Day 9: The Real Budapest

This is one of a series of entries from my travel journal chronicling my recent trip to Europe. You can click here for the archived entries.

Day 8 (Part II) | Day 10

Budapest photo gallery.

Cafe Kör, Budapest, Hungary 14/06/08

Now today we are experiencing the Real Budapest! We found the metro and took it into the Pest city center. Budapest is actually comprised of Buda and Óbuda (Old Buda) on the western bank of the Danube River and Pest on the eastern bank. We've been walking around checking out some buildings - some of which are impressive architecturally, including Szent Istfán Bazilika (Saint Stephen's Basilica). The flavor of cosmopolitan Pest is truly Parisian, finally justifying Budapest's universal epithet. We found Cafe Kör, mentioned in The Lonely Planet, and sat outside to take some refreshment. After some mineral water and a local beer - Dreher, a tasty lager - we're off for more.

St. Stephen's is unbelievable. Just incredibly ornate - a lot of gilded work inside, domed roofs, alcoves off the main area set aside for the worship of individual saints. Packed with tourists from Asia, Europe, and America. Quite an amazing site - finished in the 19th century, although I had guessed it was much older. Beautiful architecture. I lit a candle and made a donation - a little good will for the chance of divine influence on my behalf never hurt. The plaza outside the basilica is quite nice (although there is a boxy, fairly hideous office building breaking up the otherwise pleasing visual). And as I write this here on the steps of Szent Istfán's the bell in the tower tolls out midday.

The beautiful fin de siècle architecture and numerous cafes in the upscale, tourist-friendly city center are entirely incongruent with the eerie oppressiveness of the ugly concrete monstrosities of Warsaw Pact-era Budapest. Budapest is a curious juxtaposition of Western and Eastern Europe. Once a popular destination for Western Europeans, Budapest became closed off to liberal civilization for years under the weight of Soviet influence, to once again become a major tourist destination after the collapse of the Communist system. Hungary had a rough time of it in the 20th century, having been on the losing side of both World Wars, coming under the heel of the Soviets (who crushed resistance with a massive military invasion during the 1956 Revolution) and has only been a democracy for the last 20 years. One can still see bullet holes pockmarking the walls of older buildings all around the city - permanent reminders of the violence.

Now we are off to catch a shuttle bus to Lajosmizse for a wedding!