Budapest, Hungary

My trip home from Budapest on Saturday was uneventful - which is exactly what you strive for on a long-haul flight on-board an ancient 777 flying over water.  (I'm pretty sure this was the oldest Triple 7 in the entire Air France fleet.  Also, they kept running down the aisles to tell us to unbuckle our seatbelt while on the ground, because we were refueling and it was "dangerous".  I've done my fair share of traveling, and I have never, ever, ever heard of this?  But the food was phenomenal and they serve good red wine throughout the flight, so there are definite benefits to French airlines…)

It was so good to see my boys on Saturday night, even if JB made it clear that I could not just waltz in after 6 days and expect hugs and kisses.  He was not ready to forgive me for my absence until Sunday…

My jet lag is subsiding, although I still wake up very alert and refreshed at 4AM.  This is what it must feel like to be Martha Stewart. (She also wakes up at 4AM every day, I've read, to get her craft on.)

Unfortunately, I did not take as many pictures in Budapest as I would have liked. Primarily because I was there for work (and in meetings all day long), which meant my daily view was this:

Obviously could be worse!  But not nearly reflective of all the history in the city. The sun set around 3:45PM every day, which also made it difficult to capture (decent) shots.  But, never fear, "not many" pictures is still over a fifty.   So here we go...

I absolutely adore the Christmas markets in Europe, and the Hungarian ones did not disappoint.  The quality of food, drinks (hot wine), and crafts/art is beyond what we see in our normal US markets. Even the temporary booths are beautiful - wooden and decorated to the max.  It's like they set up a small village in the middle of the city square(s).

The food included lots of potatoes, sauerkraut, meats, meats, more meats, etc. Very typical.

The sausages below may have been the only thing that James would have eaten during the entire trip…

I didn't try these, but I believe they were Hungarian cinnamon rolls.  This dough was cooked rotisserie-style, then fried, then dipped in cinnamon sugar.  People carried around on sticks (and I'm kicking myself now for not trying one!)

I brought JB one of these hand puppets as a souvenir.  They were made in Hungary, and I saw them throughout Budapest in shops and markets.  JB really likes it - as does Enda.

The entire city is lit up throughout the evening.  It's hard to even describe how beautiful it is (much less capture in pictures) - it's quite overwhelming!

The Castle along the Danube

As I walked around the city one night, I accidentally stumbled upon the Parliament building. (I say "accidentally" as I was not quite sure where I was or where I was headed…and ended up here!)  It is breathtaking.

While taking pictures, I started to notice police.  More and more police.  Literally, there were hundreds of police lining up around the Parliament.  Although quite alarming, someone explained to me that there would be a protest later.  Sure enough, within minutes people started gathering with signs (against an internet tax) and speakers.  However, they were quite friendly and peaceful (you can see the tops of their heads below). Protests are pretty much daily and NBD around here, so I was told.

One day I ventured into a different part of the city for a meeting, and got stuck on this bridge.  Although not the original (it was destroyed during WWII), it was recreated after the war and beautiful.  I shot several pics by hanging out the cab (total tourist).

The castle, during the daytime

The one building I actually managed to enter all week was the St. Stephen's Basilica.  A beautiful (new-er) church, built in the early 1900s and (thankfully) not destroyed in the war.  They estimate nearly 50% of the city was destroyed in the war, so buildings in the city are a mix of older, newer, and replicates.

The Basilica also had a Christmas market!  More food and hot wine and crafts to explore!  Plus a laser light show on the Basilica facade on the top of every hour.

Nativity

Advent Wreath

On Friday I was able to cut out early and take an afternoon tour that focused on the communist period in Hungary (1948 - 1991).  It was fascinating, and I learned a lot of history about places I had walked by all week.  It was also my time to (legitimately) get out my camera and play tourist.

1950s street car

(Note the viszla puppy in the bank advertisement.  They are a Hungarian breed, and I saw quite a few of them in the streets and parks.  Made me miss my furry girl.)

Soviet Memorial (the only one not moved out of the city in the 90s) 

Emergency exit for a former Cold War bunker 

Imre Nagy, an instrumental figure in the 1956 uprising

There was a new memorial built near the Parliament this year that has caused quite a stir (and, thus, continual PROTESTS!)  The memorial is for all the victims of Hungary's German occupation during the war, but, to quote an European news outlet: Critics of the monument - which depicts Hungary as the Archangel Gabriel being attacked by a German imperial eagle - say it absolves the Hungarian state and Hungarians of their active role in sending some 450,000 Jews to their deaths during the occupation (source) 

So now, there is the original monument:

Along with the counter monument set up by protesters (both mirrors and pebbles with the names of Jews who were killed.)

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Budapest is a beautiful, interesting, and friendly city. When James and I discuss the dream trips on our bucket lists, it includes an Eastern European tour that hits up Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Croatia and Slovenia.  Maybe even a river boat cruise down the Danube.  This trip gave me a little taste of how great that trip would be (particularly if I could share all this beauty and history with my honey).  :)