First Taste of Hungary-

May 29-

When we think of Hungary the most recent history of the country under communist rule seems to come to mind, but the country's history begins more than 2000 years ago with a Roman settlement. In the 9th century the Magyars (MUD-jars) a group of nomadic tribes arrived & about 100 years later the Kingdom of Hungary was officially founded. Since that time, it has been a country that has had to reinvent itself many times.

In the 15th century under the rule of King Matthias it was the first european country to adopt the ideas of the Renaissance from Italy. In the 16th century it was taken over by the Ottomans.  In the 17th century it was taken from the Turks by the Habsburg monarchy of the Austrian Empire. In the 19th century, the Hungarians fought for their independence and in 1867 regained their sovereignty. They shared a dual monarchy & the city of Budapest became the twin capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
This "Golden Age" was not to last long for Austria-Hungary was defeated in WWI & Hungary lost over two-thirds of its territory.  It is this loss of political, economic and social power that put Hungary in a vulnerable position for fascist forces in WWII.  The loss in WWII left Budapest in ruins and  the country in the communist hands of the Soviet Union.  The Hungarians rallied again for independence in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution but remained under a softer, "goulash communism"  until the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989.

I read somewhere that Hungary is like a "rising Phoenix out of the ashes of communism"...
I could not say it better & pray that it remains so.

Gabor met us early on our first morning and we set out on foot to explore his city.

At the Fisherman's Baston overlooking the Danube
and the "Pest" side of the city

Changing of the guards at Sandor Palace, the President's residence

Gabor & the boys on the Siklo (SHEE-kloh)-
the funicular train 

 Ride down the hill to the Chain Bridge

The Chain Bridge-
first bridge to link the Buda & Pest sides to form one city

We rode this ferris wheel to take in
a bird's-eye view of the city

St. Istvan's Basilica-
Budapest's largest church & home to the relic of St. Stephan's fist 

A Hungarian lunch just like Gabor grew up eating

Heros' Square-
built in 1896 to commemorate Hungary's 1,000th anniversary

The Great Synagogue-
 largest synagogue in Europe, built in 1859 

Tree of Life-
as a tribute to Hungarian Holocaust victims  

A father teaching his sons about a terrible tragedy

Dinner with the whole Gresz family-
the highlight of our day!