce. And now Budapest is again searching for its place among the major European metropolises. Budapest is once again becoming a Central European capital. </div> <bR> <div> The two sides of the city, Pest on the East side of the Danube and Buda on the West are connected with nine bridges and in spite of the turbulent history and the vagaries of wars and revolutions, the city has managed to maintain an elegance and charm all it's own.</div> <bR> <div> We had just enough time to take the train downtown and up to Castle Hill to visit the Buda Castle before nightfall. We strolled along the Danube on the Buda side and had a splendid view of the Parliament building across the water.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="24ef4e60.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="230" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> View of Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>