Today we arrived in Budapest on the 67th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The country celebrates by honoring the thousands of civilians who were killed or wounded in countrywide protests against control of the Hungarian government by the Soviet Union. Ultimately, Soviet tanks and troops rolled into the country, squelching the protests. The revolution failed. Today, Hungary is led by Viktor Orban, a hardline autocrat who some consider to be a Putin puppet.
My first impressions of Budapest are that it is a tale of many cities. In walking under five miles, we saw many drab post-Soviet buildings, beautiful 19th century architecture that needs a good cleaning and restoration, as well as modern hotels and “Fashion Street” — a pedestrian promenade with Ritz Carleton and Kimpton hotels.
The Jewish Quarter has its own charm, but it is covered in graffiti. We did have a good lunch there and enjoyed walking around the alley of ruin bars and street vendors. I couldn’t resist this babushka-covered old woman selling embroidered linen from Transylvania.