Budapest Again

Last stop, Budapest, Hungary. We arrived late at night, missed the last train by a nose but found a taxi to our hostel. This hostel is located about a block from the central market and one of the bridges over the Danube. The good stuff is only a short walk away. Just across the bridge is an uphill walk to a variety of statues and a really great view. You can end up at the castle from there if you have the time and energy. We didn't do that route this trip because we saw it on the last visit in 2008. Speaking of walking, we are doing much less of it now, opting out for more subway and bus travel.

The first day we went to a park with Communist era statues and a training film from the era when Russia was Big Brother. It was interesting but not as complete as Stalin World in southern Lithuania.

The next day we went to an underground hospital that was built in the 1940sinto an already existing network of natural caves in the limestone beneath the castle. A guided tour was mandatory but quite informative. They have the old equipment, beds, OR, Xray stuff and wax figures who represent all their mangled patients. The hospital was active during World War II during which time they had the water supply interrupted for an extended period. It was so full of patients they put them in bunks, then lined the halls. Bandages were in such short supply they had to take them off dead patients and reuse them which caused infection, and on and on. One woman asked they guide how many survived and he answered that most of them died. It was also very active during the 1956 failed uprising against communist rule. During the cold war the old hospital was outfitted to be a bomb shelter and bunker in case of nuclear attack. That period is also represented in the displays. I highly recommend this museum if anyone is going to Budapest.

In fact, I highly recommend Budapest. The architecture is pretty fantastic. I could do nothing more than wander the streets there forever and ever. If you ask me about my favorite cities in the world, Budapest ranks pretty high.



Castle tower



Parliament building from the castle.

For all you dog lovers



Communist theme park statue