"And on your left you can see the citadel, sitting atop a hill where many people have committed suicide from" was the irresistibly bizarre voice over from the riverboat cruise!
Opting for the cheapest river cruise on offer we embarked on a boat that would have made a blow-up dingy a more preferable option. Listing heavily to the left, either on account of uneven weight distribution of passengers or as part of its unique rustic charm, we chugged off the pier and into the Danube with the pace of a geriatric snail.
The benefit of the pedestrian pace of our incredibly river worthy vessel was the allocation of ample time to view the impressive riverside buildings, lit up across the night sky. It definitely was not a case of blink and you ll miss it!
As the voice over kicked in through the muffled speaker - oh no this was not a boat for personal headphones - the only sentence one could make out from the female voice over seemed to be a 1/2 hour description of the various riverside spots that "people can commit suicide off".
The employee regaling these optimum sites for the ending of ones life seemed oblivious to the meaning of the words she was saying, someone in the script department was clearly bored and having a laugh at her expense, that, or it was a less than subtle nudge to we the passengers to try to cut down on tourist numbers in the city!
With black smoke billowing out the back and a less than healthy sound coming from the engine room we limped back to the river side, The voice over really didn t matter as the city speaks for itself, a river trip well worth the time.
The national museum sits just back from the river in a impressive neo-classical building. It gives a brief overview of Hungarian history from the beginning of time to present day. If you fancy a whistle stop tour of centuries of history tinged with a bit of nationalism, then stop by. But I can give you a brief overview of the slightly sanitised one sided journey through the ages of glorious Hungarian history...
The Hungarians were and Budapest was at the heart of civilisation in Europe throughout the ages, resolute in their defence of their culture and language.
The Protestant reformation attempted to foist its anti-establishment values on the Magyars, but the plucky Hungarians with the might of the Catholic Church performed a counter-reformation and order was restored.
Then along came those pesky, interfering Habsburgs from Vienna and subjugated the honest Hungarians to a century or so of subservience, until finally they obtained their independence post WWI.
Glorious years of independence followed. WWII left them caught between two world powers and they had 'no choice' but to allow the Germans into their country. They were instrumental in saving as many Jews as possible. Not a hint of persecution or collaboration existed.
Then ensued 50 dark years under the Soviet sphere, which nobody in Hungary wanted. The Hungarian uprising was given prime place.
And swiftly we move onto a newly independent t Hungary in the 90s!
But like all national museums it sells itself in a positive light, so I m not singling out Hungary as in anyway unique. For one eith even a passing interest in history it offered a wry smile or two to the discerning visitor
After such a unbiased recounting of Hungarian history I felt the need to forge one last time on Hungarian cuisine.
I made my way to the covered market next to the river. Tourists and locals bustle together in this mix of souvenir and food shops. Selling a unlimited supply of soviet era trinkets, t-shirts, paprika sausage, langos and anything else that could be considered 'Hungarian' it is a feast for the senses! And cannot be missed!
So ended my brief but enjoyable foray into the Jewel by the Danube!
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