2010 Trip: Budapest Day 2

18th May 2010

Today the weather was still pretty bad, even the locals were complaining! Firstly, I headed south to a find a bookshop near the synagogue I visited yesterday. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the book I was looking for, their website had lied; maybe it is just my ability to understand Magyar (Hungarian) that is lacking.

After this, I wandered through the old Jewish quarter behind the synagogue, trying to spot signs of the 1944-45 ghetto. Unfortunately, most of the traces have long since disappeared.

I made my way to Andrassy ut, a long boulevard that runs through the centre of the city. Here, I stopped first at the House of Terror, a museum in the same building that was the headquarters of the Nazi (Arrow Cross) and Soviet secret police in Budapest. It is a very well put together exhibition with lots of well presented information and primary source material. During the Cold War the Soviets kept files on over 1 million Hungarians, thousands were deported to the gulags in Siberia, and many were executed in the building itself. Quite sobering, as one would expect.

Some of the interesting scenes in the museum included the central courtyard were a blackened Soviet tank sat on a pyramid of blackened water and steel, surrounded by images of the victims of the regime. Another room featured a massive carpet that was a map of the entire soviet block and you can pace you way from Budapest in the West all the way to the Pacific Ocean in the East. Many rooms also had primary video footage of the events, which was very interesting.

Following this, I headed along Andrassy ut, stopping for lunch at Napfenyes Etterem, where I had a pancake, filled with a curry mixture, crumbed and fried. Rather heavy, but very nice. They also had an exquisite salad bar. Thank you, Sarah, for the recommendation! I continued down to the end of the boulevard, to Heroes' Square. Here, I enjoyed visiting the sumptuous Fine Arts Museum, with a great Roman and Etruscan exhibition, a newly renovated Egyptian exhibition, and very fine Baroque work. They were hosting the opening of the new exhibition that evening, and the central rooms were all bedecked with finery, including a very ornate silver service.

After this, it was heading towards evening. I headed into the park at the head of the boulevard and to the Szechenyi Baths. A sumptuous building housing a selection of the indoor and outdoor baths that Budapest is famous for. The outdoor baths, at 28C, 34C and 38C are surrounded with statues of naked angels and Roman goddesses. People lounge in the water and many of the locals also play chess in the pool itself (on stone tables of course). Inside various saunas, steam rooms, tepidariums, caldariums, and even tubs of ice grace the surrounds. They also have massage facilities, gym, etc. You name it… For security, one is provided with an RFID wrist band to provide entry and access to a locker.

I inadvertently met up with some of the others staying at our hostel, one of them, Jason and I grabbed a late dinner at the Hummus Bar before returning to the hostel. He is travelling from Leeds to Australia pretty much overland. Sounds like a fun trip! Anyway, goodnight everyone!