Sights and Sounds
Budapest looks at its best at dawn. As the sun slowly rises over the eastern plains, bathing Pest in soft pastel hues, it radiates back from the buildings of Buda as if they were a giant mirror; the windows on Castle Hill positively glisten in golden jubilation.But Budapest is also spectacularly appealing at night. The Chain Bridge is festooned with white lights and the main public buildings like the Parliament, the Opera and the Royal Palace as well as the entire panorama of the Castle district, are imaginatively and sensitively floodlit. It\\\'s easy for Budapest to play with light in the manner of an elegant lady trying on her jewels; as everything looks good. This is a vibrant city: it throbs with life morning, noon and night; visitors arriving from other countries get the feeling that something interesting is happening around every corner.