Moszkva Tér
Not the kind of square where you hang out to relax.
Moscow Square is a bustling transit hub.
Metro, trams and busses all converge here, at one of Buda's major nerve
centers.
When I arrived in Budapest, I changed here from Metro to tram to my
Pension. Today I remain on the same tram to see where else it
goes.
I saw a mailbox from a tram stop in southern Buda. Since I had a
postcard with me that I wanted to mail, I decided to get off and
explore.
Signs of Southern Buda
Mom Park?!?
Your guess is as good as mine. How much does it cost to park your mom?
Do they offer valet parking?
Some signs you can get the gist of,
language or not.
Other signs leave more to the imagination.
Aha! An antique clothing shop!
I have
at least one dear friend who
would drag me in there for a while if she were here.
My feet are getting tired, so back on another tram. This one advertises
its destination as Savoya Park, which sounds nice. Let's stay
aboard and see what this park is like.
After four or five km including about 3
of high-rise Projects,
we arrive at... a tacky downscale shopping mall!
I got an ice cream cone, took a leak and one photo, and climbed back
aboard
a Pest-bound tram.
Over the River
Sorry, no photos of the crossing of the Danube on the Green Bridge.
They would have mostly shown green-painted girders, blurred by
tram-motion.
Heros' Square. A vast grandiose monumental traffic circle
dominated by
larger-than-life statues of.. well heros, or what the Habsburgs
considered as such.
The twenty or so kings lining
the back of the square, the "choir area" so to speak, are pretty
ordinary-looking. The Founding Fathers at the "pulpit" position have
some definite pizzaz to them. Arpad, flanked by six of his
colleagues, looking like the Teutonic
Knights in Alexander Nevsky. You would not have wanted
to find these guys at the gate of your village one morning!
Keep in mind that in Hungary, Attila the Hun is remembered as a
Founding Father, a... well, hero! A major boulevard in Buda is named
for him.
I'll spare you the many photos of interchangeable Hungarian kings and
semi-mythical founding fathers. The intimidatingly grand scale of the
place is very Habsburg. The palace in Vienna is similar, if more
elegant. You can see where the later fascists and
commynists got it from. Think Versailles.
Pest is the less elegant but more bustling and alive half of
Budapest.
It is also the flat side of the river; Buda has the hills here.
Metro line 1, presumably the oldest, has beautiful old-fashioned
stations, with decorative tile designs and wood-panelled trimmings.
A sign on this unusually sturdy
scaffolding over the sidewalk warns of "dangrous facade".
Hey, that is the house on the corner, with the open gate! We are
back home.
None too soon - my feet are sore again. Time to stop for groceries at
the local store, and call it a day.
And check email; I love hearing from people.
Da capo
Contents Copyright 2012 Jeff Bulf