"My Granny barely escaped the Nazis when they came to her house one night" recalls Zsolt, a lifelong Hungarian native. Barely 29 years old and of Jewish descent, he shares his grandmother's story with me. "She was lucky that she had a broken leg and was bedridden". The Nazis had been conducting systematic house searches, rounding up able bodied Jews to be sent to hard labor camps. Since she had a doctor's certificate, they bypass her as they continue to search the home. "Meanwhile, my Great-Granny was crouched inside a wardrobe hiding for three hours until they finally left," Zsolt continuing his story.
More than seven decades later, Hungary is again enjoying freedom and capitalism as we know it for the past 30 years. Budapest is thriving and fast changing. Mass tourism is inevitable so if you want to experience the city while it's still a bit rough around the edges, you'll need to visit soon. At first, Budapest might be a bit difficult to digest for some. It's huge. It's gritty. But once you figure out what you came here to see and learn, and how to navigate the excellent public transit, it's eye opening if nothing else. Outside the capital, the surrounding countryside and towns are lovely and enjoying a booming industry of wine growing, wine making, tourism, and of course lots of natural hot springs.
Zsolt's Granny survived both the Nazi occupation and the Soviet party, which immediately followed until communism fell apart in 1989. Strangely enough, Granny preferred the communist days, when people had jobs and socialism provided a sense of security and equality. By contrast to today's post communist era, the capitalistic view works on the premise that hard work is only the beginning toward success. Zsolt's parents on the other hand, who experienced pre and post communism, views the post-communist era (after 1989) as the brighter future. I use the term "strangely" because as an American, I can easily become jaded in what I view as comfortable in my own world. It's not until you decide to open up, listen, and engage with others that you realize your way is not the only way.
The vast Parliament building with its hulking dome was built in 1896 when Hungary's territory was much larger. Its territory has shrunken through wars and is now only 1/8 utilized.
Inside - Members of Parliament meets here. Check out the ornate Neo-Gothic interior.
Do you want to take a stab of what this is? These cigar holders were installed after the Parliament was built. They're located in the hallway outside the meeting room but they didn't put it there for health reasons. They're outside because they didn't want the paintings inside ruined by smoke. Because the cigars look alike, number placards were later added to reduce accidentally retrieving someone else's stogies.
Budapest used to be two separate cities: Buda and Pest, divided by the Danube River. This view is taken from the more quiet and hilly Buda side looking over to the flat, urban and commercial Pest side.
For architecture aficionados, you'll find a gamut of styles from Neo-Renaissance to Nouveau and more. This façade is intricately carved wood.
More architectural wonders.
Hungary is landlocked but this used to be the maritime administrative building.
Check out the Neo-Renaisance style inside the Hungarian State Opera House. You can buy really cheap tickets for as little as 2 euros! Half of the stage is out of view but you'll still hear the same piece as the person sitting in the 100+ euro seats. We enjoyed an opera - "Carmen" in Hungarian.
Famous for growing paprika, locals say that to make authentic Hungarian dishes such as goulash, you must use HUNGARIAN paprika.
Along with myriad of buses and metro, nifty tram systems like this one will zip you across sprawling Budapest in no time. The #2 Tram takes you for a nice joy ride along the river as a side bonus.
A day trip took us down the Danube River to a sleepy town about 45 minutes away. Across the river on the right is the country of Slovakia, which used to be part of Czechoslovakia before the breakup.
This is the Tree of Life in courtyard of the Great Jewish Synagogue. The silver leaves have inscription of names to honor some of the Jews who lost their lives during the Nazi occupation.
Budapest has unique bars called Ruin Pubs. Ruin Pubs thrive in courtyards of once abandoned buildings and furnished with flea market like décor and ramshackle furnishings. Popular and lively, the crowds get younger as the night turn into the wee morning hours.
The most popular and infamous is the Szimpla Bar.