Taken in December of 2014 in Budapest
Andrássy út is a major boulevard in the Pest side of Budapest. It’s perhaps most well-known as the Embassy Row of Hungary. It’s delimited by Heroes’ Square (Hősök tere) on one end and Bajcsy–Zsilinszky út near Erzsébet tér on the other.
A section of Berlin Wall located outside the Terror House (Terror Haza) Museum
Taken in December of 2014 in Budapest.
This is the same little kid’s rink in front of the Basilica in Budapest.
Taken in December 2014 in Pécs.
Love locks are padlocks that people hang in a public space as a sign of affection–often with a message written on them. Some are fancy; others are not. It reminds me of the Shinto prayer boards one sees in Japan. Love locks are a pretty common phenomena, particularly in Europe. The first ones I remember seeing were in Helsinki, but this wall is in Pécs, Hungary.
Taken in December 2014 in Vác
This sweets bakery (cukrászda) was painted in a festive lime green, but with the stark shadows of a winter’s afternoon writing on the wall, it still looked a bit creepy to me.
Plus, is it just me, or is that font a bit unsettling?
Taken in December of 2014 in Budapest
They’re building a new park area at the base of Buda Castle, in front of the Palace. It was open while we were in town for the holidays. (Apparently, it has opened and closed several times and is still not entirely complete–though it does look nice.) The opened-closed thing being tied to the electoral cycle. Though apparently a significant portion of the funds came from the EU rather than domestic tax revenues.
Taken in December of 2014 in City Park (Városliget) in Budapest.
Taken in December of 2014 in Szentendre, Hungary
Taken in Vác in December of 2014
Vác was getting ready to install or remove a few statues and had them all grouped together in the town square. The juxtaposition of a lion with a WWI monument made for a couple interesting images.
Taken on December 23, 2014 in Vörösmarty tér in Budapest
These spheres of light, ostensibly designed to mimic glittery ornaments, were hung throughout the trees on Vörösmarty Tér during Christmas season in Budapest.
I have to say, I’ve never seen Budapest’s Christmas markets thriving like they were in 2014. Granted, my last holiday visit was in 2008 (bad times all around), and my first time was in the mid-90’s (Hungary was still trying to get its post-Cold War feet under it.) I have been a few times in between, but this year was clearly in a different league from previous years.
Taken in December of 2014 in Budapest.
On the bank of the Danube, Pest-side just south of the Parliament building, there is an eery memorial consisting of an irregular row of shoes. The shoes are made of metal, but their brown rust looks like worn, brown shoe leather. It is in remembrance of the victims of the Arrowcross Militia who were shot there and left to topple into the river.
The Arrowcross Militia were Hungary’s Nazis. Hungary was allied with Germany at the beginning of World War II, but at one point (in 1944, as I recall) Hungary tried to break this alliance. Germany responded by taking over Hungary, and giving the Arrowcross (their fellow hardcore fascists) greater power and influence.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 