Today, after an almost normal sleep we started seeing this place in earnest. We went on a walking tour from the ship. We have these nifty but nerdy looking earpieces that pick up the tour guides voice from as far away as 50 feet so no need to hug the guide.
About 20 minutes later we were at the Indoor Market. This place is a feast to the senses and a photographers dream. Fresh fruit and veggies, fresh and cured meats of every description and it seems that paprika and all things paprika are a big thing in Hungary, you see it everywhere and taste it in their foods.
After a thorough tour of that enormous building we toured the city and surrounds by bus before heading to the Buda side of the river and up to the towering cliffs to the Pest [Pesh] in Budapest is located. The towns of Bud and Pest were amalgamated in 1896 to commerate the 1000th anniversary of the state of Hungary.
2,000,000 people live in the city, 20% of the population of the country. The language has no similarity to any other language other than Finnish. Go figure that one out. This country has been overrun several times, from Gengis Khan to the Turks. The Turks occupied the area for 150 years, leaving over 300 years ago.
Our guide, an intelligent and well-spoken women, tried to explain why the Hungarians, as a whole, gave such a hostile reception to the recently arrived refugees from Africa and the Middle East. She explained that Hungary has always been somewhat of an isolated country historically speaking, and in the near past there was no immigration into Hungary during the Russian occupation from 1944 until 1990, and the country was such. A mess that no one came to settle there.
She explained that you do not see black faces here, except some swarthy gypsies. There may be white faces from nearby countries now but white is the colour. The swarms of recent refugees were looked upon as a threat to many who may be somewhat unelightened about the mix of races that are evident and accepted in more western countries, abroad and in Western Europe. Is she saying that they have a built-in racial prejudice?
Back to our tour... We roamed all over the hills above the city which is beautifully maintained and attracts over 400 bus loads a day, that was yesterday's count. The only downside is that the few toilets are Pay Toilets, so, no pay, no pee! [Not everybody has big bladders and carries Euros or Florins.] Hungary is in the EU but has not met the standards to use the Euro so the Florin is the local currency.
We eventually made our way down the hills and back to the ship. After lunch all three of us hit the wall again and had a healthy nap.
There was a Hungarian Folkloric show before dinner, and that was our day.
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This blog is done on an iPad, which is difficult to do. There are likely many errors in it as a result!
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This Russian ship was soon tied up alongside us and we had to draw our drapes.
An interesting history to this old bridge, sadly I missed the commentary about it.
Too busy taking photos!
The food market is an absolutely photographers dream. And the smells are wonderful.
Dried and cured meats.
Peppers and garlic.
Fresh vegetables every day.
Peppers, the base ingredient in Paprika, which is a big thing in Hungary.
Moe and her guide in the market.
A monument to WW I, when Hungary fought with the Germans, of course.
King Stephen, of Christmas Carol fame "... on the Feast of Stephen"
How is that for a tiled roof?
A fantastic view of the old city of Buda up here, later amalgamated with Pesh,
to become Budapest, in English
A stranger took this, upon my request.
I remember 'Magyar' from my stamp collecting days meaning Hungary
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Walking back on the ship at Budapest.
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