Budapest Part 2

10 - 19 January

We've had another good week or 10 days since last posting in this pretty, white, snowy city.
Just as the previous week's snow began to melt, we had another dump so a few more cautious walking days!
We're thankful that Europe's oldest Metro line, the M1 here in Budapest, is only 50 metres away.

The ice on the river is something to see! It's drifting down from higher altitudes up river and has caused the closure of the river to smaller vessels. Where the ice meets docked boats, the ice flow extends hundreds of metres as it's trapped by the vessels.

It's not typical and has made the news.

We headed out to Aldi to do a bit of a pantry stock-up, but without Emily in tow we (fortuitously) took a wrong turn that took us past the holocaust museum. It was a terrific (horrible - you know what I mean) exhibit.

Our accommodation is right near the border of the ghetto.

One day when we were near the cathedral we read that there was a concert scheduled. There's something about being in a church while there's music (organ in this case) and singing. It was a great experience. We went to a local pub on the way home and had a pre-dinner drink. (We're doing most of our cooking at home... we're away for a long time so eating out each night, as we might typically do on a holiday in Europe, isn't really viable.)

We headed off one day to Momento Park in one of Budapest's outer suburbs.

The end of the war saw the arrival of the Soviets, which brought different fear and violence for many. Come the end of the USSR, the government took all the statues that were erected to honour Soviet "heroes" and relocated them to one central park and displayed them there. I really like the way Hungary has owned their past - as mentioned previous post re the Arrow Cross bastards. 

On our walking tour we learnt that a couple of sculptors had placed small bronze statues all around the city. A bit of research and we spent one day wondering the streets near us (with mandatory coffee and cake stop) seeking out these cute little artworks by Mihály Kolodko, a Ukranian artist, who creates and hides these little artworks and installs them around the city.

On this same tour, we heard about Liberty Square. The tour leader glossed over this a bit and we said we'd return.

In 2014, the government erected a monument to "commemorate Hungary's German occupation". Many people were outraged at the government's take on this period and a belief that they were attempting to rewrite history, and as a result there's an unofficial protest where people have left momentos and histories relating to how their families' lives were directly affected.
So glad we went back.

We re-visited the Buda side for a wander one day (we're staying in Pest). Milder weather when we set out, so we dressed less warmly. However, a couple of hours later the cold arrived so... hot chocolate it was :) 

Many of the historic buildings here and in Pest (including our accommodation) were damaged towards the end of the war in 1944 as well as in 1956. Until you see the before and after shots it's hard to believe the extent of the damage.

With the release of the movie Nuremberg, and with us heading to Berlin next week, we watched an older Nuremberg movie on Netflix one afternoon. Looking forward to seeing the new release - unfortunately not released in Germany until after we are back in Australia in March.

There's a huge Central Park in Budapest. It has a massive ice skating rink, a castle, a very funky Museum of Ethnography (think huge banana half buried in the ground) housing a very accurate 3D map of Budapest city.

About 15 minutes outside Budapest is the town of Szentendre. It's on the Danube, and is known for its baroque architecture, churches, colorful houses and narrow, cobbled streets.

Very snowy - just love watching and hearing children playing in the snow.
We caught a train there that looked and felt like it came straight out of the Soviet Union circa 1950. At least it was well heated :)

Our last day in Budapest was a beautiful, still, blue sky, sunny day. John spent the day chasing more little brass statues while Robyn explored elsewhere, and we met after lunch at a rooftop bar near the cathedral for one final drink before leaving tomorrow.
Funny thing - well not funny, but anyway - our waiter grew up in the house next door and told us about how our building here was  the subject of a premeditated explosion on September 24, 2016 when a nail bomb was exploded as a targeted attack against police officers.

We've also had a few catchups with our kids - good to touch base and hear that they're all well and happy.

Train this morning to Munich for the night, a stop-over on the way to Berlin.

Budapest Part 1

Budapest Part 1

2 - 9 January 

We, with Emily (Geoff and Julie were already in Vienna) left Ljubljana on Friday, 2 January and caught a train to Vienna for a one night stopover. 

Lots of snow on the ground from Ljubljana to Vienna.

The train to Vienna was uncrowded and comfortable.

We arrived in Vienna late in the afternoon and went for a walk around Stephanplatz and the Ringstrasse before going to a restaurant for dinner - Vienna Schnitzel was delicious! It was a clear, cold night but the lighting made it very pretty.

The next morning, we did a Jewish Quarter walk. Fascinating history of the Jews in Vienna and Austria, both hundreds of years ago as well as WWII, when 65,000 were murdered. And we had forgotten (or didn't hear of?) the attacks in the 80's, the ISIS attack in 2020 or the cancelled Taylor Swift concert in 2024.

Just after midday we caught our train from Vienna to Budapest. More crowded than yesterday's train, but it got us to our destination.

And what a terrific spot to stay in.

We don't have a car but we don't need one. There's a buses and trams virtually at the door, as well as a metro on the corner with trains coming every 3 minutes.

The underground is easily reached by either, trams run to the Danube... couldn't ask for more. if you are 65 and over, all travel in Hungary is free! Lucky for some!

Our apartment is on the Pest side of the river. It's spacious, warm and comfortable.

This is the view from our lounge room window, on arrival and a few days' later after a good snow fall.

Geoff and Julie arrived here on our second day, and that night we went on a sight-seeing trip along the Danube through the city. It really is quite beautiful.

The following morning - very cold!- we did a free city walk and learnt a bit of  Hungary's history.

This walk ended near the river so we walked the short distance to the famous shoes on the edge of the Danube memorial to the Jews murdered by the Hungarian fascists near the end of the war. Very sombre. To save ammunition, victims were tied together and the middle person shot before being pushed into the freezing water, ensuring the drowning death of those either side of the one shot.

Robyn and I returned a few days' later after a fall of snow. 

Words fail us.

(Apparently - thanks Charlie!) no visit to Budapest is complete without a trip to the New York Cafe, claimed to be the most beautiful cafe in the world.

It IS pretty spectacular - as are the prices. They have to be able to pay the pianist I guess.

After our early coffee here, we caught a tram down to Parliament House for a booked tour.

It's gorgeous. 

We then walked across the Chain Bridge to the Buda side of the city and caught a bus up the hill to the castle and Fisherman's Bastion, part of the wall and towers overlooking the Danube.

The soviets were determined to outdo the west and America during the Cold War, so the first eastern McDonald's ever built, here in Budapest, was a beautifully appointed fast food restaurant. Disappointingly, they've modernised it somewhat, and a lot of the former grandeur has been lost.

We visited St. Stephen's Basilica and paid to enter the church and walk around the dome.

The church is highly decorated and beautifully maintained.

While being sacrilegious was not the intention, we may have crossed a line in throwing snow at each other whilst up there. 

We visited Hero's Square, and then headed out to dinner to a restaurant that served traditional Hungarian fare. Snowy walk! Fortunately it was just around the corner.

Budapest is home to one of the largest Synagogues in the world. We did a tour here and learnt a few things about the worshippers here and the Jewish faith, as well as, of course, the horrors they've endured.

It was sad to hear the guide say that Jews in Budapest don't endure the torment that other Jews around the world do, in places like Australia.

It's awful to know that we're viewed as a dangerous place by some.

At the end of WWII there were so many bodies in the ghetto, and not enough space to bury them, mass graves were dug in the grounds of the synagogue and more than 2000 victims laid to rest.

There's a silver tree with leaves with names, as well as symbolic graves to commemorate these people.

 

Budapest has a central market stall. We had a look around at the crap for sale to tourists (not us, surely!). Paprika is EVERYWHERE! It's the national spice that goes into lots of soups and stews.

Budapest is well known for its thermal baths. We visited one afternoon. It's a pretty strange sensation gathering one's towel, swimmers and thongs, all the while looking out the window at the snow coming down!

And yes, they were warm and we stayed a good while.

We farewelled Emily for a week or so as she headed to Bratislave, Innsbruck, Munich, Nuremberg and Leipzig before she catches up with us again in Berlin (Flix bus runs everywhere!), and said goodbye to Geoff and Julie, who headed to Prague and Munich before returning to Australia.

The next day was beautiful; sunny and still, so headed down to the river for an aimless, crunchy walk through the city and along the Danube.

So that's us up to date... deserted and abandoned by family in Budapest. 

We're here for another week before we move on to Potsdam via an overnight in Munich.

I'm (John) typing this up on a snowy day while Robyn has gone to a large shopping centre with a Tesco for some pantry items we're struggling to find in the local small SPAR supermarkets.

We'll do lots of local exploring, making use of Budapest's fantastic, affordable local transport. Over 65s travel for free (just travel with photo ID if questioned) while two, seven and 14 day passes are available for tourists and locals alike.

No need to ever look at a timetable, every tram, bus, metro and train is exceptionally regular.

Next update as we leave Budapest (probably?!)