2geonomads

Saturday 25th April

Raining again!

Finally enjoy a superb at the iconic Gerbeaud cafe just round the corner from our hotel.

Looking thru window at Gerbeaud Cafe

Cookies Gerbeaud Cafe

Quick trip on the Metro to Heroes Square which was built in 1896 to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Magyars’ arrival in Hungary.

Main features of the square are the Millenium Monument and statues of 14 Hungarian leaders representing the nation’s history.

A short away over a bridge we find the vast City Park offering all manner of entertainment to the inhabitants of this beautiful city. Dominating the park are the Vajdahunyad Castle ( vaguely reminiscent of a fantasy Disneyland construction )and the Szechenyi Baths which is THE thermal spa in Budapest. We did not have time to join the hordes of Hungarians, of all shapes and sizes, trying out the various treatments  but the entrance hall to the baths is alone worth a visit. It occurs to me that spa visitors seem to be as oblivious of how they look as the hundreds of cyclists back home who happily don their Lycra. ( please folks Lycra is not for everyone ! )

Back on the Metro to see the very impressive and one has to say over-the-top Hungarian Parliament. Sadly tickets were sold out long before our arrival so we could not view what are apparently magnificent interiors but with its position overlooking the Danube it is one of the city’s main landmarks.

A little Over the Top!

The remainder of the day is spent on the Buda side of the Danube and the elevated position of the Old Town offers many superb panoramic views of the river and the Pest area of Budapest.

As by this time we are feeling the pangs of hunger we seek out a Cafe Ruszwurm which came recommended, again by the helpful Sofia at the hotel. Booked out so we had to make do with some very tasty fruit slices but NO COFFEE.

Buda contains some beautiful old buildings and seems to have escaped the ‘demolition disease’.

Matthias Church is Budapest’s most famous catholic church and it’s unique setting really defines the view of this Castle district. Murphy’s Law strikes again as the church is closed for , we think, a wedding, although as most of the guests are dressed in black. However, one pretty lady is in all-white so she is either insensitive to to the other mourners or the bride!

Mattias Church Buda

Other fine buildings include Sandor Palace, the Budapest History Museum and the National Gallery, all of which offer memorable vantage points from which to photograph the Pest area.

Budapest Police Car
& you thought they were cutting back on the Police Budget in Aus

Dance School performers in Buda

Return to Pest and take time out to quickly view the glorious Dohany Street Synagogue, Europe’s largest and the second largest in the world.

A quick change into more respectable clothes for a return to the wonderful Cafe Kor and another very enjoyable dinner with Steve and Anne. As we are in the first sitting and must be out shortly after 8 pm we only have a couple of hours to discuss politics and solve the world’s problems. The discussion is a success but the solution may require a little more work!

We exchange visiting cards and Steve, in spite of my boredom warnings, asked to become another follower of the Obese Ferret’s ramblings.

During our relatively short stay in this former Soviet satellite country  it has been fascinating to hear the current Russian Foreign Minister state frequently on TV that were the USA take any military action in Ukraine it would be considered an attack on the Russian Federation. His preposterous view was that Russia must protect all Russian citizens ( he means Ukraine citizens who speak Russian) from any aggression. This could set a very dangerous precedent and maybe we should be prepared for Mexican tanks to roll across the USA’s southern borders to protect all the Spanish-speaking Latinos in the case of any aggression against them from their American hosts.

There could also be similar action along Finland’s western border with Sweden where so many speak predominantly swedish.

You will probably find that my musings will become steadily more deranged as our long stay in Europe continues.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret