Another gorgeous day in Budapest. John didn't want to spend another gorgeous day inside museums, so we headed off to take the cog railway up into the hills and ride the Children's Train. What fun that was - to see these youngsters in their uniforms, handling all the responsibilities of their jobs. On this sunny Sunday afternoon, the railway and train were full of families with small children on outings. Ann and Al thoroughly enjoyed their day at the Museum of Natural History and Museum of Applied Arts.
We went further afield for dinner this night, and took the Metro to an area near the Opera House to a pedestrian esplanade that was lined with restaurants. We ate outside, of course. Each chair had a blanket draped over its back, so patrons could wrap up if it got too cold. We saw this many times in all the cities.
The next day, we walked to the nearby St. Stephen's Basilica - one of the Budapest landmarks. I overheard a guide saying that the gorgeous stained glass windows were only 2-3 years old - they had been redone using the old windows as patterns. We walked toward the Parliament Building looking for various pieces of public art that we had seen from the trams. There are so many squares with old and new sculpture.
The most moving piece was a memorial to Jews who were murdered by Hungarian partisans in 1944-45. The Jews were lined up on the riverbank, shot, and pushed into the Danube. The 2005 monument consists of 60 pairs of shoes, cast in iron, lined up along a stretch of the riverwall. It is heart-wrenching.
We finished our day with a trip to the City Market, and an evening concert by the Danube Folk Dancers. Another great day in Budapest.
Today's pictures are from the Children's Train and of the Shoes Monument.
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