Day 217 – Kotor, Montenegro – 8:34 PM

My previous blog post was entitled “Falling in love with Prague“.  It is hard not to become enamored with the architecture, history and underlying us-against-the-world attitude of the Czech capital.  Then I traveled to Budapest, the capital of Hungary.  The magnificent sunsets over the Danube and just as stunning architecture left me speechless.  Needless to say I am no longer sure with which city my allegiance rests.

Budapest is the 9th largest city within the European Union and is bisected by the Danube River.  Buda incorporates the western bank of the river while Pest lies along the eastern bank.  Prior to 1 AD, the Celts established the first settlement on what is now Budapest.  In the century that followed, the land was taken over by the Romans and named Aquincum.  They built roads, theaters, baths and dwellings for locals.  As a result, Aquincum transitioned from a military outpost to a commercial center.

The land was resettled by the Hungarians during the 9th century and officially recognized as the Kingdom of Hungary less than a century later.  The area remained somewhat peaceful until the Tartars attacked during the 13th century.  The Hungarians managed to defend their homeland but realized their defenses were inadequate.  Then-King Bela IV ordered a reinforced wall to be erected around the perimeter.  Once completed, he called for the construction of a royal palace within the walls.  This hilltop residence remains a fixture overlooking the Danube River and Pest to the east.

During my stay in Budapest I walked to the former Royal Palace of King Bela IV.  Today, it houses a number of cultural exhibitions rather than a sitting ruler. The Pablo Picasso exhibit, temporarily housed in the National Gallery, was of particular interest to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei exhibit in Melbourne, Australia in January and hoped the Picasso exhibit left me with a similar reaction.

The exhibit entitled “Picasso – Transfigurations, 1895-1972” displayed nearly 100 pieces of work from the famed artist.  Accompanying placards explained many of the works in detail while others described more general facts about the artist.  A number of hours quickly passed as I slowly walked through the rooms whose walls were lined with paintings of various sizes and styles encompassing his entire career.

Maverick Hostel, my accommodation in Budapest, was located on the Pest side of the Danube River.  In order to reach the Palace and National Gallery I needed to cross the Chain Bridge.  Resembling the Brooklyn Bridge in New York with its stone facade, the Chain Bridge was built during the mid-19th century and was the first to span the Danube River in Hungary.  Germans destroyed the original span during World War II as they retreated after the Siege of Budapest in early 1945.  Four years later the section was rebuilt and opened once again.

A second, and more modern span across the Danube River is the Elisabeth Bridge.  It was from the apex of the Elisabeth Bridge that I watched the sunset behind the Royal Palace.  It provided the perfect vantage point to witness evening fold into night over Budapest.  River cruise boats shuttling tourists slowly crept up and down the river.  Passengers stood on the decks taking photographs of the reds and oranges that lit up the sky.  In the distance I made out the faint glow of headlights traversing the Chain Bridge.  Shortly before 9 pm the streetlights flickered on.  Moments later spotlights lit up the Elisabeth and Chain Bridges and other structures in the area.  It was something to behold and my words fail to do it justice.

On my last day in Budapest, I walked to a small, yet emotionally moving memorial on the east bank of the Danube River.  Titled “Shoes on the Danube”, this memorial pays homage to the Budapest Jews shot and killed and whose bodies were dumped in the Danube River.  On the night of January 8, 1945, a contingent from the Hungarian national, socialist movement known as Arrow Cross forced a large number of Jews to the banks of the Danube River.  These Jews, mostly from Budapest, were subsequently killed and their bodies are now represented by sixty pairs of shoes sculpted from iron and displayed before all who pass by.

Europe during the 40s, Cambodia during the 70s, the Balkans during the 90s; these are three locations I visited during the previous seven months.  Each made me realize how lucky I am to be born in the United States.  The worries I had in the past and unknowns of the future pail in comparison to the hardships felt by the tens-of-thousands of victims of despots in recent decades.

 

* Additional photographs can be viewed within the Europe Portfolio section found on the Perpetual Footsteps homepage.