Alex Toyohara

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Alex Toyohara Private tour guide offering walking tours of the city
Частный гид, провожу тематические и обзорные прогулки по городу

HelloAs some of you might already know, very soon I am moving to Wales. However, I am not planning to forget about Hunga...
18/05/2021

Hello
As some of you might already know, very soon I am moving to Wales. However, I am not planning to forget about Hungary by any means. I am going to continue blogging about Hungary, its history, culture, and other things Hungarian. Perhaps even more than before, because for the last year I have been stuck in a bureaucratic limbo, not sure which country I am going to end up in. I have several hundred GBbytes of pictures and a lot to write about, but I have a question for all who are still reading me. 

If there’s something in Budapest that you would like to read about, tell me and I will run there and take some pics.

#гидвбудапеште

10/04/2021

Oh and the video of the snowstorm

A few moments from the yesterday's snowstorm. The clouds arriving almost on an hourly schedule brought snow and freezing...
09/04/2021

A few moments from the yesterday's snowstorm. The clouds arriving almost on an hourly schedule brought snow and freezing winds to all of the city but it was the most spectacular at

#гидвбудапеште

Spring on Margitsziget part 2 #гидвбудапеште
03/04/2021

Spring on Margitsziget part 2
#гидвбудапеште

Blooming almond trees from Gellert hill. Till the filloxera epidemic of the 1880-s the hill was covered with vineyards. ...
29/03/2021

Blooming almond trees from Gellert hill.
Till the filloxera epidemic of the 1880-s the hill was covered with vineyards. After the grapes were decimated some enthusiasts tried growing apricots there, but since the soil on the rocky slopes was too poor to sustain the trees, they grafted apricots onto much more resilient almonds. Not much came out of this idea, and apricots have vanished since, but some almonds or their descendants are still in place.
The most photographed tree of Budapest, is the almond tree near the cross above the Sziklatemplom (Church in the Rock). The view of Szabadsag hid (Frredom bridge) is fabulous and on weekends you have to stand in line for a while to get an opportunity to make a picture. Worth it, though.
As for the cross, it was installed in 1936, to mark the entrance to the church below. In 1951 new regime had it demolished and it wasn’t until 2001 that it was restored.


So, after agreeing on the 12 points and the National Song the revolutionaries went to the universities, rallying the stu...
24/03/2021

So, after agreeing on the 12 points and the National Song the revolutionaries went to the universities, rallying the students. Then the steadily growing crowd proceeded to a publishing house to get the Points printed. Around 10am they reached the nearest (also the biggest and the most modern in the city) publishing house belonging to certain Landerer and Heckenast. Supposedly the place owners were aware that the revolution might happen, as the arriving crowd found only mr. Landerer in the office. His answer was no, since neither the Points nor the poem had been approved by the censorship. He offered a solution, though. If the revolutionaries tie him down and occupy the place in the name of the people everything would be fine, the leaflets would be printed and he would come out of it relatively clean. So Landerer was promptly tied down, the publishing house was proclaimed occupied and by noon all the leaflets were ready.
However this was not the end of this place’s revolutionary career. The first National government under Count Lajos Batthyany held its sessions on the first floor above the publishers. Another revolutionary leader, Lajos Kossuth rented a flat here as well as a number of literary figures including Janos Arany and Mor Jokai. 
The building you see in the pictures didn’t look like this back in the day, but it’s still the same building. In 1851, three years after the described events, the new owner of the building decided that it is in a rather bad shape (the damage caused by the flood of 1838 had not been seen to) and started a complete reconstruction which gave the house its current shape. 
The last picture is of one of the printing machines used for printing the Twelve Points and the National Song.
To be continued
#1848

This day, March the 15th is the day the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 started. It was part of the Spring of Nations, the ...
15/03/2021

This day, March the 15th is the day the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 started. It was part of the Spring of Nations, the huge tidal wave of uprisings which flooded Europe that year. Rather successful and bloodless at first, it had grown into a full-fledged independence war before it was crushed in August 1849.
It all started in a café named Pilvax, where the liberal-patriotic (today this description seems weird, but at that time it was all the rage among young intellectuals) youth gathered at 8am. The building which housed the café has been demolished long ago, so the second photo depicts the one that’s on its place now. There they agreed on the “12 Points”, the list of demands to the Austrian government and listened to the young poet Sandor Petofi (the bronze guy on the last pic) reading his National Song poem.
However, in public memory the National Song being read aloud is firmly connected to the stairs of the National Museum (first pic, yes I know, but this one was the prettiest), and that happened indeed but only at 3pm after it had been read a couple of times to the students, the 12 Points had been printed and the revolution had briefly stopped for a lunch break. 
To be continued.
#1848

It has been a year since I had my last tourists. We rented a car and travelled to Balaton. Actually, the plan was to vis...
13/03/2021

It has been a year since I had my last tourists. We rented a car and travelled to Balaton. Actually, the plan was to visit Tihany, but since the weather was not good enough for hiking, we went further, to Szigliget and Badacsony. It was a long day and on our way back we visited Veszprem to admire the sunset. 
Seems like a life ago. At that time I’ve had loads of plans for the summer and Covid seemed a minor nuisance, like influenza. I was sure it was going to be over in a month at most, possibly even earlier.
A year has passed and it’s still nowhere near over. 
However, I do hope that one day I will be able to return to guiding, even if the way will be longer and more complicated than the first time.

Just some pretty pic of the Parliament
25/02/2021

Just some pretty pic of the Parliament

One more bit of wintery magic
14/02/2021

One more bit of wintery magic

Actually I’ve planned this post to be about something else entirely, but then I thought, I’d share this while it’s fresh...
13/02/2021

Actually I’ve planned this post to be about something else entirely, but then I thought, I’d share this while it’s fresh. This is the aftermath of a freezing rain which hit Hungary on February the 10th. Freezing rain forms when the raindrops get cooled below zero on their way to earth and freeze instantly upon impact. Potentially deadly for trees and overhead cables but absolutely stunning. 
The forest I visited is on Harmashatarhegy (Mount of three borders) an imposing 495 meters high hill which got its name because once it stood in the border of three settlements the cities of Buda and Obuda and the town of Pesthidegkut. They had merged into Budapest long ago but the name remains. 
📷

Just a café scene in times of Corona. Seen in a fairytale village of Wekerle-telep (of which I will write more) ...
08/02/2021

Just a café scene in times of Corona. Seen in a fairytale village of Wekerle-telep (of which I will write more)

A couple of weeks ago, while we were experiencing a spell of low temperatures I decided to go see some snow. This is Gal...
06/02/2021

A couple of weeks ago, while we were experiencing a spell of low temperatures I decided to go see some snow. This is Galyatető, the third highest summit of modern Hungary, located in Matra hills not far from the preceding two. At 964 metres it counts as a mountain resort and boasts a hotel built in the 1930s (and quite posh in its heyday). The place was a favourite of composer Zoltan Kodaly, who stayed there quite a lot. Not only him, of course, but he was the greatest fan.
There is a stylish, 30 metres high lookout tower, which used to be only 17 metres and built of black andezite but in 2012 received the upper half made of beton. The words on the tower “Országos Kéktúra” stand for the 1168 km long “National Blue Trail” crossing the country from west to east.
The way down is extremely pleasant cca. two hours walk through beautiful beechwoods teeming with wildlife. In season there are lots of mushrooms on the slopes (actually that’s why I’ve come here for the first time) and a good deal of blackberry along the trail. 

Before posting the previous entry I had checked whether there are more statues or memorials dedicated to Rudolf in Budap...
02/02/2021

Before posting the previous entry I had checked whether there are more statues or memorials dedicated to Rudolf in Budapest. No luck with statues but I’ve found a temple. It’s not particularly famous and is located as far from the tourist routes as it gets but it exists. 
It’s called Kispesti Nagyboldogasszony templom and is dedicated to St. Mary but it has not always been the case. When the temple was founded in 1903 its patron saint was St. Rudolf, in memory of the Crown Prince. It remained this way until 1955 when the church was reconsecrated and dedicated to St. Mary.
The neogothic structure was built by Antal Hofhauser, a less known-architect, who, however, authored some other neogothic churches in Budapest, among them some rather good-looking ones.

On the morning of January 30th, 1889 bodies of Rudolf, heir to the throne of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hung...
31/01/2021

On the morning of January 30th, 1889 bodies of Rudolf, heir to the throne of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary and his young lover, Marie Vetsera. 
Rudolf, an idealist, was in a sense sympathetic with the Hungarian case and rather popular among the Hungarians: less so than his mother, Elisabeth who was regarded almost as a half goddess, but infinitely more than his father, Franz Joseph. Unlike the latter, Rudolf has a monument in his honour, erected in the City Park (Városliget).
The monument depicts him not as an imperial prince but as a hunter and a naturalist. The fact that he was fascinated with the natural history, and dedicated a lot of effort into studying the birds of the Austrian Empire, is not widely known. Who cares about birds when there is such a scandalous suicide… 
However, a scientific society gathered the money for the monument and hired Miklos Ligeti (of Anonymus fame). The resulting statue even gained an unlikely approval from Rudolf’s father, the Emperor. 
In 1950-s the monument, now ideologically compromised had been removed, stripped of its name and identity and stored at some warehouse as a “Hunter”. It was returned to its rightful place only in 1995.

Just a Christmas tram on a gloomy Sunday evening.
29/01/2021

Just a Christmas tram on a gloomy Sunday evening.

The holiday season might be over, but winter most certainly is not. This charming place is called Jegenye-völgy - poplar...
27/01/2021

The holiday season might be over, but winter most certainly is not. This charming place is called Jegenye-völgy - poplar valley. It lies between Budapest and the town of Solymar. It’s just a couple of kilometers long, but boasts a waterfall, a spring, some pretty rock formations and ends under a hill with small but rather picturesque castle ruins
  #будапешт #венгрия #будапештгид

The winter holidays season is over, and I thought it might be a nice rime to look back on the best street decorations. W...
25/01/2021

The winter holidays season is over, and I thought it might be a nice rime to look back on the best street decorations. We hadn't much time to enjoy them with curfew and all, but they were there nonetheless

This obscure monument with a small oil lamp inside can be seen a stone’s throw from the Parliament, near the Freedom squ...
06/10/2020

This obscure monument with a small oil lamp inside can be seen a stone’s throw from the Parliament, near the Freedom square. 
This so-called “eternal lampion” was lit 94 years ago on October the 6th, 1926 in memory of Lájos Batthyany, the first Prime Minister of Hungary, who was been executed on (more or less) this spot on 6th of October 1849, after the revolution of 1848 had been drowned in blood. The choice of place might seem a bit weird, considering it’s a governmental quarter with all these beautiful and stately buildings. However it was not the case in mid-XIX century, when this area was the outskirts and a huge garrison building stood on the place of the modern square and surrounding houses. The garrison, which was called Neugebaude(the New Building) was also used as a prison, and housed a lot of the revolution supporters. Those who got a death sentenced were executed on the place. 

#гидвбудапеште

Autumn is here
28/09/2020

Autumn is here

This is the tombstone of XIX century Hungarian artist called Béla Pállik. The man made a fortune painting sheep, some ot...
13/08/2020

This is the tombstone of XIX century Hungarian artist called Béla Pállik. The man made a fortune painting sheep, some other animals too, but predominantly sheep. Wealthy aristocrats of the time liked to think they have some connection with the land they own, all the better if they didn’t have to deal with all the incoveninces of actually visiting it. So, they gladly ordered from Pállik some rams and ewes to hang above the fireplace in their hunting castle.
Years of sheep-painting took a toll on his eyesight, and he had to quit it for some time. To support himself he learned opera-singing and became quite good in it, he toured Germany for a couple of years but then his eyesight was restored and he could fully dedicate himself to the sheep.

#гидвбудапеште
@ Fiumei Road Cemetery

Fiumei cemeterySummers in Budapest are mercilessly hot. The sun is blazing, the air scorches your throat as you breathe ...
13/08/2020

Fiumei cemetery
Summers in Budapest are mercilessly hot. The sun is blazing, the air scorches your throat as you breathe in. To make matters worse now there’s this virus everywhere. So why not escape the heat and the crowds and go to a nice leafy cemetery. Not just any cemetery, but the one that looks more like a textbook of Hungarian history and art and a pretty one at that. What is there for us to see and do?
We’ll hearse for the state funerals, huge and ornate beyond imagination, the second largest in the world;
We’ll talk that you may honour a national hero and have revenge on him in the similar manner;
Who has taught all of us to wash our hands (and his postmortem travels).
We will talk about some XIX century poetry and modern politics,
And last but not the least we will see the most wild and romantic part of the cemetery before it is renovated.
Duration - 2,5-3 hours. Price - 40 euro.

Stained glass of Matthias church apse from the outside. You know that it's Matthias church, not st.Matthias, don't you? ...
11/08/2020

Stained glass of Matthias church apse from the outside.
You know that it's Matthias church, not st.Matthias, don't you?

#гидвбудапеште

A walk down Romai part, a popular summer escape in the northern part of the city. The name, Roman coast, originates from...
09/08/2020

A walk down Romai part, a popular summer escape in the northern part of the city. The name, Roman coast, originates from the ruins of a Roman city, Aquincum, located there.
#гидвбудапеште @ Római-part

The pretty waterfall below St.Gellert monument on the namesake mountain.Supposedly he fell to his death somewhere around...
24/07/2020

The pretty waterfall below St.Gellert monument on the namesake mountain.

Supposedly he fell to his death somewhere around here.
#гидвбудапеште

During the existence of Budapest ghetto his otherwise inconspicous building housed the only source of water for 70 thous...
23/07/2020

During the existence of Budapest ghetto his otherwise inconspicous building housed the only source of water for 70 thousand people crammed here from all over Hungary
#гидвбудапеште @ 7th District

Just a beautiful in Budapest #гидвбудапеште
20/07/2020

Just a beautiful in Budapest
#гидвбудапеште

Winged dude on the facade of Saxlehner house on Andrassy avenue. The owner, Andras Saxlehner had amassed an enormous for...
01/07/2020

Winged dude on the facade of Saxlehner house on Andrassy avenue. The owner, Andras Saxlehner had amassed an enormous fortune selling mineral water.
A pity the inside of the house is unavailable at the moment, it used to be as opulent as it gets with marble, mahagony and frescoes by Karoly Lotz.
By the way I am offering walking tours of Andrassy avenue and the City Park.

#гидвбудапеште #гидввенгрии

Tram number 2, running along the Danube on the Pest side has been named one of the most beautifilul tram lines of the wo...
30/06/2020

Tram number 2, running along the Danube on the Pest side has been named one of the most beautifilul tram lines of the world.
This summer on weekends the road along the tram line is closed for the cars. So we can go for a walk, take a closer look on both banks of the Danube and talk about what we see.

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Oh and the video of the snowstorm #snowstorm #weirdweather #budapestgram #budapestmoments #budapest_is_awesome #hungarygram #ig_hungary #visithungary #budapestwalkingtours

Unfortunately I wasn't able to find who they are but they are pretty good. On Saturday at a historical reenactement festival in Varpalota #historicalreenactment #thuryvar #visithungary #bagpipe #medievalmusic #medieval #ilovehistory #explorehungary #hungaryguide #budapestgram #magyar_ig #bestofhungary #budapestwalkingtours #гидвбудапеште

Something unexpected was happening yesterday in front of the Basilica. A sculptor Zsolt M. Toth was cutting a small copy of the temple from a block of ice. Apparently it was a celebration of spring arrival. #budapest #budapestravel #ilovehungary #visithungary #hungaryguide #traveleurope #bestofeurope #sculpture #liveart #icesculptures #budapestguidedtours #placestovisit #where2gonext

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