If you wanted to make Budapest at home, it's a simple recipe. Take about 3/4 Eastern European vibes and slowly mix in a dash of Turkey (the country not the meat) flavor. Budapest is clearly European but the Turk occupation definitely left its mark on the city. Or should I say, cities? Budapest is actually 2 cities, Buda and Pest, who decided to combine forces and become one.
Let's start with the Buda side of the Danube river. The Buda Castle is unlike any I have seen. It's gorgeous! Can you see the tile work on the roof?
The stately Chain Bridge connects the Buda and Pest cities across the Danube River. These were all taken on the Pest side, with a view of the Buda side.
The Pest Side of the Danube is where we spent most of our time. The Parliament House is one impressive building.
It was in Pest that I learned the most about Communism and living behind the Iron Curtain. I really didn't and still don't know that much about it, but I find it fascinating. Life behind the Iron Curtain was highly controlled and manipulated by those in power. You couldn't trust anyone, because you never knew who would inform on you. Brothers told on fathers, neighbors told on neighbors, priests told on their parishioners. Those in command controlled all media and what the people knew about the rest of the world. My tour guide remembers being allowed to watch a James Bond movie. When the line "you dirty Russian Communist" played for the rest of the world, those in Budapest heard dubbed voices say "you dirty Chinese pirate." Small acts like that are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the power of the hammer and sickle. An homage to communism was erected in Pest before the fall of the Iron Curtain. They choose to leave it there today as a reminder of how far they have come in a short amount of time.
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