Bizarre

There are many reasons to visit Castle Hill in Budapest. Rising above Budapest on the Buda side of the Danube is Castle Hill, which is the old historic center of the city. There are several museums, including the National Gallery. There is St. Mattias Cathedral, which is beautiful. There are narrow cobblestone streets, shop and restaurants. There is also one of the odder places I have ever visited - the Labrynth. It is a little hard to find, although there are some signs. It is on Uri Street and it is very easy to walk by it without even noticing it - in fact, it looks like the entrance to a basement cafe. The Labrynth is, on one level, what the name suggests - the old series of caves that run under the Castle Hill. I thought I would check it out because it sounded sort of like the Catacombs in Paris, which I love. However, this is very different. A lot of folks over the years have used the Labrynth, from various Hungarian rulers to the Soviets, so I suspected it would be heavy on the history. Actually, there is none of that. There is no guided tour at all. You just walk down into the darkness by yourself. There are sound effects, ranging from heart beats to rhythmic drums, but very little lights - only the occasional candle or dim bulb. It's as if the entire Labrynth was given over to a mad art school student with a budget. There are human like figurines that wait in the dark for you. I actually just about scared an old woman to death. I was kneeling down at the base of a staircase trying to get a picture of some very spooky crosses placed on the stairs when I suddenly stood up - the old woman next to me screamed because she thought I was one of the figurines. In one of the last rooms there is a giant head half-"buried" in the rock. There is also a fountain with red wine flowing, although it looks like blood. I don't know if I learned anything, but it was definitely entertaining.