It was a long day. I got up at 1:00 a.m. in Yerevan, got my stuff together, said goodbye to Boots and Ramsay, and took a taxi to the Zvartnots Airport. After a quick check in, and passage through passport control and security, I spent a couple of hours in the VIP lounge - a benefit of flying business class. The flight to Vienna was comfortable but long - I did not sleep but did read some APL portfolios. Vienna airport was very nice - as I was walking through the airport, I saw this model and was reminded of Megan wearing her dirndl at Oktoberfest in Burlington.
The flight to Budapest was a quick 30 minutes, yet they were able to serve us a small meal and drinks. We arrived in Budapest as scheduled at 10:50 and since we were in a small commuter plane, we had to be taken by bus from the plane to the terminal.
I then texted Harry to find out where to catch up with the Angloville tour - they had started at 11:00. I found out they would be back to the starting point at Deak Ferenc Ter around 12:45. So I set out on foot, first crossing the Danube River and then going down Vaci Ucta, a pedestrian only street with many shops, cafes and restaurants.
I arrived at Deak Ferenc Ter (ter means square or plaza) and met up with the group as scheduled.
We took the metro to Hosok Tere (Heroes Square). Statues here commemorate the founding of Hungary by the seven tribes from Asia as well as several heroes of Hungary.
We then walked to nearby Varosliget Park - this is Budapest's version of NYC's Central Park. A festival was in progress and lots of people were there.
We then went to Szabadzag Ter. At one end of this large square or plaza, the Hungarian government just recently (last year) put up a monument (the columns with a triangle on top) to show that it was not the Hungarian people that sent millions of Jews to death camps, but it was the Nazis from Germany. This is quite controversial, as the claim is that there were only a handful of German officers here and all the work of deporting Jews was handled by the Hungarians. Thus there are many protests including the metal frame with blue signs and all the signs on the fence in front of the monument. I guess the good thing is that citizens can publicly disagree with their government.
There was also this interesting fountain that had sensors in the ground - as you approached, the jets of water would stop, you could walk through without getting wet and once you were inside, the sensors would allow the water to come back on - it would always clear a path about two yards or meters wide for you to walk through.
At the other end of the square, there is the only monument left in the country that gives any recognition to the Soviets as well as a statue of Ronald Reagan looking at it. The American Embassy is here as well - after the Soviets crushed the rebellion in October of 1956, the Embassy is where the Archbishop stayed until 1972.
After the tour ended around 3:15, Angloville paid for our lunch at Budapest Bisztro, a very nice restaurant where we could eat outside under a canopy - and here is our great dessert.
Around 5:30, I walked back to Hotel Gellert by myself (Harry was staying at a different hotel). As I crossed the Danube, I was able to get a couple of photos of the sun setting behind Gellert Hill, as well as one of small castles built into the side of Gellert Hill.
The flight to Budapest was a quick 30 minutes, yet they were able to serve us a small meal and drinks. We arrived in Budapest as scheduled at 10:50 and since we were in a small commuter plane, we had to be taken by bus from the plane to the terminal.
Passport control was quick and easy, I got my luggage and hit an ATM, then went outside for a taxi. They have a great system - you go to the kiosk, tell them where you want to go and then you get a printout with the assigned taxi number, your destination and estimated cost. I arrived at the Danubius Gellert Hotel around noon, went to my room, changed clothes and took a quick look out on my balcony, where I could see the Danube River in one direction and Gellert Hill in the other direction.
I then texted Harry to find out where to catch up with the Angloville tour - they had started at 11:00. I found out they would be back to the starting point at Deak Ferenc Ter around 12:45. So I set out on foot, first crossing the Danube River and then going down Vaci Ucta, a pedestrian only street with many shops, cafes and restaurants.
I arrived at Deak Ferenc Ter (ter means square or plaza) and met up with the group as scheduled.
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| The church at Deak Ferenc Ter |
We then walked to nearby Varosliget Park - this is Budapest's version of NYC's Central Park. A festival was in progress and lots of people were there.
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| This is a replica of the Dracula Castle |
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| We saw many of these cattle |
We then went to Szabadzag Ter. At one end of this large square or plaza, the Hungarian government just recently (last year) put up a monument (the columns with a triangle on top) to show that it was not the Hungarian people that sent millions of Jews to death camps, but it was the Nazis from Germany. This is quite controversial, as the claim is that there were only a handful of German officers here and all the work of deporting Jews was handled by the Hungarians. Thus there are many protests including the metal frame with blue signs and all the signs on the fence in front of the monument. I guess the good thing is that citizens can publicly disagree with their government.
There was also this interesting fountain that had sensors in the ground - as you approached, the jets of water would stop, you could walk through without getting wet and once you were inside, the sensors would allow the water to come back on - it would always clear a path about two yards or meters wide for you to walk through.
At the other end of the square, there is the only monument left in the country that gives any recognition to the Soviets as well as a statue of Ronald Reagan looking at it. The American Embassy is here as well - after the Soviets crushed the rebellion in October of 1956, the Embassy is where the Archbishop stayed until 1972.
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| The Embassy is behind the trees to the right, but the other old buildings were much more beautiful |
Around 5:30, I walked back to Hotel Gellert by myself (Harry was staying at a different hotel). As I crossed the Danube, I was able to get a couple of photos of the sun setting behind Gellert Hill, as well as one of small castles built into the side of Gellert Hill.
After getting back to my room, I had a nice chat via Facetime with Patty, then showered and went to bed - I slept for a full eight hours without getting up once. Sunday morning, I did my class work, repacked my suitcases, had a great breakfast at the hotel and then took a taxi to Heroes Square to meet Harry - there was only one problem. Sunday was the Budapest Half Marathon where several thousand runners and as many spectators were there - Heroes Square was both the start and finish line of the half marathon. Harry and I managed to navigate the crowds and found a cafe that opened a little before 10:00 and had coffee and baklava. And then we met up with the rest of the Angloville participants as scheduled around 10:45. We found our bus and headed off to Monor for our week of speaking English with Angloville.
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