On our first full day we took it easy and got the feel of the city by walking around. Much of present day Budapest dates from late 19th/early 20th century, and there are fine Art Nouveau buildings in varying degree of repair and serviceability. A particularly fine turn-of-the-century shopping arcade is just now being restored and returned to life.
Down to the Danube Embankment, our first view of this river of legend. The Embankment makes a fine promenade with international hotels, sidewalk cafes, gardens, and views of Buda castle across the river.
Downtown is pierced by long and pleasant pedestrian ways that host upscale tourist shops, gelato stands, and restaurants. There is a pleasing mixture of the traditional and the modern. Though a tourist promenade today, the area has hidden historical significance. This street, Vaci Utca, was a showcase of western luxury goods when Hungary was the most advanced and liberal of the Iron Curtain countries. Good communists came from all over the Soviet sphere to drool over the decadent spoils of capitalism. Even the Golden Arches had significance in those days, being the only McDonald's behind the Iron Curtain. Eating a Big Mac was an act of defiance, a political statement giving real meaning to "freedom fries". Today McDonald's gives its nod to Eurotastes with an adjoining "McCafe".
Another landmark in the area is the Great Market, a free-market hall surviving the depredations of two world wars and central planning. In 1989 Margaret Thatcher gave a historic address on its steps, heralding the coming of the open society. Little did any know how soon it would come.
We were pleased to find not all traces of the people's collectivist paradise erased. There are many exemplary buildings built by the Communists still (barely) standing in downtown Budapest. Some are in progress demolition, but enough remain to provide instructive contrasts.
View more photos from Budapest
No comments:
Post a Comment