Coucou, les gens! For those of you who aren't caught up - WE'RE IN HUNGARY! And more specifically, Budapest, a place where new and eclectic meet historic in a strange but harmonious way. Situated on both sides of the Danube, this capitol city is flanked by the Buda Hills on the west and the Great Plains along the east. With little to no knowledge of Hungarian, we plan to get lost, find some Turkish baths, and get a feel for this peculiar Eastern European city! Prêt? Nous sommes! Allons-y! Hungary, a land locked sovereign nation in the Carpathian Basin with history dating back to 3 BCE, has a rich, perhaps overlooked, cultural heritage. It has roots from the Celts, Romans, Huns, Slavs, Gepids, and Avars, and was a huge power in Medieval times until the Turks took over the Hungarian lands and turned it into a part of the Ottoman Empire. After a power struggle, the Habsburg monarchy expelled the Turks and annexed the lands which some Transylvanian Princes rebelled against (but ultimately lost as Hungary remained in Austrian hands). It remained Austria-Hungary until the First World War, and in 1920 was stripped of two-thirds of it's territory due to the Trianon Treaty. Hungary's attempt to regain it's lands put it on the Axis Side of the Second World War, and in 1944 when it tried to negotiate a peace treaty, was invaded by Nazi Germany and put into control by the Fascist Arrow Cross Party (which led to the deportation of Jews from Hungary). In 1945, Soviet forces entered the country and liberated it from the Nazi's, but this happy event was short-lived when in 1947 the Soviet Union took complete control. After Stalin's death, a huge student-led rebellion broke out in 1956 and put Budapest in the centre of the fighting. More than 25,000 people died and the city was in ruins for the third time that century. However, Soviet control continued until 1990 when the Republic of Hungary was formally declared and democratic elections took place for the first time in decades. Now, 93% of Hungarians are ethnically Magyar, and their country is proud to broadcast their story (just see the list of museums we've been to!). DAY ONE: After a nightmare of a day getting here (our train tickets wouldn't print, our bla bla car fell through, the metro stopped working on our way to the bus, and our cab ride nearly got us late, butwe FINALLY boarded our transportation three minutes before it pulled out of the station. So, after that stressful situation, our first day in Budapest was necessarily slower than usual. We boarded a bus up to the neo-classical and gothic Mátyás-templom (Mattias Church) complete with mosaic-tiled roof and white stone walls. All the way up there on Castle Hill, we then explored Halászbástya (Fisherman's Bastion), an arcade (in more beautiful white brick) build along the Buda Hill overlooking the Danube river and Pest. We took in the view before hunger got the better of us (tip: bananas and yogurt aren't enough to compensate for breakfast AND lunch), so we opted for a market and vowed to return another day to finish off all that Castle Hill has to offer (including as you might expect - the castle). Next stop of the day was the Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum (Hungarian National Museum) where we got all our history cravings in one go. Here we learned that poor Hungary has been under siege a number of times, been ruled by the Habsburg's, then the Ottoman Empire, then back to the Habsburg's before Nazi Germany and then the Soviet Union (see overview of country history above). Needless to say, Budapest has seen some discretion in it's day. To end the day off, we stopped to get a favourite dessert of ours (which we originally found in Prague, but apparently Hungary, Germany, and the Czech Republic all call this their speciality) - the Kürtoskalács (Chimney Cake)! DAY TWO: This morning we decided to continue with the relaxing theme of our trip and head straight to the Széchenyi-gyógyfürdő (Széchenyi Thermal Bath), the largest medicinal baths in all of Europe, which are fed from natural springs. Located in the City Park, it was opened in 1903 and built in Neo-Baroque style with beautiful statues, columns, and more. With 3 outdoor and 15 indoor pools, suffice it to say that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. After we soaked up all the water we could, we stopped in to see the idyllic "pseudo-castle" of the Museum of Hungarian Architecture. Next stop, home for a quick lunch run and then headed off to the House of Terror. Formally opened in 2002, this museum is dedicated to honouring the victims and educating the public on the two horrible periods of Hungarian history: the Nazi Germany invasion and Soviet occupation during the twentieth century. There are very few words that can express the exhibit, but it is worth the visit. Well that's it for our first two days! So far Budapest has been captivating, and tomorrow we plan to tackle the castle, so check in later for an update on that!
- Jen Quote of the post: "When my father was born, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. When I was born, it was Lithuania. When I left, it was Hungary. It is difficult to say where I come from." - Elie Wiesel
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |