Budapest!!! What a great city! So glad we did not skip it. Mandi and I had been told if you have visited Prague then you have seen Budapest without the bullet holes. Well, FYI they are not the same city and we are greatful we went. Of course we have to have an experience in each city and this time it was my turn. When we arrive it is late again and our previouse experience in the Budapest was a eight our layover so we were not excited about going back. Well, we get there and have to find the metro and as all European cities we have visited the city is under construction so we have to leave the train station to find the metro (most cities have both in the same station). Luckly we find the metro easily and the station is not welcoming as the German stations but the metro works so lets get on it (we learn later Budapest opted to keep the metro as original as possible since they were one of the first to have a metro). I then find myself by GOLIATH, oh my goodness! I have never seen somone so tall. I could not look up to see his face. I could barely see over his beltbuckle=0O. Mandi on the other hand said he was very cute. I decided then and there I needed to get a better traveling hat, it is difficult to take anyone seriously wearing a monkey hat. Dont get me wrong, I love my monkey hat but with a large backpack and a monkey hat I draw unneeded attenion. I heard one man say "hey, camper need a ride." More attention than we need. Especially if Mandi and I do not have our ques down.
Well, we were so blessed to be in Budapest during the Christmas season. The city was decorated in lights, people dressed as Santa were giving out candy and Saint Stephens Vasilica had a great music and light show. Mandi and I did our regular free tour and we had a great guide who walked our feet and butt off (Mandi and I made the mistake the day before saying we need to walk more steps and we got our wish). After walking thru Pest we walked over the chain bridge to Buda then got our wish and walked up the steps to the palace that is no longer a palace. We learned that most of Budapest was destroyed during WWII and many people starved not because of the Allies but becasue they were unprepared and uninformed. The leaders were embarresed they had told the people to not be concerned they war would not be in Budapest but not even a week later the Russians were at their door. The Hungarians trusted their goverment so they were out buying Christmas gifts the same day the Russians took control of Buda (the wealthy side of town). If it were not for those in Buda callling their family and friends in Pest they would have been in just as much when the Russians came over the river. The river Danub is great especailly at night on an evening cruise with a light snow. Mandi and I had a great time looking at the sites without having to walk them again. =) It was also nice staying in the warm ship watching the snow fall.
Finally, we visited the Synagogue. We took a small tour and learned the Jewish people from Budapest wanted to be more like the Hungarians (so we learned there are three types of Jewish people, liberal, conservative and those in the middle) so thier Synagogue is built to look more like a church. Did not help them during the genoside. There is now a mass grave in what was once a courtyard where the Russians had to bury the decaying bodies when they took the city. There were several memorials at the back of the Synagogue a willow tree, a stain glass window and marble
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