Pest (Pronounced “Pesh”)
So, this is our fourth currency this trip!!! Zloty’s (Poland), Koruna (Czech Republic), Euro (Slovakia), and the Florint (Hungary). The Florint has the most inflated exchange rate to wrap our dollar bound minds around. It’s like Monopoly money! I mean I started the day out with 50,000!!
We had a great day today. We explored the Pest sights on our side of the Danube.
Andrassy Blvd (Broadway and 5th Avenue rolled into one), Liszt Square,
Heroe’s Square and
City Park. We saw Vajdahunyad Castle, located the Rick Steves 🔺🔺🔺 rated Szechenyl Baths for our planned public thermal bath house experience (which we’ve carried bathing suits around four countries for) and wandered about the park.
Szokokut Fountain on Margit Island dances away to primarily English and American Pop for some reason. We heard the Herman’s Hermits tune No Milk Today! That’s a little odd, don’t you think? Could’ve stayed around for Rolling Stones, Guns and Roses and, of course, the Beatles……
We got ourselves on public transit to Margit Island and were drenched in an afternoon thunderstorm on the way back into Pest. Not to be deterred, we went to the Opera House. It’s less than a block from us and they didn’t seem to mind we looked like drowned rats……..
The Opera is in renovations at present so we had a tour (sans the famous gold leaf auditorium) and learned about the social life of the Opera before we heard a 10 minute version of Figaro on the grand staircase. It was actually just enough operatic entertainment to leave us smiling and humming rather than worried about understanding the language and storyline. Beautiful voices and coquettish acting.
This afternoon we deserved our before dinner “rest” (code word for nap if that might happen when you get your feet off the ground……..) and dressed for an evening out.
Didn’t have to go far to have a great meal and enjoy a more energetic vibe of a place called Menza. Goulash in Hungary is indeed yummy.
And home. It really was a nice day!
But not everything is ‘tourist happy’ in Budapest.
We walked by the South Korean Embassy early today. It is enshrined with flowers, candles and poems for the victims of a Danube evening cruise that capsized just before our arrival. At the time of this writing seven are hospitalized, seven are dead and the others of the 33 South Korean tourists and two boatmen are missing, presumed dead. The Danube is cold this early in summer and currently burgeoning- so swift and dangerous for smaller boats. It happened near the Parliament building. Victims/bodies were found up to two miles away. The Chain Bridge also has flower remembrances on it.
Meanwhile & Far Away 