Man, it was crawling today with sightseers. Such a breezy day and just warm enough to go without a coat. Perfect!

Had a nice last walk around town while I waited for my guided tour of the Parliament building.  It’s a well kept place with good guides and some interesting features.

Also today the hostel had free drinks and a social hour. I of course ended up talking politics with the other American in my circle lol. After a few glasses of wine, I am exhausted! I can really tell how much I haven’t had to drink lately.

Good night!!

Just went for a long walk to Buda, and read until it was time for the Hungarian folk dancing show.

It was pretty bad. Did they need 7 violins????

Anyhoo, c u tomorrow!

Went and visited another synagogue today. This one was sooooo different from the old one in Krakow. Newer, shinier, bigger, etc. The community is and was much larger so some of that makes sense. 

Also went on a walking tour of some communist sights and places in Pest. It was good, and the guide explained a lot of the monuments I’ve been seeing. For example, the Ronald Reagan statue is there bc several reasons: Hungarians are practical and were trying to improve relations with the US, Reagan apologized for not supporting Hungary in their attempt at freedom from the Soviets in 1956, and Reagan was instrumental in encouraging a peaceful dissolution of the USSR. So that’s interesting.

That’s about it for my activity. Of course I had several walks and bought a ticket for some cultural stuff tomorrow. Hungarian folk dancing to be specific.

How do you take a day off…when you’re traveling long term?

Like this….

• Sleep in a little later 
• Drink more coffee than normal
• Do an errand you’ve been putting off 
• Laundry
• Pay bills online
• Check reservations for future hotel stays 
• Try hard to not worry about what sightseeing you’re missing out on
• Go out and do something anyway at 1:00 p.m. when you get bored lol

So I managed to get a walking tour of the Jewish quarter in this afternoon.  

I tell ya, Hungary is not Poland.  The history of WWII and the Jews in Hungary is not what I expected. Hungary entered WWII as an Axis power. This has really complicated history as I understand it. Lots of people, still today, disagree on how to present historical facts. Not holocaust denial, exactly, for example…it seems that some historians disagree widely on how many Hungarian Jews were murdered by the Nazis, and did the leaders know or even care that it was happening.  

Its a controversial issue; the tour guide recommended that we do our own research.

I got this inkling from museum reviews as well. Some tripadvisor reviews I’ve read mention seeing and hearing propaganda to this day.

However…..I love this city. So much to see, nice people, not too expensive. You can still buy an apartment here for a reasonable price. Transportation is cheap. Lots of English speakers.

Unlike Prague, which is amazing of course, this place is just more real. There has been a settlement in the area for more than 1000 years. It’s hard to put into words. I could live here I think.

Back to scheduled sightseeing tomorrow. I’m going to try a history museum and see what I can learn.

😄