The morning
train to Hungary took a little over three hours (a little confusing as it was
listed as going to Belgrade) and I arrived at Flow Hostel just after lunch.
This hippy-style 3rd floor apartment hostel consists of 2 rooms with
bunks that look like they’ve been carved out of tree-trunks, brightly coloured
walls and quirky decorations like the cheese-grater light covers. It was a
lovely change from some of the massive hostels that I’ve been in lately, which
come across as somewhat soulless and more like cheap hotels than hostels. I had
a coffee with the hostess on the balcony overlooking the city in the warm sun before changing into cooler clothes to hit the sweltering heat of the city below.
I started my tour at the “Terror House” on Andrassy Ave, made infamous as the headquarters by both the
Nazi Arrow Cross and later the Communist Secret Police. It was a very sobering visit, from the tank that crouched
toadlike at the foot of the light well surrounded by a four-storey wall
decorated by the faces of “victims” to the videos of Nazis and concentration
camps, to the harrowing accounts of the communist “horror 50s” and those who
were arrested and sent to gulags, and finally ending with the reconstruction of
the prison and torture cells. I finally emerged into the blinding sun and
managed to purge my soul with a walk past parliament and across the chain
bridge, then down to the green bridge and back via Vaci utca and the
supermarket. Whew!
I started the
day with another free walking tour, which was a great 2.5hours filled with
interesting facts and anecdotes about Budapest from a local guide. It was also where I randomly ran into an Argentinean guy from the walking tour in Bratislava – it really is a small world! We
started off in Vorosmarty Square and passed the chainlock tree on the way to
Elizabeth Square and St Stephen’s Basilica, where the “Szent Jobb” mummified
hand is preserved hanging from the rafters of the church. It is said to have come from a man who tried to steal something from a Madonna Statue, whcih then grabbed his hand, and the only way he could be released was to have it chopped off. We then passed Parliament and crossed the
Chain Bridge before climbing up Castle Hill to, ironically, not a castle but a
Palace, where a policeman’s band was playing. We saw a section of wall with
bullet holes remaining from the war, and an old Soviet-era car that people
would wait 15-20 years to own. We were also shown the correct way of scaling
the horse statue of Andra’s Hadik in order to touch the horse’s testicles for
luck. I have to deal with enough testicles in my line of work so decided not to
do the climb. We stopped at Matthias
Church with its ornate
roof, painted inner walls and the Virgin Mary that remained undamaged even
through the invasion by the Turks. We finished our tour at the “Fisherman’s
Bastion”, a Disneyesque edifice on the eastern edge of Castle Hill. After the
tour I wandered into the “Fois Gras” Festival and stopped for a beer in the
sun, choosing not to indulge in goose liver pate made by forcefeeding geese
enough grain to cause their livers to explode with fat. I prefer to treat liver
disease rather than support causing it. Feeling refreshed, I checked out the
Matthias Wall, a massive hunting-scene fountain which was pretty impressive. I
finally made my way out of the palace, passing the “zero statue” from which all
distances are measured, and hiked up and over Gellert Hill, named after the
bishop who was nailed into a barrel and thrown off the Elizabeth
Bridge into the Danube
by the pagans. I trekked up to the Szabadsag szobor, a communist-era statue of
a woman that is now a “lady of liberty” after the accompanying soldier was
removed. I was a bit surprised by the hundreds of people at the top of the hill
as I’d walked up quite a deserted path, and then saw the buses picking their
way up the road on the other side of the hill. After a much-needed ice-block I
walked back down and crossed the Green Bridge. Unfortunately the Market Hall
was shut so instead I walked through the pedestrian street of Vaci utca to
refill my bottle at the Vorosmarty fountain. I was glad I’d packed my umbrella as
the ominous thunder that had been rumbling all afternoon finally broke into a
downpour , sending people scuttling for shops and awning covers.
The hostel
is so chilled out and peaceful it’s difficult to leave for the day! The owner
has been making me coffee every morning and we chill out on the beanbags having
a lazy start while the city below wake up. As I was woken by the church bells
ringing I decided to walk down to St Stephen’s Basilica, not to gawp at St
Stephen’s mummified hand, but to join the locals for a 10am mass and listen to
the 600 pipe organ and choir give an amazing performance. After mass I walked
around the Synagogue and then up to the City Park
where I checked out the “Hourglass” statue (random hourglass in a wheel) before
heading over to the Szechenyi Thermal Baths. These are the biggest thermal
baths in the city and are pretty impressive, but it was too hot to spend much
time inside, so instead I spent a couple of hours lying in the sun by the
outdoor pool (which was packed). I decided to pack up when the thunder started
up again, and managed to make it home before the evening rainstorm.
