Hello friends! I'm back from my vacation and feeling relaxed and rested - and HOT! Geneva has been hitting some super high temperatures this week, and so I was welcomed home with a wave of 95 degree heat and the slow realization of what it is like to live without air conditioning. It's sweaty :(
Anyway, I just flew back from Italy earlier this morning, and in the coming days, I will have plenty to share about the trip to Rome and the Amalfi coast! But first, I must tell you a little bit about the two days that I spent in Budapest!
I went to Budapest to meet up with Jill, Michael, Joan, and David. They had been in Eastern Europe doing some family vacationing / genealogy adventuring, and they were kind enough to let me tag along on a few days of their trip!
Increasingly, I find myself really fascinated by cities in Eastern Europe. There is such a rich history that isn't as familiar to me, and I love coming to this part of the continent. Budapest, like many other European cities, centers around a river - the Danube. One side of the city is the Buda side, and the other side is Pest. We stayed on the Pest side, but we managed to get around to both ends of the city during our two days.
We also visited the House of Terror museum, which was recommended on the Rick Steves podcast that I listened to on my flight over. The way I understood it, the museum depicted persecutions in Hungary, most prominently due to the fascist and communist regimes. I learned about the Arrow Cross, which I had never even heard of before, and I found it interesting that the museum itself was housed in the same building where some of these tortures and killings took place. Upon leaving the museum, I thought it was interesting, but nothing really stood out in my mind as strange or off, but I later learned that there is quite the controversy about this museum, as some people think that it is simply a political propaganda machine.
Other bits of the Pest side that we explored included the opera house and the basilica.
Our second day in Budapest, we had a Jewish tour of the city. Our guide, Aggie, was super friendly and took us around to various Jewish memorials and sites, explaining a lot about the city's history and the history of Jews in Hungary. A lot of the sites that she showed us are a bit controversial, as it seems (to me) that Hungary has never really reconciled what happened as part of World War II in their country and to their people. Perhaps it was because I was on a Jewish tour, but I noticed a very strong difference in the way things were talked about, depicted, and remembered in Hungary than in Germany or Poland.
After an enlightening, but depressing, day, Jill, Michael, and I took a sunset cruise on the Danube. The views were spectacular, and it was a good way to end our time in Budapest!
Anyway, I just flew back from Italy earlier this morning, and in the coming days, I will have plenty to share about the trip to Rome and the Amalfi coast! But first, I must tell you a little bit about the two days that I spent in Budapest!
I went to Budapest to meet up with Jill, Michael, Joan, and David. They had been in Eastern Europe doing some family vacationing / genealogy adventuring, and they were kind enough to let me tag along on a few days of their trip!
Reunion on the Danube
Increasingly, I find myself really fascinated by cities in Eastern Europe. There is such a rich history that isn't as familiar to me, and I love coming to this part of the continent. Budapest, like many other European cities, centers around a river - the Danube. One side of the city is the Buda side, and the other side is Pest. We stayed on the Pest side, but we managed to get around to both ends of the city during our two days.
We started our first day at a market - I ended up getting some Hungarian paprika to take home!
Controversial terror
We also visited the House of Terror museum, which was recommended on the Rick Steves podcast that I listened to on my flight over. The way I understood it, the museum depicted persecutions in Hungary, most prominently due to the fascist and communist regimes. I learned about the Arrow Cross, which I had never even heard of before, and I found it interesting that the museum itself was housed in the same building where some of these tortures and killings took place. Upon leaving the museum, I thought it was interesting, but nothing really stood out in my mind as strange or off, but I later learned that there is quite the controversy about this museum, as some people think that it is simply a political propaganda machine.
Other bits of the Pest side that we explored included the opera house and the basilica.
Our second day in Budapest, we had a Jewish tour of the city. Our guide, Aggie, was super friendly and took us around to various Jewish memorials and sites, explaining a lot about the city's history and the history of Jews in Hungary. A lot of the sites that she showed us are a bit controversial, as it seems (to me) that Hungary has never really reconciled what happened as part of World War II in their country and to their people. Perhaps it was because I was on a Jewish tour, but I noticed a very strong difference in the way things were talked about, depicted, and remembered in Hungary than in Germany or Poland.
Remembering
Ronald Reagan!
The square with all the government buildings was absolutely beautiful.
Strolling the Danube
This waterfront exhibit was really powerful.
Aggie told us that in some cases, three or four people were tied together, but only one of them was shot in order to save bullets. The rest drowned alive in the Danube.
The Holocaust Memorial Center is a bit outside of the city center, but it was well worth a visit!
We also spent some (less somber) time on Castle Hill on the Buda side.
This view was "number one plus"!
Sabich.. yummy!
Beautiful synagogue
After an enlightening, but depressing, day, Jill, Michael, and I took a sunset cruise on the Danube. The views were spectacular, and it was a good way to end our time in Budapest!
Listening to the audio guide
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