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  • Day 7

    More Budapest

    July 30, 2018 in Hungary ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    For our first full day in Budapest we had a lot we wanted to see. Where to even start? We decided to hike around for a while to get a better feel for what this city looks like in daylight. Its is the hot season now - temperatures are in the 90-95 degree range so after a few miles of admiring the amazing architecture we decided to have a few piping hot espressos and jump onto one of thoe fixed price, hop on/off busses they have on most big cities. Sure - that doesn't seem very adventurous but it’s a good, cheap way to get around and enjoy a nice breeze.

    Given the heat, we decided to take the bus up to what the pre recorded tour guide called "Statue of the Liberty". It's a beautiful monument in a breathtaking location - on the highest point overlooking the city, with views of the Danube, the wonderful bridges and the Parliament. We also knew there would be a nice breeze up there. It was erected in 1947 under the Soviets to commemorate and honor the Russian liberators. Life under the Iron Curtain was by all acounts harsh so at first it would seem odd that a statue honoring the Soviets would still stand after 1989... however, given the reign of terror and mass murder committed by the nazis in this land, it’s easy to see why the people who gave their lives to drive them out deserve to be honored. The statue sits atop the highest point over the city, on a hill that is mostly wooded, with white cliffs overlooking the danube at some points. It can be seen from almost anywhere in the city

    The Violinist
    A few hundred feet from the monument is a scenic overlook, with little cafes nearby. You can get a cold beer anywhere in Budapest - its amazing. The heat was such that we opted for water, an admittedly rare occurrance on this trip. A violin player had set up camp on the scenic overlook below the cafes - an older gentleman with blonde-going-to-gray hair. He asked where we were from and when we told him, he played Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. While it was nice that he played something he thought we would appreciate, I asked if he knew Besame Mucho and he complied. He was legit.

    Once the music was over, the Violinist turned into a tour guide, telling us about all of the buildings in view in a soft, grandfatherley voice, his thick accent adding to the charm. He kindly asked Colton to move a few feet so he could better see the Parliment building, and when Colton didn't immediately comply, he shrieked "MOVE OVER HERE NOW TODAY, NOT TOMORROW!!!!!" Sensing the wierdness of the situation but no real danger, Colton stepped over and the old man went back to his gentle, chaming voice and cotinued to tell us about the city. As he continued with his pleasant lilting tone, Colton asked him a question, "DO NOT INTERRUPTME!" He shrieked "I AM TRYING TO TELL YOU ABOUT BUDAPEST!!!!!!!" We decided this was fun so we went for a few more rounds of turning David Banner into the Incredible Hulk.

    After a few minutes some unfortunate tourists walked up. We told them that this guy was a really good violinist and that they should ask him to play them a song and they seemed delighted at the idea. We threw a decent tip in his violin case and were on our way.
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