Film Review - Kontroll (directed by Nimród Antal)

My Review: 95%

Main Character: Bulcsú (pronounced Bulchu) is a ticket checker on the Metro.

Romantic Interest: Sofie, a pretty girl in a bear costume!

Plot: Mysterious deaths begin to occur on the Metro, and are initially considered suicides. Bulcsú sees that they are in fact caused by a costumed person pushing people in front of the trains.

What is the movie really about? Transition from communism to capitalism? Death? Modern Hungary? The characters on the subway?

Awards: Gold Hugo Award at Chicago International Film Festival

Rotten Tomatoes Review: 82% -
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kontroll/

I really liked this movie. It's entirely filmed in Budapest's subway system, and the stations and trains are almost identical to the stations and trains I see every day. The photography is beautiful and the plot is original. Additionally, it's a very well known film, so it should be available in the USA. I highly recommend it!

Andrassy Avenue

Hungarian State Opera House

The Hungarian State Opera House was built between 1875 and 1884 and was funded by the Budapest government and Emporer Franz Joseph of the Austria-Hungary. It's famous for its good acoustics.

I wasn't able to get a great shot of the whole building because we were too close, but here's one from Wikipedia:

And here are my own close ups :)

The statues lining the roof are of famous Hungarians.

Close up of one of the statues lining the roof.

Beautiful entryway.

This may be my favorite picture of the building. 

Continuing our walk...

I'm not sure what these buildings are, but they are representative of the buildings beside the Opera House.

Weird statue #1

A book store!

 Mór Jókai (1825-1904) was a famous Hungarian writer. Below is a statue commemorating him.

We aren't sure who this statue is.

Walking towards the Chain Bridge...

Walking along the Danube on the Pest side, you can see Buda castle across the water.

Here's the bridge we were walking towards.

Zoomed in on Buda Castle.

Looking behind us at another bridge.

 József Eötvös (1813-1871) was a Hungarian writer and politician (statue below).

Not sure what this statue is for and we weren't able to get very close...

From the Chain Bridge

The first permanent bridge connecting Buda and Pest, opened in 1849.

Me and Statues :)

Dohány Street Synagogue

Last weekend, after visiting St. Stephen's Basilica, Tiffany and I explored the Dohány Street Synagogue. Unfortunately, we arrived after it closed, so we were unable to take a tour. We did get some very good photos of the outside, and we hope to return another weekend.

The Dohány Street Synagogue, also known as the Great Synagogue, seats around 3,000 people and is the largest synagogue in Europe and the fifth largest in the world. It was built between 1854 and 1859 in the Moorish revival style.

In the dark it's hard to see the red and tan colored brick work.

St. Stephen's Basilica

Walk Around the Parliament Area

Today Tiffany I walked around the blocks near my flat. It was cold (-5 C) and a bit icy, but very pretty.

Front door of our building.

Looking North on the Danube,  from Margit Hid (Margaret Bridge).
On the right side, Pest, on the the left, St. Margaret Island.

Flat Pictures

Entryway/Front Room

Front door, from the inside.

More Packing - Almost Ready to Go!

Looks like it'll be cold when I arrive!

Also, new glasses!

Packing!

I'm headed to Budapest on Sunday and will be documenting my adventures abroad.

I will be packing one suitcase, one backpack, and one small bag. 

Very excited!