Budapest redux

Nine years ago we were here on our own, traveling by train rather than by river. So we skipped today's "optional tour" of the Jewish Quarter of Budapest. However, for reasons we don't quite remember, the Great Synagogue was closed when we were here. So we walked there from the boat and took the tour.

This synagogue is the largest in Europe and the second-largest in the world. It seats more than 3,000. Built in the 1850s, it was intended to impress the Christian neighbors while minimizing the differences between Christians and Jews. Thus, it is one of the few synagogues anywhere with a pipe organ and pulpits (two). Used by the Nazis as a stable for horses, it was not fully restored until after the end of Communism.

The tour was quite good, and the synagogue itself is an architectural wonder, even beyond the story of the ghetto and the Nazi deportation of thousands of Hungarian Jews. The tour guide was quite candid about both the complicity of many Hungarians with the Nazis, as well as about the heroes who are counted as "The Righteous Among the Nations" for helping many to escape.

Budapest is known for its baths (a legacy of Ottoman occupation) but rather than pay for the spa, some locals simply find a place where one of the hot springs drains into the Danube.

Back on the boat we had a "controversial topic" talk by a retired university political science professor who had nothing whatsoever good to say about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Her description of how Orban has corrupted democracy in this country, and the resulting impact on the people, sounded frighteningly familiar. It was definitely a cautionary tale!

At lunch we enjoyed "Langos," a traditional local fried flatbread topped with garlic butter, sour cream, and onions. It's sort of a Hungarian pizza, and quite tasty. For dessert, a poppy seed cake that was quite different from any we've had before.

In the afternoon we walked (slowly, at geriatric pace) to the Great Market Hall, which is only about 1,000 yards from our boat. The hall was built in the 1890s according to a design by Gustave Eiffel, who was busy in France at the time, finishing up a tower. But it uses the same sort of wrought-iron structure.

We had been here on our previous trip to Budapest, so we didn't need to stay long. Most of the stalls on the main floor are priced for tourists, so we bought our paprika from the Aldi in the basement, where the locals shop. It was a big purchase: $1.64 U.S.

Our boat finally left port for the first time late this afternoon. First we sailed up river, then turned and went slowly back, with a narration about what we were passing on the way. It would have been a great orientation on the first night, but we got it on the way out of town, instead. We'll sail down-river, through Hungary, and on to Vukovar, Croatia through the night.