Our trip from Vienna to Budapest, though not a long distance, took us a bit more time than expected due to a couple of transportation complications, but we arrived by mid-afternoon at an air-conditioned hotel! The City Hotel of Budapest was only the second place we’ve stayed that had ac, and I was not going to take it for granted. We made a quick turnaround at the hotel and headed out for orientation, money exchange, and a guided tour. Like most of the places we’ve been to, the dominant feature and starting point for the tour is a massive church. Stephen’s Basilica, named after the founder of Hungary in the year 1000, stands watch over central Budapest today and is one of the iconic picture locations in the city. A little bit later we came to another picturesque location, the Parliament building on the banks of the Danube River. This is the third largest Parliament building in Europe, ahead of London’s, and cuts an impressive figure! It was made entirely of Hungarian materials with the exception of some marble columns imported from Italy. The fact that it stands alongside one of the world’s great rivers, the Danube, makes it even more majestic. Only the Volga River in Russia is longer than the Danube in Europe and I’ll admit I was a little starstruck gazing upon it. We have a nightime river cruise scheduled for tomorrow night and I can’t wait!
Our tour took us through the Jewish Quarter of Budapest where we saw the largest Jewish synagogue in Europe, the Dohany Street Synagogue. It has a large cemetery in the rear of it and is home to a powerful monument to the Jews from Hungary killed during the Holocaust. The metal weeping willow tree is covered in leaves with inscriptions of victims on each one. We continue to be reminded in every country we visit of the scale of Nazi horrors throughout the whole continent of Europe. This once vibrant Jewish community contains only a fraction of the population it once held though recent efforts at revitalizing the district have had an impact. Though there aren’t as many Jews living here now, the restaurants, bars, and shops in the area have made it vibrant again and remind people of the jovial days of old in the Jewish Quarter.
Dinner tonight was in a neat, vintage tavern where I ordered a local favorite, the veal paprikash. Our leader, Izzy, continues to make great selections for dining experiences and this was another strong one! Our group is starting to feel the impending end of the experience together and these group meals are special to us all. It’s hard to believe we have already been together for two weeks, but it’s true. After dinner, a group of us wanted to experience something we had heard about several times today, a ruin bar. Many of the homes and buildings in the Jewish Quarter that were destroyed during WWII were not rebuilt but were also not demolished. They stood as reminders of what had taken place. Today, many of these hollowed-out structures are trendy, eclectic clubs today. Izzy took us to Szimpla Kertmozi, supposedly the most popular in the city, so we could see what it was all about. I realized quickly that I was too old for this crowd, but I was spellbound by the captivating scene all around me. It is hard to describe the place, but all throughout what used to be an apartment building and courtyard were masses of people dancing, drinking, and living it up! The club was decorated with a mixture of lights, graffiti, funky ’50s and ’60s era videos playing on screens, strobe and laser effects, and art of all types. It was sensory overload in every way! The crowd of young people was having a great time, but an hour of this was all I could handle. It was back to the hotel to rest for the final non-travel day of the trip tomorrow.
I knew things were coming to an end when I got up the next morning to a notification on my phone that it was time to check-in for tomorrow’s flight. There was not going to be time today to experience the famous thermal baths of Budapest, but I wanted to at least go see what they looked like. The first stop out of the cool 19th-century subway system was the Szechenji Baths. I found out that without paying, though, there wasn’t much to see so I walked through the nearby park, past a castle, and to Hero’s Square. This monument and plaza are dedicated to the fourteen individuals who have had the biggest impact on Hungary’s history. After exploring and taking some pics, I headed back to the city center. Several locations were intriguing to me including what was once a Soviet War Memorial from the old Eastern Bloc days. The red star was removed from atop the column after 1989, but it remains a reminder of the Communist era in Hungary. Nearby, interestingly enough, is a statue of President Ronald Reagan. He is credited with bringing about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War and many cities in Central Europe have parks, streets, and monuments dedicated to him. I couldn’t pass up a chance to get a pic with my favorite president!
Yet another reminder of the worldwide disaster that was the Holocaust was found on the banks of the Danube. Not far from the Parliament building, there is a stretch of riverbank lined with iron pairs of shoes. This is the site where Hungarian Jews were lined up and shot, their bodies falling into the Danube. Before being killed, they were ordered to remove their shoes since they could be resold for profit by the perpetrators. The monument to this massacre is subtle and could be completely missed if you weren’t looking for it, but its impact is real and substantial. There is a concerted effort across Europe to remember the past, even tragedy, so it is not forgotten or repeated. It is not difficult to understand why.
Next up for me was a walking tour of Buda Castle. I had not been across the Danube to Buda so I was excited to check it out. The part of the city I had been in so far was Pest, a broad, flat plain where the majority of the city is. The Buda side is a rocky and rugged terrain on top of which sits Buda Castle. The most heavily traveled bridge across the river, the Chain Bridge, was closed for repairs, so I had to take a long way around. Regardless, I made it in time for the tour which began in front of Matthias Church. The nearby Fisherman’s Bastion provides maybe the most popular picture backdrop in the city so we lingered there while everyone got their shot. It is named for the fishermen who used to live along the bluff and for the popular fish market that used to take place in the plaza in front of the church. Claudia, our guide, then took us into the castle complex, and yet again it proved to be more of a palace than a castle. Like nearly every prominent city we’ve been through on this journey, the Hapsburgs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were responsible for most of the construction of these massive fortified palaces. Today, the site houses the Hungarian government including the houses the president and prime minister live in which are side by side. Parliament meets across the river from the complex, but it is all situated very close together. The tour concluded high above the river in front of the palace at an overlook where a person can see all of Pest across the Danube.
Dinner tonight was bittersweet because we knew it would be our last supper so to speak. We gathered at Korhely’s for another great traditional Hungarian meal and to share our sentiments with the others in the group. Izzy began by sharing some heartfelt words about our time together and we each took turns doing the same. It was a touching moment and really encapsulated the bond that a group of people can form in a short period of time. We had one last group outing planned though, so it wasn’t over yet! The nighttime Danube River cruise was maybe the thing I had looked most forward to and it was time to load the boat. We met the boat near the Elizabeth Bridge and boarded for our cruise. The nighttime sky was mostly clear with a bright 3/4 moon and all along the river the buildings were illuminated in a magical scene. As we floated past Parliament and Buda Castle, the bath houses and bridges, it struck me how fitting this end to the trip was. The beauty and history combined with the wonder of it all appropriately encapsulated this adventure for me. What a time this has been! I’ve been to 6 countries, utilized 5 currencies, traveled on every type of public transportation, walked over 150 miles, and have a new appreciation for ice in drinks and air conditioning in hotels. It’s hard to wrap my head around all that I’ve seen and discovered and I’m truly thankful for the opportunity to embark on this grand pursuit. Thank you Europe!
Bill and Jeff's Historical Travel Blog 
Budapest is one of my faves. Thanks for the memories!
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