The Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest is spectacular. I spent a lot of time walking around it and admiring it from every angle. Up close you can get lost in the fine details, while farther away the towers, dome and symmetry dominate. This is my favorite view of Parliament, standing in Buda and looking at it from across the Danube river. When the lights come on in the evening, they give the building even more character…adding depth and shadows that bring out even more details. The river traffic was congested and I was surprised at how long I had to wait for an opening where no boats were in view. Eventually, an opening appeared though and I was able to take some 3-5 second exposures to soften the ripples in the water so that the only sharp details were of the building.
The following evening I decided to watch the building light up from the Pest side of the river. I thought some of you may be interested to see what the other side of the building looks like, so I included an image below. Being much closer to the building, the dome and towers visible in the other image are mostly obscured from view. Even with my wide angle lens it was difficult to fit the entire building in a single shot…the building is massive. I did find this spot interesting though, as they have installed a small reflecting pool that provided a nice foreground.
A very impressive architectural feat from every angle and definitely a highlight of any trip to Budapest.