BUDAPEST
It is impressive sailing into Budapest! First we see the
Parliament Building featured in most pictures of Budapest. Further
on are the castle buildings including Matthias Church.
It was renovated when Art
Nouveau was the rage. The detailed, somewhat oriental detail and soft colors
add to the appeal. Every inch is painted with a design, but it blends
beautifully to create an impressive & reflective mood. We toured there, saw
the view from The Fisherman’s Bastion and castle area, and then stopped at Café
Miro for plum cake and strudel. Our guide barely took a breath in her
commentary, packing it with interesting comments. One quip was that, now that
Hungary is in NATO, Americans better watch out as Hungary is always on the
losing side of each war.
They
do not wish to use the Euro and ride the fluctuations, but hold onto their
Florints. Another new fact was that their language has 44 characters instead of
our 26, yet it is spelled phonetically, with each word having only one meaning.
We passed the house where the popular King Matthias imprisoned the highly
unpopular Dracula.
Hungary is slightly larger than Indiana. It is surrounded
by: Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Slovenia. The
guide observed that each country that came to Hungary’s rescue, forgot to
leave! Russia is one example. The failed 1956 uprising against the Russians is
remembered by Mike who was introduced to a number of “freedom fighters” at
Gonzaga Prep when he was a Sophomore. He was part of a group that showed them
around Spokane, listening with fascination to their stories of rifles fighting
tanks.
On the other side of the Danube, Pest sits below
with its more commercial vibe. We had a bus tour with a view of the largest
Synagogue, several churches (Hungary remains a majority Catholic country) and
Millennium Square. People were ice skating on a pond in City Park. The famous
Heroes Square commands our attention.
Budapest
is stately, imposing, proud. Although its territory has been diminished by
conquerors from the Turks to the Habsburgs of Austria, it retains an elegance.
Does it ever show off at night! The Parliament, Castle Buildings, Churches, and
Christmas lights are shimmering and glorious!
As
we enjoyed a performance of folk songs, traditional dance, and gypsy music, we
sailed past these glittering buildings. A fourth grade choir sang Hungarian
Christmas carols. They were disciplined and angelic, then nearly ran to the
juice and cookies awaiting them as a gift for their songs. We sang Jingle Bells
together.
We
braved the cold and headed for the sundeck to get a last panoramic view of the
city at night.
There
is a warm feeling with this ship crowd inspiring some heartfelt goodbyes and
new friendships.
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