Return from Hungary

I have been back from Hungary for over a week now and I am still sifting through images. Wow, what a great trip and such a wonderful place to visit. The photographic opportunities are amazing and the people are very warm and welcoming.

Gellert Hotel, Main Entrance
Canon 6D, 24-105@24mm, 1/20@f4, ISO 1600

The trip was built around a photographic master class led by David Ziser and Clay Blackmore. Two photographers that I have wanted to study with for years. It was fantastic to finally be able to spend some time with these guys and get to know them. There were about 14 other students in the class (I never stopped to actually count them). We were together for seven days, studying and photographing for about 12 hours each day. It was exhausting but well worth it.

This is the Gellert hotel where we called home for the duration of the trip. It is built in 1916 and contains the world famous Gellert Spa. The building is filled with history, being the home away from home for the leaders of the German army during WWII and then by the Soviet Union. The spa area was, during the Soviet occupation a public swimming pool for the people of Budapest however the hotel itself was off limits. As the story goes, only tourists and Russians were allowed in the hotel area.

The building itself is an incredible piece of architecture and the public areas a well maintained and have kept the original feel of the building. The rooms are comfortable but show signs of long term neglect and patch it so it works and that's good enough repairs. I suspect there are plans in place to bring the hotel back to its original glory. I very much enjoyed my stay there.

The indoor pool at the Gellert Spa.
Canon 6D, 24-205 @24mm,1/30 @ f4.0, ISO 2000

Originally, Budapest was two cities - Buda and Pest. When the Freedom bridge was built, the two cities were joined together and became Budapest, and the capital of Hungary. This image of the Freedom Bridge as it crosses over the Danube from the Pest side to the Buda side. At the Buda end of the bridge is, of course, the Gellert hotel. There were seven bridges that cross the Danube, all of which were bombed out during WWII. All the bridges were rebuilt to resemble there original forms except one, The Elizabeth Bridge, which was built between 1960 and 1964, nearly two decades after the destruction of the original bridge was destroyed and used cable suspension designs of the day. An 8th bridge, The Megyeri Bridge, was constructed between 2006 and 2008 and is a modern looking cable construction bridge.

The Freedom Bridge leading to the Gellert Hotel
Canon 6D, 25-105@45mm, 2.5 sec @f5.6, ISO 160

The Freedom Bridge
Canon 6D, 24-105 @ 55mm, 1400@ f5.6, ISO 160

The Chain Bridge
HDR Composite

That's it for today. More images from Budapest next post.

Len