The Hungarian Parliament

The Hungarian Parliament, originally uploaded by joellekueng.

My fourth time in Budapest this year, and my first visit to the Parliament. As you see it's been snowing, but as the weather was similar in Switzerland, no big change. This pic only shows half of the parliament, but the interesting part is the memorial flag in the front with a hole in it. The hole is intentional, that's where the royal emblem is, which got replaced after WWII by the soviet symbol. During the Hungarian uprising against the communist authorities in 1956, the communist arms were removed from the center of their flag, leaving a hole.

Hungarian crown jewels

Hungarian crown jewels, originally uploaded by joellekueng.

You can see these in the hungarian parliament. They're for sure 1000 years old, there's a bit of a controversy to know if they're the original ones used by the first king. Also not sure is whether the fact that the cross isn't straight is intentional or not. Another important bit: the supreme authority of the country's ruler is attached to the crown, and not to the king. So, no crown, no king. Better not lose it :)

Cigarholders

Cigarholders, originally uploaded by joellekueng.

Outside the main chamber in the parliament, you find these cigardholders with numbers, so you don't mix your cigar up.. If the cigar butts left there were rather short, it showed how good of an orator was inside captivating his audience, who left their cigars outside for hours..

Climbing

Climbing, originally uploaded by joellekueng.

After a day of visiting Budapest, what more relaxing than some climbing.. ;) Hadn't done it in over 4 years, and I had never left the beginner stage anyway, but still it was fun. Specially the big pizza afterwards :)

Matthias church

Matthias church, originally uploaded by joellekueng.

And the ugly Hilton on the right. The Matthias church (which is really worth visiting, very nice from the inside), built at the beginning of the 14th century, gets its name after King Matthias who held both of his wedding ceremonies here.

The Fishermen's bastion

The Fishermen's bastion, originally uploaded by joellekueng.

The Fishermen's bastion, built in 1905, got its name after the guild of fishermen responsible for defending this stretch of wall from enemy attack during the Middle Ages. Behind it you can see the Matthias church. From here you get the best view over the Pest part of the city, with the Parliament and the chain bridge.

Update

Time really has come for an update.. not that much has been happening, but still :) And for Augusto, no pics of Mark this time ;)
Basically I'm spending my time in trains going to university almost every day, attending classes and studying, writing papers and meeting friends. I'm also helping organizing activities for law students at university, like visiting a prison, or the WIPO in Geneva, or the federal court in Lausanne. Somehow I just can't manage to only study :)
On the professional side, I've received my letter of confirmation for my "Anwaltspraktikum/stage d'avocat", meaning the lawyer training I'll be getting in the next two years in order to pass my bar exam. And before doing that, I'll also work in a regional court for 6 months, in the lovely castle of Bulle. So I'm all figured out for the next two years, which is a strange feeling for a change, but also feels good not to have to worry about it all the time. The law firm I'll be working in is located in Fribourg, where I did my studies, and is rather small. But a friend who is doing his internship there at the moment told me they're really nice, you learn a lot and get responsibilities, and get y very good overview. Much better than being in a high-class law firm in Geneva where you earn more than double (which still isnt much), but are treated like not much more than cheap labour..
I just came back from a small trip to Budapest, I'll put pictures online in the coming days as well. And now nothing but studying till Christmas, where I'll have the traditional family meetings and skiing :)
Album recommendation of the moment: Jamie Cullum "Catching tales", a must if you like easy jazz. I'm also listening non stop to the latest Jamiroquai.