St. Gellért!

This is a statue of St. Gellért, an 11th century, Italian missionary invited to Hungary by King Stephen to convert the pagans to Christianity. The pagans weren't too keen on the idea and stuffed him in a barrel and rolled him down this hill and into the Danube at the bottom. 100 years later the people of Budapest felt terrible about it all and created a exquisite manmade waterfall as well as a gorgeous monument to him on the hill of his death.  Today the entire area is called Gellért Hill and hosts a wonderful art nouveau hotel, thermal baths, a citadel, and a church in a cave.

I've been in Budapest for awhile and yesterday I finally found the time and willpower to climb the hill and see it all for myself.  The hill is crisscrossed with scenic paths and benches to view the city on the other side of the river. What a perfect day weather wise - its a bit cooler here than in South Carolina, last night it got into the 30s. One of the trees outside my little apartment is bright orange and the leaves are starting fall.  I'm SO grateful to be here!

Two final photos from the top of Gellért Hill.  The first shows the Pest side of Budapest with its dense blocks of apartments, shops, and churches.  The second shows three of the five main bridges of Budapest.  This is looking north towards Vienna.  Come and see!