The tram based on the map was supposed to cut all the way around the ring road of Pest. However, about 3 stops from where I wanted to be, an announcement was made in Hungarian which I thought was odd, but ignored it as I normally do. I then noticed that most people (excepting some tourists) were getting off at the next stop. That should have been my clue to get off, but I didn't. The tram then turned around and headed back the opposite direction! Engineering works.....
So this changed my path - I got out at a stop that was close to the Holocaust museum and decided to give that a try. I'm so glad I did - it was depressing, but very interesting:
Roughly 600K of the 6 million people killed in the Holocaust were Hungarian Jews or Gypsies. The museum chronicles this history, and is poignant reminder of how truly barbaric people were to each other. Having seen the House of Terror museum in the morning, this museum was an interesting follow on. The exhibits emphasized not only the role of the Nazis in the Holocaust, but more squarely blamed the Hungarian people as well for undercurrents of anti-Semitism that ultimately led to ordinary Hungarians handing over their neighbors to the Nazis in 1944. The organization and transportation of the Hungarian Jews/Gypsies to death camps was the quickest in the war - trainloads of people over a very few short months lost their lives. Again, this museum was haunting. I cried at one exhibit reading the diary of a young girl, who much like Anne Frank, comprehended way too much of what was going on around her. Reading the loss of dreams was too much for me.
The part I learned the most from was the discussion on the Gypsy history in Hungary. I don't know much about the Roma people, but this first taste has me wanting to learn more. Bucharest anyone?
After that somber outing, I exited to find I had just missed the afternoon thunderstorm! That means that the tram incident was totally worth it. I was inside for the only portion of the day that it rained.
I then got brave and caught the same tram going toward the New York Café. I read in RS that if a tram is shut for engineering works, they will put a replacement bus along the route designated with the same number. I hopped off at the last stop and found the right bus - it couldn't have worked out better. The bus was a tank....it looked like it was converted from a military bus to civilian, complete with 3 foot step out of and into the bus. Amazing how the Soviets are still a constant reminder here.
The New York Café was beautiful. Originally built as an office building for a US insurance company, the Café retains an old school charm that can only come from 1920s opulence. Here are some pictures:
That, my friends, is a fine establishment. The hot chocolate was ridiculously expensive ($8 roughly), but soooo good. And the atmosphere....what a place. I read for a bit and enjoyed the scenery.
After that, it was off for a stroll to walk off the 8000 calories in that hot chocolate. I strolled a bit before coming across an RS recommended restaurant that sounded really good. It wasn't as good as he wrote up about it, so not much to add. I did enjoy a glass of Hungarian wine.
Part 4 to come....
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