Busy in Budapest

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Saturday 8 August:



After Skyping with mother and dropping our laundry of at the laundromat I found just around the corner, our first stop on our travels today was Buda Castle, where we planned to go to the underground labyrinth. After establishing from the rather unhelpful man on the cashier desk that there was nothing too scary for Zachary we went in. It was nice and cool under the ground, but also a bit damp. The first section was pretty tame. There were several cells that contained scenes from famous operas with waxwork figures. The costumes had been supplied by the national opera company, but they were struggling with the damp.



A bit further on was a section that was completely black. There was a rope you could hold on to (like a Burma trail) and this would guide you through the maze. It was unsuitable for Zachary so Heather stayed with him while I did this. It was good except that at the end when the rope ran out I had to walk towards the lit passage. However there was a large boulder in the middle of the path I couldn’t see so I banged into it.



Then we further down and it got darker and mistier. There was also mood music playing. This led to the area where Count Dracula was imprisoned 600 years ago and was pretty cool! Poor lighting in one part meant Heather tripped on some uneven ground and she could have hurt herself badly – so this needs to be sorted. Then we made our way back out. We came across three English girls (early 20s I would say) who were waiting for us as they were somewhat scared! We helped lead them out to safety. On the way there was an exhibition on famous caves around the world and also a little theatre that was playing an old opera film. Overall it was very good and something a bit different.



From there we got back on the bus and went to the Margaret Bridge and walked onto Margaret Island. We enjoyed the musical fountain show and had some lunch. We then found some swimming pools – not the ones I had originally looked at – but they were very suitable for Zachary and the area had a lot of shade. We were not going to have time to do both the pools and the free river cruise which went with the bus ticket. Zachary wanted to swim so he and Heather did this while I went in search of the pier with the idea to meet back at the hotel. My search was fruitless. I did find a pier where another boat (from a rival company) left from, but there was no signage at all. I decided to go by foot one bus stop back to find someone to ask. The stop was not in the place indicated on the map due to road works, nor was there access to the pier marked there. I found the stop by good luck, but again, no staff member (there is supposed to be one at every stop). So I just got on the bus to finish the circuit and go back. About half way along we stopped at Deak Square. Here there were quite a few staff and the driver decided to stop for about 10 minutes for a chat and a smoke. We were not told this and were left sitting on a hot bus wondering what was going on. When we got to the end / start of the line at Heroes Square there were about 10 staff. Evidently they all bugger off from their posts after lunch and gather here! Overall not really impressed with the bus tour. The commentary was poor (it repeated itself a lot) and they only had 4 songs on high rotate.



Made it back, changed some money, picked up laundry, and had a beer. Zachary and Heather got back 45 minutes later and, it now being nearly 5:30, we headed out for dinner. There is a restaurant close by called Trofea Grill which is a buffet. For 20 euro an adult (free for Z) you get 2 hours to eat all you want from the buffet plus there is also a section like Gengys in which you choose veges and meats for them to grill for you. On top of this you get unlimited beer, wine, champagne (of a sort), soft drinks, and juice. A pretty awesome deal! We weren’t super hungry so didn’t get maximum value out of it, but it was still worth it. A group of Scouts from England arrived also so Heather got chatting to one of them.



Home and bed on time. We’ll just go out in the morning tomorrow and check out the area around Parliament and Liberty (or Freedom) Square.



No further contact from the wanker with my phone.



Well done Wallabies! Turns the RWC into a three horse race I guess. Still finding it hard to go past the Poms though…



Sunday 9 August:



A brief Skype call with Alex in Sydney this morning. The connection wasn’t great so we didn’t talk long. I thought he’d at least be wearing black armbands to mark the passing of Australian cricket…



Heather’s stomach a bit dodgy this morning so we let that settle and then headed out. Our hotel is at the edge of the old Jewish quarter and we walked through it. We went past a memorial wall which marked the boundary of the ghetto in WW2. Further on Dohany St is the new synagogue. A very impressive building and either the 2^nd or 3^rd largest in the world, depending on what source you believe.



From there we passed a supermarket which was open (we were caught out again this morning when we found the large one down the road was closed on Sundays – a common practice in Europe but we keep forgetting!) so we noted that for the return journey. We got to an area where there was a playground and a market. We decided to let Zachary play for a bit and there were a few other children there. He managed to join in with them playing in the sandpit and was having a great time, so we decided that I would go for a walk to see what I wanted and Heather would stay with him.



I headed for Liberty Square and this was fantastic! One of the highlights of the trip for me so far in terms of things to see. After a quick look at St Stephen’s Basilica the first thing I saw was a really cool fountain. It was an oblong shape and the jets were full on most of the time. Some of them stopped intermittently so people could run into the middle. Lots of kids were in togs or just underclothes and were running through the jets. I have to say a number of adults were doing this too. Just behind it was a memorial which I didn’t know about as it wasn’t marked on my map. What was evident was that it was causing some controversy. There was a big sign up in English saying “Take down your memorial” and lots of photos / plaques with the names of people and also banners. It also looked like it may have been damaged. I found out when I got back that this is called the Memorial to the Victims of the German Invasion and was only put up in July last year. Its construction and unveiling has opened up a few wounds and caused a lot of controversy. Hungary sided with the Nazis in WW2 after they declared war on the USSR. But Hitler, suspecting that Hungary was on the verge of switching sides, invaded and occupied Hungary in March 1944. The memorial is seen by many as an attempt to blame Germany for the subsequent occupation of Hungary by the Soviets and to deflect away from the country’s own role in the death of a million of its own citizens, including two thirds of the country’s Jews. The memorial has the eagle symbolising Nazi Germany on top and then under that, the Archangel Gabriel represents “innocent” Hungary. A really interesting and controversial thing to erect, especially 70 years after the fact.



Further on was the Soviet Monument - another structure that has caused controversy. It is a monument to honour the Soviet soldiers who liberated Budapest from Nazi occupation. Of course, the Soviets then occupied Hungary and many people think this monument should be removed. It has been vandalised on a number of occasions but it remains (and faces the US Embassy!)



In a wonderful piece of placement, to the left of the Soviet monument is a slightly larger than life statue of Ronald Reagan. He is depicted walking towards the monument with his hand out so you can shake it if you wish (I declined and am happy to explain my feelings about Mr Reagan to anyone who wants to listen!) The statue has been there 4 years and Mr Reagan is well thought of in former Communist countries so he remains intact.



A little further down was the memorial to Hungary’s first prime minister, Lajos Batthyány. He, along with another leader, Gyula Andrassay, are celebrated in various ways throughout the city. His memorial is an eternal flame.



As I headed towards Parliament I came across a very nice statue of a man standing on a bridge, looking reflectively towards Parliament. I later learned this was Imre Nagy, another former leader. He was a communist leader but his government was not backed by the Soviets. His government was brought down by the Soviet invasion in the failed revolution of 1956 and Nagy was executed a couple of years later.



Then I had a walk around the very impressive Parliament buildings and looked at the also impressive building that houses the Ethnographic Museum. I completed my loop back to the park to find Zachary still happily playing with his new friends. We got some thickshakes and then headed back to the hotel (stopping at the supermarket) and walking around the other side of the Jewish quarter. The map on the memorial wall indicated a mass grave but there was no marking of it that we could see. However the back of the synagogue had a beautiful memorial.



So that was it for the day. Got back and just chilled out. I caught up on a few things I had to do and Zachary watches some tv and a movie. I had had 2 beers and Heather 2 ciders and neither of us had much enthusiasm for cooking dinner. We did best of 3 “Paper Scissors Rock” which I won two nil so Heather got to cook. Zachary had a good dinner (after taking over an hour to eat a piece of toast at lunch time) and off to bed.



Our last full day in Budapest tomorrow. We will go to Heroes Square which looked very impressive from the bus. It is next to the City Park which includes playgrounds, boating, a castle, the zoo, an amusement park, a circus, the transport museum, and a large swimming complex so heaps to choose from!

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