Budapest, day 6: Ancient Budapest

The Buda side of Budapest was once a major outpost of the Roman Empire. Though I was still quite tired from all the walking the day before, I was determined to see the Roman ruins. The girlfriend of one of my husband's colleagues also wanted to see this, so we went together. It was nice to have some company.

Aquincum is outside of the usual tourist areas, so we took a commuter train to get there. Right by the train stop were the ruins of an amphitheater. There were also remains on an aqueduct along the street.

The big thing was the ruins of a commercial center and several houses which were all now part of the museum. While these ruins were easy to find, the entrance to the museum was much trickier. The sign by the street, only in Hungarian, might lead one to believe the place was only open certain weekends (in retrospect it probably referred to some special event, but it was all that could be seen from the street.) We did eventually find our way in, though the entrance was cleverly disguised as an abandoned car dealership. We didn't find any place to pay admission, so we just wandered in. There were plenty of people working there, but they didn't seem to pay any attention to us.

The ruins were mostly about knee high and not particularly impressive. Signs pointed out what the buildings had been used for, but it somehow failed to spark my interest. I wondered what was original and what had been restored. The remains of a mosaic floor in a bath house were kind of impressive, but the statues which had been gathered up and placed under a roof for protection, didn't do much for me.

On our way out, someone stopped us and told us we needed to buy tickets. They pointed to the first building which had been closed, but this time to the back side. This turned out to be the entrance to the museum. As far as artifacts go, I think they were better and better explained at the historical museum at Buda palace. There was a large exhibit on what had been found while building a highway in the area. It would appear that this highway was built on a connect-the-dots of ancient graveyards from different periods. If so much was under the highway, it makes one wonder what's under everything else.

I was pretty walked out by the time we were done here, so we headed back towards the hotel. While we'd taken a more circuitous path to the train station, we stumbled on a stairway on the way home which would take us right back to the castle district. It turned out to be a whole lot of stairs, and since we didn't find anyplace that inspired us for lunch, we decided to go for cake at my favorite coffee and cake restaurant. For the first time this trip, I was rather warm, so I tried ice cream this time. It was pretty good, but the cake was probably the better choice.

After that, I had a couple hours at the hotel to rest before joining my husband and his colleagues for a fancy dinner.

Budapest, day 5: Communist Budapest

When I was young, I read a lot of spy novels. I loved Tom Clancy, Fredrick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum and such, and I thought it would be really cool to be a spy. (I also thought it would be really cool to be nuclear physicist, but that's another story.) I was practical enough to realize that I lacked the people skills and linguistic talent necessary to be a good field agent, but I did have a talent for going unnoticed. So while I prepared for the practical career of biochemist/molecular biologist, I also took classes in modern history (WWII and after), comparative government, and international relations--just in case. This was the 80's, so it was all about the Cold War. When the cold war suddenly ended, my interest in spies was relegated to the occasional Tom Clancy novel.

This trip to Eastern Europe did dust off my interest in the Cold War, and I hoped to meet somebody who remembered those times (and who spoke English and was willing to talk about it). When I discovered on the internet that there was a free walking tour dedicated to Communist Budapest, I knew that would be just my thing. The majority of participants on the tour were students, too young to remember the Cold War, but the guide was only 3 years younger than me. She had even lived in Sweden for a couple of years as a child, so she had a perspective on life in Budapest that may have been lacking in others her age.

As we walked through Budapest, she talked a lot about history, told some amusing anecdotes , and pointed out examples of communist era architecture. She showed us the former police headquarters, now a luxury hotel. We visited the last Soviet monument in Budapest, dedicated to the Soviets who died while "liberating" Budapest from the Germans. There were once many communist monuments and statues in Budapest, but many were destroyed with the fall of communism, and the others were exiled to a park outside of town.

In short, Hungarian history is all about being occupied. They sided with the Germans in WWI and lost 70% of their territory. They sided with the Germans again in WWII because they believed they would regain that territory. When things started going poorly for the Germans, they tired to break the alliance, and ended up occupied by the Germans instead. At the end of the war, the Germans retreated, trashing Budapest's infrastructure (most notably destroying all the bridges between Buda and Pest) to hinder the advance of the Red Army.

The Soviet occupiers promptly set up a puppet government in Budapest, and Hungary became a communist state. Those out of work after the war were quickly put to work rebuilding, so damage from WWII is not apparent. Housing was in short supply, so large buildings with small apartments were thrown together as fast as they could, but after the initial building boom, the financial realities kicked in, and maintenance was lacking.

The 1950s was all about Totalitarianism in Hungary. When Stalin died in 1953, people hoped things would lighten up a bit, and in 1956 the people of Budapest revolted. The revolt was crushed with Soviet tanks. Our guide's grandfather survived by hiding under the bodies of fellow protesters. Her father was able to sprint to safety as he saw a tank taking aim. Most families in Budapest have similar stories. In some parts of town, bullet holes from 1956 are still visible.

The national debt increased steadily over the years. In an attempt to raise money, Hungary became a tourist destination for the rest of Eastern Europe. In the 60s, East and West German families could reunite for vacations in Hungary.

Things were still very strict in the 1960s. "If you're not with us, you're against us," was the motto, and no dissent was tolerated, even in private. Neighbors spied on neighbors, and possible troublemakers were jailed. In the 1970's things began to loosen up a bit, and it was more, "If you're not with us, just don't be against us." Public dissent was not tolerated, but they were less concerned with what people did in the privacy of their own homes. Things became even more open in the 1980's. People did things like going to church and refusing to learn Russian in order to make political statements. People were still jailed for protesting, but there were music videos on TV and both Coca Cola and Pepsi (no McDonalds). Our guide had a bold English teacher who taught them George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 which previously had been banned.

Our guide was a Pioneer (like a Scout) as a child, and while this was once a precursor to being a Young Communist and then an adult member of the Communist Party, only two members of her class went on to join the Party. She modeled the red scarf of the Young Communists and showed the books that one had as a Pioneer and a Party member where one collected stamps through participation in Party activities. A full book showed your loyalty and could be advantageous in many ways.

In 1990, the communist regime fell. A new system was established based on the Swedish model, but the transition was far from painless. State owned assets were sold off, but corruption was rampant. People with the right connections got rich, but the State remained poor. Unemployment was and still is high. The average monthly income (after taxes) is only 500 Euros (~$400).

Before WWII, this building was the stock exchange. Communists, not having any need for a stock exchange, used this building for the government run TV station. As with much in Budapest, it is now in poor repair, but investors have stepped in, and it will soon be redone as a luxury hotel.

Our tour ended in a "ruin bar." Our guide explained that young people were allowed to run businesses or clubs in buildings which were awaiting renovation. While this doesn't seem very safe, I guess there are other advantages.

Budapest, day 5: Walking in Pest

After spending the past two days near the hotel because of the terrible weather, I was now determined to see the rest of the city, regardless of the weather. Luckily for me, the weather cooperated. It didn't rain, it was less windy, and it was even a little warmer.

I started my day by walking to the nearest Metro station and buying a 3 day pass which was good for all forms of public transportation within Budapest. This cost considerably less than the one-day hop-on-hop-off bus tour that I'd been contemplating, and it gave me a lot more freedom.

It didn't tell me anything about what I'd see, so I decided to join a free walking tour. About 30 people showed up, and I'd guess that they were about evenly divided between students and retirees. There were two guides who took turns shouting to be heard over the traffic and other city noises, which wasn't easy with such a large group, but they did a good job of it.

I found the tour very informative, with useful bits about the different parts of town, history, and culture mixed with amusing anecdotes. Unfortunately it didn't cover a lot of ground on the Pest side. About half way through, the group crossed the bridge to the Buda side where I'd already seen what they were going to cover, so I headed off on my own.

I saw the parliament building, the last Soviet monument in Budapest, the cathedral, the opera house, and the Jewish quarter. I really admired the variety and complexity of the architecture, and while a lot of it had clearly been renovated, a lot was still in quite poor condition. I wondered how often people were hurt by chunks of stuff falling off buildings.

I was hoping to find someplace that served langos, so went down several small side streets as well as the main streets, but no luck. Eventually I was pretty hungry, so I stopped for a piece of cake.

Still searching for langos, I took a round about way to the high-priced tourist area where the next walking tour was meeting. I got back to the meeting place in plenty of time for the 3:00 walking tour. I sat there on a fountain and reading a book and resting my feet. As 3:00 approached, I realized that I was getting hungry again, and there was nobody else gathered for the tour. I checked my notes and realized it was 3:30, so I went to get something to eat as I walked. Burger King and McDonalds were not appealing, and I didn't have time for a sit-down meal, so I chose Subway. I like Subway, but I later found out that I'd been sitting just a few steps from the most amazing coffee shop in Budapest. Luckily I did get a chance to try it too, but I get ahead of myself. This particular walking tour had the theme of Communist Budapest which particularly interested me. In fact, it was so interesting, that I'll give it its own post.

Budapest, day 4: A good day to spend in a museum

The weather was still miserable on Tuesday, so I did some work and went to the gym. I brought a better book this time, so I was able to spend 45 minutes on the elliptical/cross-trainer.

After lunch, I went out despite the wind and rain and walked to the southern end of the castle district where the palace is. The palace was completely bombed out in WWII, and the interior was modernized. It would appear that most of it is offices, but there is an art museum and a historical museum.

I was soaking wet by the time I made it to the historical museum, and the wind was gusting and swirling so hard in the courtyard that I struggled to stay on my feet. I was thrilled to discover that it was "international free admission day" at the museum, but probably because of the weather, there were very few people there. As far as I was concerned, it was perfect museum weather. There were dehumidifiers in nearly every room, so I was completely dry long before I was done.

The ground floor was dedicated to the middle ages and an exhibit of gothic statues, all from here in Budapest's castle district. Archeologically, I guess this was a really exciting find, but it wasn't my thing. The basement was actually part of the castle from the medieval period, and I found that a lot more interesting. I suspect that some parts have been renovated over the years, and it wasn't so clear what was done when. The first floor showed the changes in the castle from medieval to modern times, and this was really interesting. Much of the text was only in Hungarian, but there was enough in English that I could follow their point. In fact, it was just about right because it would have taken hours to read and examine everything. The top floor was about Budapest from prehistoric through the Roman and Avar periods. This was a lot of stuff from grave excavations, but it was interesting too.

When I was done in the museum, the rain had let up, so I could do my usual thing of taking a few pictures then stuffing my camera back in my purse. The view from the castle was spectacular.


I decided that I would go to the Pest side of the city the next day regardless of the weather.

Budapest, day 3: What's with the weather?

It was so windy last night that we hardly slept. As usual, the first thing my husband does when arriving in a hotel room is open the window. Unfortunately, when he closed it, it didn't seal quite right. With the wind gusting over 100 kph (62 mph, 27 mps), it slowly opened this gap until it was roaring like a freight train. Re-closing the window at 4 AM helped, but it was still hard to sleep.

The breakfast buffet at the hotel was wonderful and even included a dessert section in addition to the pastry section, the bread, cheese, cold cuts, cereals, yogurts, bacon, sausages, eggs, and local specialties. Because it was raining as well as cold and windy, I went to the gym and spent half an hour on the elliptical (cross-trainer) while trying to read my guidebook. I brought along plenty of work to do, so I stayed in the room working until I got too hungry. It was still super windy and a little rainy, but I walked around the southern half of the castle district and ate some lasagna in a little cafe.

In this picture, you can see the hotel at the end of the street with the white building and the odd modern tower. The other picture is the view from the gym which shows both the church ruins and the modern building.

I believe this structure, right by the hotel, was built for the world's fair in 1896 as a tourist attraction. I find that kind of amusing, but it's definitely cool looking, and the view is amazing.

The wind was bitter cold, so I came in to thaw out for a while before venturing out again for "dinner" at my favorite cake shop. I got there right before they closed, so I ended up eating back in my room. There are a lot of channels on the TV, but the only ones in English are CNN, BBC, and CNBC. It seemed like everyone was reporting the same news, but I did eventually learn that all of Eastern Europe was being pummeled by a huge rotating storm (like a hurricane, but over land) with record winds and flooding. Yes, I'd checked the weather forecast before we left Sweden, but it had predicted rain only for the first day, so I was still optimistic.

Budapest, day 2: Dresden to Budapest

We tried to get an early start, but the breakfast buffet at the hotel was so good, that we couldn't rush through it. They even had trays of assorted desserts which included something that at first glance appeared to be a brownie. There was only one of these, and I was reminded of a bumper sticker I'd seen long ago: Life in uncertain--eat dessert first. That seemed particularly applicable at this moment, so I had this square of dense chocolate/cherry cake with a cup of hot chocolate as well as a reasonable breakfast of scrambled eggs, a multigrain roll with cheese and liver paté, cantaloupe, a yogurt drink, and tea. Knowing that my husband does not like to stop for food when driving, I figured it was okay to stuff myself. It turned out that was a wise decision.

We drove through central Dresden again on our way out. Road construction soon after the Czech border took us on a very scenic detour. Here the city was much more industrial looking. On the hillside overlooking the river, there were again lovely huge Victorian manor houses, but these looked like they could use some renovation. Some looked like they urgently needed a lot of renovation, and interspersed were boring modern houses. The landscape was beautiful, and there was a lot of potential, but the impression was sad. I think this was more of what I was expecting from Eastern Europe.

We got to Prague around 10 AM. Since it was too early for lunch, we drove around a little before returning to the highway. It was gorgeous, as I'd expected, and I definitely want to go back. The roads in the Czech Republic were nowhere near as good as they were in Germany, and they seemed to get worse as our drive progressed.

Our route took us through Bratislava, Slovakia, which looked very much like what I'd expected for Eastern Europe, except instead of cement gray, the buildings had been painted a variety of bright colors. A few historic buildings punctuated the scene which was otherwise mostly industrial or agricultural.

The roads were just as bad when we crossed the border into Hungary. Map reading was pretty much impossible in those conditions, and Budapest is not a car-friendly city. The signs are in Hungarian, and left turns are pretty much impossible. I was really glad I wasn't driving. With the help of a fold-out map in my Swedish library book on Budapest, we eventually found our hotel.

It turns out that the Budapest Hilton is quite a landmark since it's partially a modern building and partially built into the ruins of an ancient church. It's on the top of a hill overlooking the Danube in the historic walled palace district. It was 4 PM by the time we got in, and we hadn't eaten lunch, so I was starving. We found a place just a block from the hotel that had the most incredible cakes and coffees, so once again I had hot chocolate and a piece of chocolate (mousse) cake. Yum. I'll have to see how many of these cakes I can try during this trip.

We were invited out to dinner with my husband's colleagues a few hours later, but there's no way I would have made it without eating something. Since it was dumping rain and very windy, we returned to the hotel without much sightseeing. Dinner was excellent. I had white asparagus with hollandaise sauce, lamb, and risotto. Dessert was included: a sponge cake with cream filling and chocolate sauce. It was incredible, but I am now so full I can hardly breathe. For those keeping score, that would be two hot chocolates and three chocolate desserts in one day. I might have to make a visit to the hotel gym tomorrow if my clothes are still going to fit me by the end of the week.

Budapest, day 1: Sweden to Dresden

With our daughter in her grandmother's care for the week, my husband and I left Saturday morning for Budapest. Since it's a 14 hour drive, we decided to take it over 2 days. We left home at 9 AM, which gave me about 4.5 hours sleep after photographing a wedding the day before. We drove through Denmark and took the ferry from Gedser to Rostock (Germany) then drove via Berlin to Dresden. We had estimated that we'd make it hopefully as far as Berlin, possibly as far as Prague, and Dresden was in between, so that was pretty good. It was raining the whole way, sometimes so hard we could hardly see the car in front of us. This made for rather limited sightseeing, but I'd seen the part as far as Berlin just last December. My husband was also a bit disappointed since the rain dampened his autobahn experience. If it hadn't been for the rain, we would have made it to Prague.

My only experience with Eastern Europe was Berlin, both in 1989 and 2009, so I was really looking forward to seeing more of it on this trip.

It stopped raining shortly before we arrived in Dresden around 6 PM. We drove around for a while before we eventually found a vacant room at the Holiday Inn in the Bohemian part of town. The room was expensive but very nice, and at least parking and breakfast were included. We walked to the area where there are a lot of restaurants and finally settled on Italian. I ordered pasta with fresh asparagus and salmon, and my husband ordered lasagna. He inadvertently got the spinach lasagna, and while he was able to eat it despite hating spinach, I traded with him half way through. I thought both dinners were absolutely delicious!

Dresden was a lovely city, and I'd like to go back. I'd thought Dresden had pretty much been destroyed during WWII, so I was very much surprised by the fantastic architecture. Could all of this been rebuilt since 1989, or did the East Germans have better taste than I'd given them credit for? I'd rather imagined a city dominated by soulless cement high-rises (kind of like Malmö), and while some of the city was modern, it reminded me pleasantly of a cross between Wurtzburg and Berlin. There were many gorgeous huge homes, probably from the turn of the century, and most had been or were being restored to their former glory. Some had been replaced by modern structures, but the character of the neighborhood remained.

Where's spring?

I've been trying not to complain about the weather, but without that, one doesn't seem to have much to talk about these days. It's beautiful and green, and the trees are getting their leaves, but it's still cold. So cold that everyone's asking, "Where's spring?"

After the bonfires of Valborg, I did as I usually do which was wash and put away our winter coats. They weren't away for more than a couple days before I had to bring them back.

Last week there were a couple of days that were so windy that our daughter's trampoline blew into the forest. This was the first time that it's blown in the year that we've had it, so while it's often very windy here, it hasn't been THIS windy. We discovered this as I was driving my daughter to school, and she was absolutely distraught. We're talking sobbing so hard she was gasping for air. I felt bad dropping her off at school in this condition, but what could I do? The trampoline had the net around it, so it was very heavy. We had to dismantle it to get it out of the forest. The part that holds up the net took some damage, so we might not bother to put that back. Luckily the rest of it was easily repaired with just a little welding, so it's back in place and usable again. Yesterday it was super windy again. Without the extra weight of the net, I was afraid it would blow away again, so we weighed down the legs with logs. Besides the wind, it also dumped rain sideways. It was as if someone was squirting us with a fire hose.

Last weekend was the long awaited start of the car season with cruising in Ystad. We took the Cadillac with the top down even though it was only 43 F/6 C and drizzling. There weren't as many cars as in previous years. They estimate 450 instead of 700, but it was nice anyhow. Our daughter really enjoyed waving to the spectators and people in the other cars.

This weekend is a long one, starting today with "Christ's Journey to Heaven Day." Fortunately the wind and rain have died down, since we're helping my mother in law take stuff to the dump. Tomorrow I'll be photographing a big wedding at a lovely castle, then on Saturday my husband and I leave for Budapest where he'll be attending a conference. We'll be driving there, which costs about what it does for one person to fly, and without the hassles of volcanic ash. It's an estimated 14 hour drive, but I'm looking forward to seeing Eastern Europe. Besides Berlin, I really haven't been there at all.

Black Cats and White Flowers

It wouldn't be spring here without the white anemones (vitsippor) that carpet the forest floors, and while the relatively chilly temperatures (50-59 F/10-15 C) have kept me indoors more than most years, I still couldn't resist taking some pictures one afternoon when the wind died down.

My cats have certainly been enjoying spring, and I don't think they're as bothered by the cold. They like to lurk in the vegetation, and if they hunker down, they can almost disappear in the anemones.

My husband still can't tell them apart, but as you can see here, there really are two, and the size difference is substantial. Teddy (on the left) is much bigger than his sister, Dora. Teddy is in the picture at the top of this post, and Dora is in the other two.

I think Dora is more photogenic. She got her name because as a kitten, she was the adventurous one. But as she grew up, she became less Dora the Explorer and more Dora 'Dorable. She's a real sweety, though she's not quite as affectionate as her brother, and she's more reserved around strangers.

Teddy has been a total love-cat since the beginning. He was as cuddly as a Teddy bear. He has a bit of an oral fixation which results in him sucking his toes if you pet him too much. After their mother was given away (she was psycho!), he started sucking on his sister's thumb. She eventually tired of that, and it's been his own hind toes ever since.

Out with the old...

The last evening in April is traditionally celebrated with bonfires all over Sweden. This tradition dates back to long before Christian times. The purpose was to dispose of the old to make room for the new. When the Christians adopted the tradition, it became in honor of Saint Valborg, famous for persecuting witches. The religious aspects of this occasion have disappeared now, and it's all about burning the debris from your garden in the biggest, baddest bonfire you can manage (and getting drunk).

Some may argue that getting drunk is an integral part of any Swedish social occasion, but this particular night is widely known as the start of the public drunk and disorderly season for Swedish youth. Honestly, I never knew it had seasons, but I heard this on the news.

We were invited to celebrate Valborg with the same people with whom we'd spent New Year's and Halloween. We contributed a huge pile of branches--the result of removing about a half dozen dead or diseased ash trees this winter. It was a bad winter for forestry because of all the snow, but my husband and our forest caretaker did get in a few days of tree removal. This pile would have been quite sufficient for a large bonfire on its own, but we loaded it into a truck and added it to the giant pile.

It rained much of the day, so the guys put up a party tent. I've already learned that with enough lighter fluid and beer, men can set fire to anything, so it was not a problem that the wood was wet. We lit the fire around sunset. The bonfire promptly got too hot for anyone to get near it, so everyone grilled the hot dogs or hamburgers that they'd brought with them on a separate grill. This particular evening was super windy, but after the snowy winter, the risk for the fire spreading was low. They did have a garden hose at the ready just in case. Now a garden hose seems dreadfully inadequate with a fire the size of a house and strong winds, but what would I know. They never did need the garden hose. This type of thing still makes the Californian in me quite nervous, so I was glad that this year the bonfire wasn't at our place.

I brought marshmallows, so I showed the kids the finer points of grilling marshmallows and made S'mores for the adults. I was shocked to see an 8 year old who didn't know that you could blow out a marshmallow that caught on fire, or eat the cooked part off of it and put the center back over the fire. He was so thrilled to learn this that he proudly demonstrated it several times.

When it got too late for the kids, the wives took them home, and some of the men stayed to make sure the fire burned down safely. Now it will probably take days for the thing to burn out entirely, but they spent the wee hours drinking beer and watching the fire from a wood-fired hot tub.