Budapest 2
Trip Start
Nov 14, 2008
1
46
102
Trip End
Feb 26, 2009
Budapest,
Hungary
Monday, December 29, 2008
A local guide took us around the city to some pretty decent places. First up was Heroes Square, the centre of Budapest, where everything that ever happens in the city happens. Next was Castle Hill, again with magnificent city views, but this time at a time of day where we could actually see the photos. We saw Fishermans Bastion which I can't really describe, and there was a guy busking with a falcon.
Budapest Great Synagogue
This is the biggest synagogue in Europe and, like Sydney's Great Synagogue, was not designed by a Jew, which perhaps explains why its interior is so nice. I did this one on my own. Its very ornate and can hold up to 3,000 people sitting at a time. The guide told us that before the war, Jews made up 23% of Budapest - yet 55% of Budapest's lawyers, and 78% of its doctors!! The Synagogue had been destroyed, but rebuilt the way it originally looked. We were then taken to the Jewish Museum, where an elderly Jewish guide showed us the traditional items used by Jews in their daily life and festivities, which was a waste of time for me as the only Jew in the group.
I walked along to the Parliament building, designed to look like Westminster Palace in London, which it mimicked quite successfully. I never knew that Budapest, with Buda and Pest on different sides of the river, has such a rivalry between its two areas. It's not like when we pay North Shore people out about living in the bush, but these guys have sayings like: "There are two types of people in Budapest - those who live in Buda, and those who wish they live in Buda".
Danube cruise
The cruise tonight was a lot nicer than the Prague one, perhaps as its our Contiki farewell. The buffet dinner was great, incl. soup with paprika and chicken curry, and we had quite a few included drinks, which didn't nearly have the effect of the absinthe Tow shared around. It was really sad to say goodbye to the people, fortunately Vicki gave us each a sheet with every one's name and email address so we can keep in contact. I spent much of the night with Nick, who studies law at Macquarie Uni and is a good friend of Anita.
Even more karaoke
For the fifth time! Rachael and I did "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, with the woest backing track I've ever heard for karaoke. Kate and I later did Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love", but it was the 12-minute version so my stage fright started kicking in. Mich fit in three songs - by Spice Girls, Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms without Playstation Singstar, it's hard for me to sing alongside someone without feeling the need to beat them. The place cost 500 Forands entry ($4), and with this we were given vouchers for 3 beers. Go figure - some Hungarians just haven't adjusted to capitalism.
