Buda-pes(h)t

Thursday, December 25 was our transition day from Vienna to Budapest. We arrived in Budapest around noon after a 3-hour train ride. As soon as we emerged from the metro onto the street, we saw a (closed) Christmas market. We walked to our hotel “right around the corner” from the Hungarian State Opera House, dropped our bags, and got on with the business of finding a restaurant open for lunch on Christmas. We ended up at a Thai place nearby then went back to our hotel for a “short” nap that, of course, lasted longer than intended.

 

 

Quick geography lesson – Budapest actually consists of two towns that are separated by the Danube River. The Buda side is to the west of the river and the Pest side is to the east of the river. Our hotel was on the Pest side.

We celebrated Christmas with a chamber concert that evening at Danube Palace. The concert featured a symphony orchestra playing classical Hungarian and European music in a beautiful setting.

 

Then, we took a chilly stroll along the Danube River. We got to see the Chain Bridge and Buda Castle lit up. 

 

 

We walked toward Parliament and saw a moving Holocaust Monument along the promenade that consisted of 50 pairs of bronze shoes commemorating the Jews that were shot by the Arrow Cross letting their bodies fall into the river.

 

As we walked back to our hotel, we ended up in front of St. Istvan’s Basilica with another (closed) Christmas market in front of it. Not to worry though – we’ll be back!

On Friday, December 26, we started our day with a visit to the Great Synagogue, the second largest in the world (the largest is in New York). Even though I don’t know much about the Jewish religion or history, this was a trip highlight for me. We toured the outer areas first, which featured the Memorial Garden and Tree of Life sculpture. The willow makes an upside-down menorah, and the metal leaves are etched with the name of a Holocaust victim.

 

 

 

Then, we received an informational tour about the interior of the Synagogue before visiting the Jewish museum.

 

Our next few activities were foiled by closures due to the holiday schedule, so we didn’t get to go inside the Great Market Hall or visit the House of Terror as planned. 

Trying to make the best of our afternoon, we ended up walking along Budapest’s main boulevard, Andrassy Ut, toward Heroes’ Square and City Park. The square is dominated by the Millennium Monument and flanked by museums on the sides. Behind the square is a nice park akin to Central Park except this one featured the Vajdahunyad Castle, Szechenyi Baths, zoo, and circus.

 

 

 

Our evening outing was a trip to the Opera to see “La Boheme.” I scored us super cheap seats at the last minute – so what if we ended up having to stand to see anything? We were seated in the upper box above the orchestra pit right next to the stage. The building was beautiful, and we were told the acoustics are among the best in Europe.

 

 

 

Due to the unexpected closures yesterday, we had a lot on our agenda for Saturday, December 27. We got an early start and headed over to Castle Hill on the Buda side. We got there just in time before the tour buses arrived and had the area to ourselves for a few minutes. We spent some time in the Matthias Church, and I walked away with a souvenir numbered tile from the roof prior to its restoration. How cool is that? Then, we made our way over to the Royal Palace enjoying the views along the way. We even managed to time it just right to see the changing of the guard (for something…we’re not sure what).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, we started our journey out of the city center to Memento Park. This was one of my must-dos for the trip, and it did not disappoint. The park consists of all the great communist era statues that dominated Hungary before the fall of the communist regime. The Hungarians, who by and large were no fans of the occupying Soviets and their “friendship” with Hungary, first secretly, then openly, ridiculed many of them.

Entry to Park - Greeted by Lenin on the left and Marx and Engels on the right

Lenin hailing a cab

 

 

Stalin's boots - all that remain from an 8-meter tall statue after crowds destroyed it during the revolution

(Side note: K had to take over writing most of the rest of this post, including the last sentence in the previous paragraph, because I was getting motion sickness while writing on the train to Prague. I’m sure you’ll notice the difference in tone and detail.)

We had a bit of a self-inflicted (K-inflicted) travel snafu on the way back from Memento Park as K wanted to stay on the bus longer intending to return to the city center from a different metro station. After some detours and frustration we were able to find the station and get back to the House of Terror with enough time for a full experience. This museum was in the former headquarters of the secret police and had a dark and soulless feel to it. It told the story, through information sheets, videos, recordings, and some (but not a lot) of memorabilia, of Hungary’s occupation by two dictatorships – the Nazi-affiliated Arrow Cross and the Soviet Union – and the methods used to gain power and control and oppress the populace. Many of the rooms were thematically decorated to cover the various aspects of life and how different groups were treated, and several had kitschy displays including creepy old phones that could be dialed for more recordings. The most striking part of the museum was the basement, which was accessed via a slow elevator that was blacked out for the descent except for a video describing a hanging procedure. The basement contained actual prison cells with a list of known prisoners in each, a display of some torture devices, a memorial with the names of those killed by the regime, a room with triumphant scenes and videos after the fall of communism, a video showing Pope John Paul II at a memorial ceremony to the victims, and a hallway filled with the “Victimizers”, those responsible for the crimes, with name, photo, and dates of birth and death if applicable. Many of these have escaped justice and are unaccounted for.

 

After the chilling experience of the House of Terror, we went out for one more nearby excursion to St. Istvan’s (Stephen’s) Basilica and the Christmas market there that we had seen closed previously. The nighttime cold had set in and so we opted for some hot drinks and noshed on some local food specialties (langos – a pizza-like flatbread; a whole grain cone filled with mini-sausages, cheese and mustard; and a hand-rolled chimney-cone dessert bread rolled in cinnamon). This market was decked out with a blue Christmas tree, a small ice rink big enough only for a few children, and a video projector that displayed animations onto the church accompanied by favorite American holiday tunes at certain points of the hour. Notable about this market were a large selection of handmade pottery and a festive, lively atmosphere.

 

 

For our final evening in Budapest, we opted for the organ concert at St. Stephen’s Basilica. It surprised us that we ended up doing three cultural evening activities here since that is not something we typically partake in either at home or abroad, but all were easy, cheap, and enjoyable. Being here in the winter also meant limited daylight hours and opening times for other attractions, so these events filled out our time nicely. And, well, classical musical culture is kind of a big deal in this region thanks to Mozart, etc. The concert this night also served as our visit to the inside of St. Stephen’s so we were efficient in that regard. The church was quite large and grand, decorated in a golden-age style with most surfaces covered in wall paintings and pattern designs. There were also several stone statues of important figures and the usual collection of chapels and altars to the sides, with one containing the “Holy Right Hand” of St. Istvan, but that part of the church was closed off during the concert. The organ filled the large volume of the church quite well for a dramatic feel and some pieces were also accompanied by a flute or vocal solo. Of the two, I appreciated the flute more, but it was all very good. Kurt’s favorite of the three activities was the chamber concert with the opera not far behind, but they were all unique and good value. As we left the Church, it began to lightly snow which added to the atmosphere. Only a couple of days late for a true white Christmas though!