Budapest

Retro Trabant trip to Memento Park

We visited Budapest in the spring of 2023. It was still cool, needing a jacket, but little rain. We had a tour of Pest, and tour of Buda. The history we learned started way way back before the year 1000. Year 1000 with St. Martin was the "middle" of the story!

We stood before the Hero's Square as out tour guide told us of the times of peace, the times of battles. That this memorial to the history of Budapest sits between the Museum of Fine Art and the Palace of Arts demonstrates the attitude Budapest has and its desire to respect its past.

As we walked to take our river cruise (on the Danube!), we came across a group of "street dancers", dancing to all sorts of DJ'ed music, under the streetlights. Songs in English, from my radio!

Budapest also knows how to party. There are places to eat, to drink, Elegant cafes with coffee and pastries, or small craft beer bars. Some places have live music; again more songs in English from my radio.

Our favorite experience was a trip in a Retro Trabant car to Memento Park. When Hungary changed from Communism to Democracy, it didn't want to just "get rid" of all the communist reminders. They actually decided to keep the "most valued" propaganda statues that had been installed throughout the city. As so Memento Park was born.  It has just under 50 statues, but there were  hundreds of statues throughout Budapest. 

I cannot speak intelligently to what living in a communist country was/is like. But travelling to countries with that experience opened my eyes to what it may have been like. And I have a better understanding of our differences, and our similarities. 

It was a very worthy trip.