We learned early on as we studied for our trip that Budapest was made up of two local areas divided by the Danube, Buda and Pest. We also learned this morning on our tour there are two types of people who live in Budapest, those who live in Buda and those who want to live in Buda. I guess every town has a good side, I’m glad south Jackson was the good side.
It’s been difficult to find adjectives and write descriptions of the cities we’ve been visiting to express the beauty and grandeur without sounding “broken record”, and I’m having a similar issue with Budapest, but different. We see opulence as not yet seen and we see poverty as not yet seen. It may have been in the cities we’ve visited but we’ve not seen it. In Pest its hard to miss the fact the city has found it difficult to overcome the Soviet control and Communistic history of its past.
Horse with the Golden Gonads, I don’t make it up, I just report it. Tradition says, ladies who rub the GGs get a wish that comes true. Difficult time getting Pam to move on.
The mid 1950s seems to be a time of revolt and new found independence and reunification for European countries living under the influence of Communism or former Axis occupation. There are exceptions, Berlin for one, but the Hungarian Revolt of 1956 saw a student protest group being fired upon by Russian troops and the actions evolved into a full-scaled Hungarian people’s revolution. Didn’t work out. Russians used overwhelming force to put down the uprising and independence wasn’t secured until 1989. I asked our attractive young Hungarian guide to verify that 1989 was the correct date that Communism was overcome and she replied, “it hasn’t happened yet.” That’s a little what the city is making us feel.
We will be spending the next several days here and hope to learn more and share more about this very interesting city. Jim
