We arrived Wednesday in Budapest from Bratislava via train. The ride was 2.5 hours and the seats were the most uncomfortable seats I have encountered so far on this trip. Even the non air-conditioned train to Luxembourg had better seats. We took a walking tour the day we arrived so we could get a layout of the land.
Yesterday, we knew it would be hot and we also knew that the only real way to cool down is to go to a bath house. So we took the easiest/quickest bus ride to Széchenyi Thermal Bath. I don’t really get the appeal but I was thankful for the chance to be immersed in a body of water; I am a Pisces after all.
Later that day, we found a nice restaurant in the Jewish Quarter (the restaurant was called Cupoikas or something but specialized in meat, meat, meat) and then went to a ruin bar! You’re probably wondering what a ruin bar is (don’t worry, I didn’t know what it was either) but during the war, buildings were bombed. Instead of rebuilding, later generations decided they would make cool bars and thus you have, The Ruin Bar. We went to the most touristy one (Szimpla) but it was kind of fun looking at all of the decorations. I, of course, tried palinka which is a type of fruit flavored liquor. I like the apricot flavor. I might have liked it a little too much.
Today is our only real sightseeing day since Danielle goes back to America tomorrow morning. We wanted to see inside the biggest synagogue in Europe but it is closed on Saturdays. So we attempted to get tickets to see inside the Parliament building but they were sold out. Danielle: “I haven’t even seen our parliament building, why do I care so much to see this one?” Me: “We don’t even have a parliament.” You could tell neither of us was disappointed we didn’t get to go inside the building. The outside is gorgeous and reminds me of Westminster Abbey.
What we did see today was the Shoe Memorial (for lack of a better title). Time for a mini history lesson: Back when Hitler was trying to find alliances, Hungary was the first country to form an alliance with Germany. When WW2 was ending, and the Hungarian army knew they were losing, they rounded up as many Jews as they could for execution as one last push to eradicate the Jewish people. They tied people in pairs and made them take off their shoes (in a final act of humiliation) just before being shot and falling into the Danube. There is a memorial created in 2005 that symbolizes the people that lost their lives in this heinous act.
Tonight, we’ve booked a river cruise and will spend a relaxing evening packing up and heading our separate ways tomorrow. I will stay on in Budapest until Wednesday and then I’m flying to Country #24! I plan to be really lazy these next few days as I think I’ve seen enough of the tourist spots in Budapest. I’m more excited to eat McDonald’s with little to no judgment from a fellow American.
There She Goes... 