Visiting Budapest [Part 6/6]: Hungarian Parliament

I feel like I should put a disclaimer before I even start to post this final part of images from Budapest. These images will conclude the main story I have to tell about this wonderful city, and they take us to the Hungarian Parliament. But getting there proved to be a problem. A 100 m radius around the Parliament is basically a construction zone. The city is constantly being updated and renewed, and the park behind and in front of the Parliament certainly is one of those parts. I tried my best to get as close as I could, but I do hope you'll still enjoy our grand finale. 

This Series includes:
Part One: Visiting Buda Castle and Fisherman's Bastion
Part Two: Visiting Heroes Square, City Park and the Zoo
Part Three: A Night in Budapest (1)
Part Four: A Night in Budapest (2) 
Part Five: Visiting Great Market Hall and roaming the city
Part Six: Visiting the Hungarian Parliament

click on the images for a bigger view

The weather started turning during our last day in Budapest, and as the night started to approach, rain began to fall. 

We took shelter in the West End City Center, that is right next to the Main Railway Station, which we also briefly saw.

After the rain somewhat stabilized, we started our walk to the Danube, not yet aware that we would not be able to come close to the parliament.

On the other side of the Danube, we saw the Fisherman's Bastion on the Castle Hill, which we had previously visited in Parts 1, 3 and 4 of these posts.

No photographers were harmed in the making of this photo. This is the end of the tram line, and behind me is basically a wall. No trains here. But still I love the low angle here, and the 6D's full frame sensor really made the image pop.

On our way back we also visited another city park. I love the shadows the trees create on this building. What amazes me in Budapest is the sense of grandeur in every building. From ordinary citizen homes to important political or historical buildings.

A statue of Ronald Reagan can be found there. Along with a touchscreen guide on his left side. It was unveiled in 2011.

The Parliament in the distance.  It is one of Europe's oldest legislative buildings. The Parliament Building is in the Gothic Revival style; it has a symmetrical facade and a central dome. About one thousand people were involved in construction, during which 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kilograms (88 lb) of gold were used.

 

A nice tree line led us out of the park, and we returned to our apartment to get ready for our journey back home.

I truly hope you have enjoyed this six-part series from Budapest. I will do some snippets here and there, but this part here concludes our journey. Budapest has been called Paris of the east, but after staying there and enjoying all the sights and history this place has to offer, one can't help but wonder: shouldn't Paris be called Budapest of the west...