From my photos at Flickr Produced by Kayakman Media

Don't wear uncomfortable shoes. A stroll on Széchenyi-island in Városliget, Budapest could be short, but why when you can walk wide tree-lined paths. Play catch in its park. Stop on the foot bridge over a narrow part of the lake (yes, it's man-made, but so what, it's nice) and enjoy the feeling that you're not really in the middle of a large, busy city. You can even rent a row-boat in the summer if you'd like. Or ice-skate in the winter.

Of course, one of the main attractions is the Vajdahunyad Castle. It's not a genuine castle, but rather a complex of buildings that incorporate architectural styles from the Middle Ages to the Baroque period. Ignác Alpár designed it as part of the millenarian celebrations in 1896 (It had been 1,000 years since the Magyars had migrated to Hungary)

Originally intended as temporary exhibition pavilions, the castle proved to be so popular with the public that between 1904-6, it was rebuilt using bricks to create a permanent structure. The architectural styles follow each other chronologically, so that Romanesque is followed by Gothic, then Renaissance, and then Baroque; yet the individual styles are masterfully linked together to give the impression of a single cohesive design. Even still, the architectural student will note that authentic details from twenty renowned buildings of historical Hungary are present. Budapestens named the entire complex after the main Renaissance replica (the Hungarian castle in Vajdahunyad, Transylvania) which is seen prominently from across the lake.

While the Castle and grounds are themselves worth the stroll, especially when accompanied by an ice cream (available at several of the entrances), there's other treasures to be found. In front of the castle is a statue of Alpár depicted wearing the robes of a master architect from the Middle Ages. Possibly better known is the statue in honor of the unknown author of Hungary's first history books, /*Gesta Hungarorum*/. Superstition says that if you touch the pen that the statue Anonymous, also called Magister P, holds you'll receive good luck. Also part of this picturesque retreat is the Museum of Agriculture, which has been housed here since 1897 and is the largest in Europe, and Ják Templom (look for more on this quaint church later.)