Today has been one of the hottest days in a while. I stagger back to the hotel around 5 in a pool of sweat and a face like a beetroot (appropriate in this country where beetroot is used a lot). But another interesting day despite the extreme heat. I walked up to the Square near here and got on the bus to take me all the way up Andrassy Avenue which is a lovely wide boulevard lined with gorgeous buildings, although many of them, including, to my disappointment, the Opera House which is supposed to be gorgeous but I couldnt see a thing, are covered in hoarding with works under way. The avenue links the city centre with the lovely City Park which is where I was heading in the first instance.
The Park starts with the predictable Heroes Square with massive monuments to warriors of times gone by. Then I walked up to the Szechenyi Thermal Baths. Of course I didn’t have my bathers, I’d chickened out of that one but I went in to have a look around at the entrance which was gorgeous and I must say I was already so hot I was wishing I had been braver. Then I went to Vajdahunyad Castle, also in the Park. It is a replica castle but interestingly built in 1896 for an exhibition of Hungarian architecture so it had a bit of everything…Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque all combined into a very pleasing whole. I enjoyed wandering around there for a while.
Then back and onto the bus to get off half way along the Avenue to go to the House of Terrors. I didn’t hold out much hope for this museum. I very erroneously thought it was going to be like the Italian Museums of Torture. But NO!! It was the best Museum I’ve been to. So interesting and finally it put some sense into the whole WWII/ Russian occupation horror. In fact I’m still reading about it because I took away all the information from the Museum but it is a little like Sarajevo. A country caught between enemies that became the epi-centre in the last year of the war. I spent ages there and found it extremely moving and it taught me a lot.
After I emerged from there I walked along the Avenue some more and then veered off to find the Restaurant Will thought I should go to…Mazel Tov. I found it and had a lunch of Israeli food which was a nice change. Then more walking back to the Hotel.
I ate a dinner here and am done for the night. Only one more day here and I think less running around.