The Liberty Statue or Freedom Statue is a monument on the Gellért Hill. It commemorates those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary.
Hungary proved to be an interesting country to visit although we were not expecting great hiking venues. Our aim was to pass through from Croatia on our way to Slovakia via Austria, a bit out of the way but for a good reason. We spent a day resting following a tough period of hiking in Croatia, and another two walking the region surrounding Lake Balaton. We then moved off to a fascinating city, Budapest, where we spent a few days exploring the city on foot as well as enduring a tough hike, an hour north of the capital. We suppose one could spend years in the city and still only see a fraction of it.
Driving in Budapest is a bit tough as it is busy, has many narrow streets and most of the time does not allow motorists to make left turns across the traffic flow. We see the logic in it but it takes getting used to. The drivers, as in many East European countries, are aggressive. Italy was a good training ground for us. We mentioned our various parking experiences in an earlier blog so we'll skip ahead. We stayed in an apartment which gave us a good feel for city life. It proved once again why we prefer country life or small town living, by a wide margin. One evening, after parking the car in a side-street, we headed for our apartment. As the sun sets at about 9:30pm in summer, it was already dark and so the time was closer to 10pm, probably later. Each apartment has a door with a few locks while the building has a single central door with an electronic lock.
We arrived at the door and immediately sensed trouble. The screen of the lock was flashing, never a good thing with computers. Even worse was the assortment of letters stating 'Error message'. This meant we could not gain access to the interior of the building and take the equivalent of a 6-storey walk. What to do? Our back-up plan was to sleep in the car. It was a plan but not a very attractive one. Meantime, we tried calling to tenants whose windows were open. The first person we noticed peering from her room immediately closed the window. This did not instill much confidence or comfort. I never realized the effect Jenni has on people. Long story short. After about twenty minutes, a young man returned home and we walked in with him. It was indeed a good feeling. I'm not one to kiss males but in his case, I would have made an exception.
The border crossing from Croatia into Hungary was interesting, Slovenia to Croatia, too. For us, it re-lived in our imagination, what it might have been like in the Communist days. The border police officer approached our car, looking exactly like a character depicted in older movies. His uniform, especially the flattened grey cap, was almost clown like. We've noticed that traveling within western Europe, border crossings that is, are quite informal. Although many countries in the east are within the EEC, there's still much formality. As an aside, last year, we went hiking in Slovenia. On our return, we found the major pass closed, ten minutes from our apartment. The alternative route was via Italy, nearly a two-hour trip. We did not have passports with us but because the border was 'unmanned', it was not a problem. I fear to think what would have occurred in different border-control circumstances.
Back at the post, we sat waiting in the car for about ten minutes. The officer returned without our passports. When we pointed this out to him, he went back to the booth. Upon returning, with a slight smile, he said, "Ah! You are Jeffrrrey!" Now what. "And you are Jenniferrr". Now what again. He handed over our passports and displaying his 'American influence' prominently, bid us,
"Have a nice day!"
Along the Danube River, which flows through ten countries.
Széchenyi Chain Bridge.
Early evening as we witness a high-occupancy region.
"Big wheel keep on turning...proud Buda keep on burning..."
The place where the 'inmates' (as in all countries) think they are 'big wheels', parliament, a magnificent structure.
More density.
Buda Castle.
A region outside the city, we prefer...'strangely, enough'. Not a 'Stairway to Heaven' but a start.
After all, this is a hiking blog.
Old steeples in the front, modern towers at rear.
Largest synagogue in Europe. Jenni could not capture much of it on her small camera. Would have stepped in but it was 'full'.
Parliament on the Danube. Now that's the Blue Danube. (Fascinating scene.)
Dignified.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
