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Published: June 30th 2011
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House of Terror
This building was headquarters for both the Ghestapo and later the Hungarian equivalent of the KGB. Although it was literally right around the corner from our hotel, we managed not to be aware of it until our last day, a Monday on which it was closed. We will make sure to take a tour of this house loaded with historty the next time we are in Budapest! We got out slightly earlier – early enough to get breakfast – and so we stopped in the more “western-style” coffee shop chain store, Costa. It lacked some of the charm and beauty of the Budapest coffeehouse we visited on our first morning here, but it met our needs. After breakfast, we headed to the Great Synagogue. Over 150 years old, the Great Synagogue is the largest in Europe (and second largest in the world – the largest one is in NY) and has a rich history. We took a guided tour which was well worth the time and money. The tour required very little walking – we sat for a while inside the synagogue and learned about the history of the building and of the Budapest Jewish community. Among the more interesting notes is that the building survived WWII because it was used as Nazi headquarters (so it would not be bombed by the Germans) and was selected by the Nazi’s because they knew the allied forces would not bomb this synagogue being used as a camp for Jews. The guide explained that the synagogue and the surrounding neighborhood had been converted into a Jewish ghetto and that the Jews
Lauren outside the great synagogue
Beautiful inside and out, visitiing this synagogue and hearing its history was one of the highlights of our trip. had been locked inside during the last seven weeks of the war. Thousands died of starvation or were killed, and because all the cemeteries were outside the ghetto, thousands of them were buried in mass graves in the garden adjacent to the synagogue. During communist rule, the building fell into great disrepair, but has been magnificently restored in the 20 years since. After taking photos we went through some outdoor courtyards with memorials to holocaust victims as well as heroes who saved the lives of many Jews. We took a quick trip through the Jewish Museum located on the same sight and then headed out with an increased appreciation for the history of the Hungarian Jews. We made our way toward the Danube and found Váci Utca – long known as the shopping street of Budapest (now a bit too focused on tourists). Andrew found a souvenir “secret box” and Lauren a new handbag and we browsed our way to the Great Market Hall at the end of the street. The market is enormous – like a train station inside and outside, with a main floor and a balcony level. Many of the stalls are very focused on selling to
John inside the Great Synagogue
Barely visible is the obligatory head-covering provided upon entrance. tourists, but many of the meat and produce shops clearly serve local residents. John identified some paprika to take home but Lauren was put-off by all the meat shops so we didn’t stay long and opted to have lunch elsewhere. We grabbed an Italian lunch at a nearby café and then walked down to and along the Danube back towards the Chain Bridge, continuing on to Parliament. The spectacular parliament building with its numerous Gothic spires is fun to walk around and view from many angles. Unfortunately, we hadn’t planned this out and had missed our opportunity for a tour of the interior so we made do with a walk around the outside. Afterwards, we set off to find Vörösmarty Tér and the iconic Gerbeaud Café with a stop to admire the lobby of the Gresham Palace (Four Season’s hotel). Part of our motivation for Gresham Palace was that Andrew really needed a bathroom stop. The adults were convinced that there was no obvious public restroom but, undeterred, Andrew identified the most likely corridor and charged off. He returned victorious and raving about how beautifully appointed the restroom was. We finished our walk to Vörösmarty Tér and enjoyed some fine
Andrew viewing the Tree-of-Life
This moving memorial in the back courtyard of the great synagogue has the names of some of the victims of the holocaust engraved on the leaves. Adjacent memorials commemorate those who helped holocaust victims. cakes at Gerbeaud before a subway ride back home. Following our traditional afternoon break, we picked out a restaurant and went back to the plaza by St. István’s Basilica. Café Kör has limited outdoor seating which was very appealing on this warm night. The hostess was quite happy to take our name for a table outside, so we headed back to the square with 30 minutes to explore. Sonia identified a young woman from our tour of the synagogue who appeared to be travelling alone and struck up a conversation which quickly passed the time. The outdoor table at Café Kör was worth the wait. The outdoor dining at twilight was lovely and the food was superb – by far the best we have had in Budapest. It was late by the time we finished dinner, so we headed home and to bed.
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Ioanna
non-member comment
That's it!
I *knew* the Ferry Building was missing something...