Budapest, Day 2 | Tom McGee

April 20

A feature of Viking cruises is the excursions they offer. Some of them are a little bit fancy — day trips, fine restaurants, etc., things that cost extra — but every day they have at least one free one.

Today’s was the Panoramic Budapest bus and walking tour. We traveled around the Pest side a little, saw some of the famous shopping streets, the plaza of heroes, the biggest synagogue in Europe. Then we went over to the Buda side, where we travelled up to the top of Castle Hill. There’s a wonderful little neighborhood up there, wrapped around the castle and the church.

Typical homes in the residential area, dating back to the 17th century.

The walkway along the top is lined with cherry trees in bloom.

In an out-of-the-way alley, strudel made with cherries and poppyseeds. A different style than what we usually see. Delicious.

Me and Elyse on the Fishermen’s Bastion.

This church has been a lot of things over the centuries. The Nazis almost destroyed it and turned it into a field hospital. The communists closed and and made it off-limits for decades. Only in recent decades have the citizens of Budapest worked to restore it.

The raven holding a ring is a symbol of the empire.

The roof is made of a typical kind of porcelain tile. Very tough, very colorfast, very shiny.

It’s as though they hired a troupe of local artisans, gave them each a section and said “paint whatever kind of pattern you like, just use these colors!”

The altarpiece holds a replica of the royal crown.

These colors are typical of the local architecture.

We learned from some of the guides about Hungary’s tortured history, and it seems clear that when a civilization is captured by a tyranny it never forgets. We learned the same thing in Barcelona where not only is the fascist dictatorship of Franco still an open wound, even the oppression of the Spanish government in the 18th century is a current issue. We saw it a few years ago in Catalonia’s efforts to achieve independence.

Hungary most recently suffered under the brutality of the communist occupation, from Stalinism through what they called “Goulash Socialism.” The communists came to liberate Hungary, but they forgot to leave. Before that, the Nazis, who simply stole anything of value, and burned the rest. Before that being a very junior partner in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on the losing end of World War I. And nobody has forgotten anything.

A memorial

Here’s a Holocaust story. The shoe memorial is a simple arrangement of bronzed shoes, at the very edge of the river. It’s where the Nazis, in their haste to murder as many Jews as possible, simply lined them up on the bank and shot them into the river. But first, they had to remove their shoes and their coats. Shoes and coats were expensive. It’s a haunting site.

The Baths

The Buda side is riddled with hot springs. Hundreds of them. Just across the river from the boat is the very old Gellért Thermal Bath. More than 100 years old, it’s not a spa like we’ve seen in New Jersey or New York, but a simple collection of pools and saunas where people just go to hang.

Nighttime departure

The city of Budapest just glows after dark. We waved good-bye, but would love to come visit again.