Búdapest by Day and by Night

We went on another food tour on Thursday June 5. The food was good, but the most interesting part was the guide, Zoltan. We started out at the Opera House

We stayed in the shade in front of the building while the rest of the group gathered

Overhead we saw

Across the way, we saw what used to be the Ballet

Next to the building, on either side was a sphinx

When our guide Zoltan arrived, he took us inside the opera house.

According to Wikipedia: “Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most prolific and influential composers of his era, and his piano works continue to be widely performed and recorded.” Also, as Zoltan pointed out, we should have all been aware of him before, as his name is the name of the airport we all arrived through.

Our food tour consisted of, besides us, a mother from Arizona and her son who just graduated from high school, and a young couple and older man from Sidney, Australia. On our way to our first stop for strudel, we saw this Harry Potter shop.

Postal Savings Bank “Bees on the Roof”

The Hungarian people regard George HW Bush as a person who helped end the Cold War, both as president and vice president

Ronald Reagan, hero of the Hungarian people. Whatever we may think of him, Reagan was instrumental in bringing an end to the Soviet Union, and freeing Hungary from Soviet control.

Marzipan Parliament at the Chocolate Museum

Hungarian state treasury

The Buda Castle across the Danube River

Gail and Cathy before Parliament

Parliament

Gail and Cathy before the bronze equestrian statue of Count Gyula Andrássy in front of Parliament

An arch near our Airbnb

We decided to go to the Buda side for dinner to see the illuminated Parliament. We took the Chain Bridge across.

Another view of the Chain Bridge.

After dinner, here we are with the lighted Parliament

Here we all are.

Liberty Bridge

This day’s adventure revealed how little I know about Hungary. I hadn’t realized it had been around since the 9th century. I hadn’t realized it was once the largest country in central Europe. For me, Hungary was just one of the many states in the Soviet Union, not really distinguished from the other countries. Zoltan, who was just 10 years younger than I, had lived through many changes in his country. As much as I despair over the corruption in our country, Hungary is much more corrupt. But it is also a country of great beauty, and a long history.