Budapest

Budapest is a pretty awesome place. It's divided into two; one part is Buda, the other part is ... you've got the idea. We checked into a hostel called the Red Bus. It was a good hostel, in a beautiful courtyard style building. We met some interesting people there, so the good times rolled.

We spent the first day exploring Pest. We started at Heroes Square, which also houses the National Museum and some other fine looking bulidings. From there, we explored the old palaces and the thermal baths. We then walked a couple of miles down the main avenue, stopping along the way to eat some goulash and dumplings. We noticed that there were Hungarian flags on most of the buildings. We didn't really think anything of it (except that maybe it was a highly nationalistic kind of place), but when we got back to the hostel, we were told that it was Hungary's National Day the following day.

We woke up the next morning and the weather was beautiful. The sun was shining and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. We headed to Buda for the day. The city was busy because it was a holiday. As we walked over the main bridge to Buda, there were all reenactments going on about the struggle for independence. It seemed to be a day for kids, they all had balloons and painted faces. The adults seemed to be drinking, dancing and gossiping. All in all, there was a good atmosphere and Buda was exquisite. There's a castle to explore, parks to sit in and good views of the river to be admired.

Back in Pest, there was a different story being told. Hungarians aren't very happy with their government, Last year, they had some pretty nasty riots that got out of hand. When we came back into Pest, the first thing we noticed were all the police and soldiers on the streets. Apparently, they were leaving nothing to chance this year. There was a huge (peaceful) protest near the hostel, but I couldn't understand any of the signs or chants, so I have no idea what the nature of the discontent was.