More on Budapest
Budapest, Hungary
The heat wave has broken and it is lovely here - clear blue skies and cool.
Parts of the Budapest subway system are the oldest in Europe. The old section runs near our hotel. It runs right under the surface of the street. All of the stations are lovely, tiled in white with Corinthium columns and lots of wood trim. The stations are quite small, accommodating trains that are only three cars long. Each car can seat 16 people. Another 20 or so can stand. But, they run every few minutes and, during rush hour, come one after another.
We did, however, discover a newer system in other parts of the city that are more like the other European systems, deep in the ground with long trains that run frequently.
We have walked all over the city and yesterday we went to a Rotary meeting. Actually, we have gone to Rotary in Prague, Vienna and here. It's a great way to meet people. All three meetings have been in posh hotels with elegant meals and wine served with the meals. The members of all seem to be primarily professional people (which is not necessarily such a good thing). In Vienna, our table companions, who were two retired professors of medicine and an attorney who practices international arbitration (commercial) explained nicely why women are not members and why it is better that way. In Budapest, as in Prague, women are members. Both clubs happen to be international, which means that their members are either residents of those cities who work in places around the world or they are from other places but living and working in those cities on a long-term basis. Therefore, the language of those clubs is English.
In Budapest, Mel sat next to the Ambassador from the US to Budapest and I sat next to a man who serves on the city council and works on economic development and tourism for Budapest on an international level. One of their members is married to the winner of a Nobel Prize for literature. He wrote a novel about his experiences in surviving Dachau. The guest speaker was the Ambassador from Austria who explained the true economic impact of the European Union and the perception of the EU in many countries. (You may have read that France recently voted against it. No one is sure yet what that vote will mean.)
We toured the Old Synagogue in Budapest. It is the largest in Europe and as elaborate as any of the churches or cathedrals. We did not take a tour but evesdropped on one being given in English nearby. The tour guide explained that Hitler left the Jewish community alone for most of his reign of terror, which we had heard, but he added that when Hitler sent Eichmann to Budapest (towards the end of the war), Eichmann succeeded in rounding up and sending 600,000 out of Budapest's 800,000 Jews to extermination camps. They were all killed. It was a different interpretation of the story we had previously read which told of the Budapest Jewish community surviving the war. Well, they may have, but the numbers tell the story.
We also toured the Parliament. It is the largest in Europe and if you did not know what it was, you would think it was the largest cathedral in the world, not the largest parliament. The inside is as lavish as the outside, finished with statues, paintings and gold leaf trim.
We took a boat trip on the Danube. A great way to see the city.
I am hopeful that Mel can post some photos shortly but we are using internet cafes and it isn't easy. The keyboards are different. Often the directions are in the language of the country and the attendants don't always speak English and can not help us. So, perhaps when we get to England.
Meanwhile, love to all.
Janet
The heat wave has broken and it is lovely here - clear blue skies and cool.
Parts of the Budapest subway system are the oldest in Europe. The old section runs near our hotel. It runs right under the surface of the street. All of the stations are lovely, tiled in white with Corinthium columns and lots of wood trim. The stations are quite small, accommodating trains that are only three cars long. Each car can seat 16 people. Another 20 or so can stand. But, they run every few minutes and, during rush hour, come one after another.
We did, however, discover a newer system in other parts of the city that are more like the other European systems, deep in the ground with long trains that run frequently.
We have walked all over the city and yesterday we went to a Rotary meeting. Actually, we have gone to Rotary in Prague, Vienna and here. It's a great way to meet people. All three meetings have been in posh hotels with elegant meals and wine served with the meals. The members of all seem to be primarily professional people (which is not necessarily such a good thing). In Vienna, our table companions, who were two retired professors of medicine and an attorney who practices international arbitration (commercial) explained nicely why women are not members and why it is better that way. In Budapest, as in Prague, women are members. Both clubs happen to be international, which means that their members are either residents of those cities who work in places around the world or they are from other places but living and working in those cities on a long-term basis. Therefore, the language of those clubs is English.
In Budapest, Mel sat next to the Ambassador from the US to Budapest and I sat next to a man who serves on the city council and works on economic development and tourism for Budapest on an international level. One of their members is married to the winner of a Nobel Prize for literature. He wrote a novel about his experiences in surviving Dachau. The guest speaker was the Ambassador from Austria who explained the true economic impact of the European Union and the perception of the EU in many countries. (You may have read that France recently voted against it. No one is sure yet what that vote will mean.)
We toured the Old Synagogue in Budapest. It is the largest in Europe and as elaborate as any of the churches or cathedrals. We did not take a tour but evesdropped on one being given in English nearby. The tour guide explained that Hitler left the Jewish community alone for most of his reign of terror, which we had heard, but he added that when Hitler sent Eichmann to Budapest (towards the end of the war), Eichmann succeeded in rounding up and sending 600,000 out of Budapest's 800,000 Jews to extermination camps. They were all killed. It was a different interpretation of the story we had previously read which told of the Budapest Jewish community surviving the war. Well, they may have, but the numbers tell the story.
We also toured the Parliament. It is the largest in Europe and if you did not know what it was, you would think it was the largest cathedral in the world, not the largest parliament. The inside is as lavish as the outside, finished with statues, paintings and gold leaf trim.
We took a boat trip on the Danube. A great way to see the city.
I am hopeful that Mel can post some photos shortly but we are using internet cafes and it isn't easy. The keyboards are different. Often the directions are in the language of the country and the attendants don't always speak English and can not help us. So, perhaps when we get to England.
Meanwhile, love to all.
Janet
posted by Mel and Janet Muchnik | 3:39 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home