For
those who are reading this blog post and have grown up a part of
Generation Y, you probably have encountered the gripping animated film The Lion King at some point during your
childhood. This theatrical release
defined the Disney Renaissance era of our generation, and continues to live on
as a classic film in homes around the United States.
For
those of you who didn’t grow up as
Generation Y babies, and have also lived under a rock long enough to deny
yourself the glory that is The Lion King,
I would like to 1. Declare the impending spoiler alert, and 2. Encourage
you to take a hiatus from my blog, and spare yourself the embarrassment: Go
watch the movie.
Why
this would ever inspire me to write a blog post about Budapest, I
honestly don’t know. Perhaps it’s the triumphant and awe-inspiring story;
perhaps, the vibrant and distinct anthropomorphic characters; perhaps, even,
the architectural beauty and color that paints the landscape. Regardless of the
means of my own inspiration, I have found that there are striking parallels
between the movie that inspired me, and the city of Budapest,
Hungary.
…And
so, my tale begins. You might as well just call me Simba; I'm shameless in
making myself the star, hero, and focal point of my own blog post...
After
seven long hours of travel on a train straight out of Harry Potter (not to
throw everyone off with these arbitrary movie references), I arrived in Budapest just as curious as the little animated lion cub that stole our hearts
so many years ago. I was lucky enough to be housed by one of my best
friends from home, Mary, who is studying in Budapest this semester. We’ll just
equate her to Rafiki, as she was my guide and fountain of knowledge in this
city she knows so well and loves so much -- her “Pride Lands” if you will.
Our adventure began on Friday morning,
as Mary and I were the catalysts to each other’s desires to explore. We started
by visiting Heroes Square, a monument located at the end of Andrássy
Avenue that commemorates the lives and legacies of the most influential figures
in Hungarian history. Though I could hardly identify who any of these figures
were – unfortunately, I am not well read in this area of history – I was able
to recognize Saint Stephen, the first king of Hungary, and an immensely famous
figure in Budapest. In the center of the monument, a column stands topped by
archangel Gabriel holding a cross, signifying St. Stephen’s efforts to convert
Hungary to Christianity. The monument was a spectacle in plain terms, and an
inspiring start to the day.
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| Vajdahunyad Castle |
As
the morning continued, we took a stroll through the City Park, Városliget,
and passed through the Vajdahunyad Castle,
which has since been converted into an agricultural museum. Tourists were
surprisingly scarce and the park was perfectly peaceful with rolling green
lawns and bushy willow trees. On our walk, we stumbled across a number of
spectacular statues; a contorted tribal figure, a jumbo-sized
hourglass, and what I believe is called the Millennium
Statue. The park became the small slice of tranquility I have been craving
through my abroad experience.
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| The cutest couple in City Park |
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| The Hourglass -- by which we were fascinated |
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| Cowering at the Millennium Statue |
…but
I digress, I’ve forgotten about my Lion King theme. Maryfiki then took me to
the center of Pest, where we visited one of the most impressive markets I have
ever seen. Lofty glass ceilings, intricate scaffolding, and architectural
precision are the only ways to describe the market: and, well, big. Kiosks strategically line the
two-floored monstrosity, cramming together booths ranging from butchers to souvenirs,
pastries to homegrown veggies, and of course, authentic Hungarian cooking. Take a look for yourself:
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| Pre-pepper.. |
Think
back to that Lion King scene where
Simba is slurping down his first meaty mouthful of grub, courtesy of Timon and
Pumbaa. Now think of me, scarfing down my first hearty helping
of pepper stuffed with rice and meat, complimented by a side of potatoes and
sauerkraut; if you’re cringing, know that I was at first, too. However, as much
as I am not a fan of peppers, this
meal slathered in hot sauce was heavy, yet delightful. The meal was paired with
the most quenching of Hungarian beers, Arany Aszok, which is made at the Dreher
Brewery in Budapest and is famous around the city.
As
if I had not seen enough beauty in one day, we also visited St. Stephen’s Basilica
in Pest, once again named for St. Stephen I. (Fast fact: St. Stephen’s "incorruptible" right hand is
mummified in the reliquary… thank goodness for Wikipedia.) The basilica is
neo-classical in construction, and adorned with sky scraping bell towers and
Roman writing. It is equal in stature to the Parliament Building, which we also
had the pleasure of seeing later that night.
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| St. Stephen's Basilica |
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| Mar and I in front of the Parliament Building on the Danube! |
The
sights in Budapest are absolutely endless; so much so, that even after a full
day on Friday, we traveled early Saturday morning to the Buda side of Budapest
for more. Budapest is divided by the Danube River (much like how Prague is
divided by the Vltava) with the west territory being Buda, and the east
territory, Pest. Mary had shown me around Pest all of Friday, and it did
somewhat remind me of the Pride Lands in The
Lion King: inviting, bursting with life, and Mary’s stomping ground.
Buda was a bit more ominous; it seemed more removed, shadowy, and “beyond our
borders,” as Mufasa once said. Nonetheless, we had been dying to visit the cave
in the mountainside, and so we extended our journey further.
After
finding a bus to the top of an endless hill, we visited the Budapest Castle
District, whose significance is unbeknownst to me other than a stunning view of
Pest and dazzlingly ornate tile shingles on the castle roof. This was just a
pit stop on our journey to the cave, however, and after much moseying we came
upon the Hospital in the Rock.
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| I bet your handyman can't do this... |
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| The aforementioned stunning view of Pest |
Yes,
the name is a perfect representation of the site itself: a hospital carved into
the rock of the Buda mountainside. The hospital was top secret and unknown to
the public up until 2004 – however, it has been used since as early as 1945.
The hospital and secret nuclear bunker was used throughout World War II and
the Cold War, and is stocked with fully functioning hospital equipment dating
back to the 1960’s. We toured through barracks of wounded soldiers and
commanders (often stuffed 3x their intended capacity!), through the
World War II German-Hungarian command post, and even through the ventilation
and water system that supplied the hospital. The most interesting fact that I
took from our tour was surprisingly about the water system itself; the
hospital was so secret that people could not even leave to fetch water.
Thus, piping ran from the hospital, through the Castle grounds, and
surfaced in the castle flowerbeds, where the service responsible for watering
the flowers every morning would not just water the flowers, but also connect
their hoses to the piping and stealthily supply the hospital.
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| Before entering the Hospital in the Rock ...in warm coats for the cold cave temperatures! |
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| We weren't allowed to take pictures in the Hospital, so here's a picture of the flower-shaped gelato! |
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| Simply Szimpla |
Of
course, there are never enough hours in the day when sightseeing. We packed it
in early that afternoon to get ready to explore the Budapest nightlife, which
may only be adequately described in Lion
King terms as the Elephant Graveyard. Funky, unfamiliar, and a tad
overwhelming, we ventured to the Szimpla bar
in Pest, as it is one of Mary’s favorite nightspots. Graffiti on the walls, an
open bungalow ceiling draped with nets and vines, and seats made from the hoods
of cars (and lined with shag carpet), Szimpla was a world of its own. Most noticeably different from the
Prague atmosphere is that Szimpla is more of a casual bar scene; Prague mostly
dons the nightclub look. It was a nice change of pace from my usual dose of
nightlife, and it was especially fun to mesh my new group of UNH friends with a
few Prague friends visiting Budapest. (The UNH crew was truly the Nala to my
Simba… love at first sight.)
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| Friends -- Old AND New! |
After
three long days, I had to part with this new world that I had fallen so deeply
in love with. I had initially been dreading the 7-hour return to Prague,
but it turned out to be an opportunity for reflection.
Through my whole experience in
Budapest, the most striking takeaway is the adversity these people have
overcome and the strength they have gained. A city destroyed and then rebuilt
from the ground up; a people once destroyed, now callously remembering the
scars that Communism left behind. I will remember the Hungarian flag that flew
in the City Park, with a hole cut through the middle to symbolize riots against
Communist oppression; I will remember the Chain Bridge, once left in ruins after being destroyed during World War II, and once again rectified in 1949 to link Buda and Pest; I will remember
the Communist Headquarters, outlined in the night by dimply lit bulbs and protected by armed
guards, that silently sat on the corner of Andrássy Avenue -- just a few
hundred meters from Mary’s apartment.
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| The Hungarian Flag symbolizing Communist Oppression |
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| Andrassy Avenue by day |
If
I could, I would equate this overcome of adversity to Simba conquering Scar and
his hoard of hyenas on Pride Rock, but this would do no justice to the reality of the
Communist history that seeps through the buildings and the grounds of this city
every day. Though in my young age Scar was the most frightening of villains,
the villainy of Communism is no animation. The impression communism has
inculcated in the hearts and minds of Hungarian citizens is still present every day. It is a chilling, yet empowering, reminder of the strides both Hungary and Europe have taken since the reign of a Communist regime.
After
such an inspiring trip, I can hardly wait to visit Budapest again. I suppose
the most appropriate tying of loose ends would be with “hakuna matata” meaning “no worries” according to The Lion King. Though there will always
be worries, the people of Hungary serve as a living reminder that your
worries can be quelled and overcome. I am very lucky that my biggest worry
abroad has been as simple as homesickness – because being around old friends,
even in a foreign city, can make you feel at home from thousands of miles
away.
(...Is the title coming full circle for some of you now? Right? Get it?)
Ps. If you would like to know why I was ORIGINALLY inspired to relate this post to The Lion King, please enjoy the video below. If this doesn't remind you of the stampede that lead to the demise of Mufasa, I don't know what will:
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| Disembarking marathon style, off to conquer Europe one city at a time... |
