Jesslyn and I split up for a few days while she and her dad explored more of Italy. I went to Budapest, Hungary where I met up with my sister Lynn and her husband Rob. It was great to be able to spend time with them for the 2nd time on our trip. Thank you guys for meeting up with me! To me it seems like Budapest is one of the cities that US travelers discovered only about a decade ago. Until 1989, Hungary was a communist country under Soviet "influence" since the end of WWII. It got the reputation as a popular destination for young backpackers and along with it a strong party scene. While it still has the party scene, it is a great city for anyone to visit.
Lynn and Rob
The first thing I noticed when I arrived was how grand the architecture is. The most impressive is the 3rd largest parliament building in the world. There are a few very old buildings dating back more than 600 years, but what you notice first are the classical ones from the 1800s and the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Many are well maintained and are quite picturesque, especially along the Danube river. But as you look more closely, there are many that are in serious need of renovation and even have bullet holes in them, from either WWII or the revolution in 1956. Interspersed among these 200+ year old buildings are square, gray, plain, concrete communist era structures. More than any city I've visited, the architecture tells the story of its long and varied history.
Parliament
We learned a lot from a general walking tour of the city. However, it didn’t cover the recent history, so we also took the communist walking tour. It was incredible to hear about what life was like under the communist system from someone who experienced it first hand. Life wasn't good, however, it seems as though it wasn't as bad in Hungary (after Stalin) as it was in some of the other eastern block countries which had iron fisted dictators. In the 1980s, there was still a lot of pro-communist, anti-west propaganda, one example of which, our tour guide showed us was what he called the communist version of Monopoly. You move ahead for working hard in the mines or field, or for ratting out your neighbors to the secret police. You move backwards for spreading western "propaganda", such as the dangerous idea of freedom of speech. In order to avoid a history lesson, let's move on to current culture (as I experienced it anyway).
Two things stand out in the current Budapest social culture; palinka and ruin bars. Palinka is a liquor made from fruit, typically plums, apricots, apples, pears, and cherries. It typically ranges from 40% to 70% alcohol (80 to 140 proof). It is consumed from a small glass in one gulp, otherwise known as a shot. I outgrew shots quite a while ago, but not wanting to be rude, I had a few. The problem with palinka is that it is quite smooth with a hint of fruit, nothing like doing a shot of whiskey or tequila. It’s a problem because it makes it too easy. Palinka got the best of Rob and me on 1 (OK, maybe 2) occasions. As Rob put it, we got “palinka’ed”.
The ruin bars are basically a bar in an old, run down building. A brilliant, economical idea; instead of spending loads of cash on renovating a space, just use it as is and make the dilapidation the selling point. It reminds me of Brooklyn where old factories and warehouses are being repurposed for restaurants and bars. Budapest was doing it first and has more interesting and historic buildings in which to do it. They are very cool, however a few have become a little too much of a tourist attraction. So, it may take a little effort to find the most ruinous of them.
Next up: Prague!
- Jake