Statues (Budapest)

You know, dear reader, I can't even calculate how long we spent on planes getting here because of the time changes. That is probably a good thing, because, if I knew, I'm sure my time dislocation would be worse. We retired at 7:30 last evening, I was staring at the ceiling at 5:30 this morning and we were at breakfast at 7:30. Eating so early wouldn't happen at home, but there were things to do before our first guided excursion into Pest today.

The view from Buda to Pest

First impressions? The drive from the airport was complicated by traffic. It reminded me of Sydney. There was a lot of construction work and temporary road closures. I thought we were in the car about an hour but Jayne believes it was less. The architecture on the way to the city tells the story of its past and there were plenty of austere facades reminiscent of the communist period - although they politely refer to this time as "socialism". The beauty of the old city is soon evident as you near the Danube. Credit to the government - they are attempting a major renovation of the city and restoring many, many buildings to their former glory. In Australia we would have said, "Yeah, nah. Too hard. Pull it down".

Scaffolding everywhere - a huge task

The other major first impression that will not leave me? Many drivers are lunatics. I'm still not certain whether  the speed limit is in kph or mph such is the speed cars drive. (Ok, I just googled it. It's kmph. Unbelievable. Speed limits are a suggestion, a fiction, a fantasy). Yesterday afternoon a car almost destroyed the future of a group of young Italian boys who went to the cross the road. The car had no intention of stopping. I'm sure that included if he'd hit one of the boys.

Also, over revving cars, backfiring (after market) exhausts spell 'dickhead' in every language.

And so, breakfast, blah, blah, blah, and then off to explore the local area before we meet our guide for the day. Except, cue ominous music, the white church we had identified yesterday afternoon to meet at, was not the white church specified. Ours was in Buda, hers in Pest. I'm resisting all dad jokes here, stay with me, it's not easy. A very quick walk back to the hotel, followed by a discussion with the concierge and then another with the dude who books the taxis (taxis, now there is another post) and we were sorted.

After a 20 minute drive that resurrected memories of how Diana died (too soon? I don't care) we arrived at the correct meeting spot. We then tackled a local ATM. Not literally. To score some local money. That was an experience. I had no idea what the conversion rate was from AUD and had to guess what I would be able to draw out. Apparently 25,000 HUF (Hungarian Forint) is about $100 AUD plus conversion rate and other bank rip offs. Happy days, we now had cash.

Shortly after, Emöke our guide arrived and so commenced a 90 minute wander through the streets of Pest, accompanied by a potted history of places of interest. There are many, many places of interest and 90 minutes could in no way do justice to this fascinating city. Also, it appeared that the city was populated only by hospitality workers and tour guides and their tourists. And the occasional dodgy spiv.

We covered a lot of ground, historically speaking, and it was hot. For a once communist country, it has certainly embraced capitalism. By walking down one of the main shopping malls you could list all the major players. Is that a good thing? Emöke talked of the first western store that opened, Adidas, and no-one could afford to buy to buy anything. The second arrival from that great culture of western imperialism? McDonalds FFS. Now that's progress. I know, I'm sorry dear reader, it's just that I despise western cultural imperialism. Replacing existing cultural norms with western tropes that have succeeded, not because of quality or benefit to society, but because of slick merchandising and advertising, is partially what brought the world to where we are now. Is that a good thing? And to my readers from one particular country, that was a rhetorical question. However, if you responded 'yes', you are wrong.

Apparently Kermit - I have my doubts. Like, really?

Despite its size Budapest is quite small with a population of less than 2 million. By my calculations, there is one statue in the city for each member of the population. Perhaps they should create an 'adopt a statue' program to ensure they all get the love and care they require to keep them in top condition. Currently some are loved more than others. They really love a good statue here. And there are many good statues. There are some pretty ordinary ones too, but more good ones.

A statue

The problem with a walking tour that is designed to familiarise you with an area, is just that. It's a brief overview. Not surprisingly we saw many interesting sites and sights: the Danube, St Stephen's Basilica,  the Liberty Statue (from across the river), Parliament, Liberty Park, many beautiful buildings that commenced life as commercial entities and have now been re-purposed, restaurants featuring food from across Europe and Asia, statues of people, animals, mythical beings ... and one of Ronald Reagan and George Bush snr. Now that was a WTF moment. Of all the US presidents! Then again, looking on the bright side, it wasn't a statue of Trump. There was a brief explanation as to why the statues existed but I'm still not certain.

Another statue - needs some love

It was all rather overwhelming and over the other side of the river. Eventually we needed to go back to Buda, but we weren't confident with the Metro and taxis aren't like they are elsewhere in the world. But they have Bolt (download the app if you're visiting), a hybrid between a rideshare and taxi service. I've used it and I'm still not sure. The taxi we booked at the hotel to cross the river was much cheaper than the Bolt we used to get us home, but we arrived safely and that is what counts.

And another statue - and I didn't photograph the boring ones

As the heat and the walk took its toll on us, we decided it was time for a long beer and rest in the shade. Where? By the Danube of course. After discussing taxis with one of the Hop-on Hop-off bus salesmen, for a long time (he was good, but no sale), we went looking for a place to ponder what he had said and to contemplate the afternoon's activities. Dunacorso met our exacting standards: shade, misting fans and beer. It was here we downloaded the Bolt app and compared prices with the bus tickets. Bolt was the winner. Actually, the beer was the winner. Soproni, a local lager. Most refreshing. 

As we regathered our thoughts and energy, a young man walked down the promenade carrying a blow-up doll under his arm. Jayne enquired from the wait staff as to whether this was a common occurrence. The answer was disappointingly and surprisingly 'yes'. Apparently Budapest is a magnet for buck's and hen's parties from the UK. How absolutely delightful. Culture is certainly wasted on some people. It makes you wonder how (modern) Australia ever developed - ah, yes, migration from countries other than Britain.

There is more to report on from today. No seriously! However, we are saving it for the next post. A teaser.

I'm not even sure what this means ...

Today's title? Really? The Foo Fighters, 2007, Dave Grohl in a reflective mood, aside from my literal link.

So, Alex, which side of the river do I prefer? The same one as you.

Until tomorrow ...