It was 4:00PM when the sky darkened from the faded grey overcast the day produced. It didn't matter that there was no sunset, or sun at all throughout the day for that matter. As dusk turned to night the lights that blanketed the city and buildings illuminated creating a stunningly beautiful picture. On this particular night we took a boat ride down the river Danube which divides Buda and Pest, the two areas that make up the city Budapest, Hungary. The castle that sits atop the Buda hillside was brilliant in it's old world glory while the newer Parliament building on the Pest side seemed to be challenging its beauty with its impressive architecture emphasized by all the lights.
The boat ride was just one highlight of our Thanksgiving week adventure. My family and I spent our time traversing the city that is still somewhat emerging from the Communist era oppression it endured. My youngest sister, who is studying abroad in Budapest, was an excellent tour guide, leading us through the public transport system, providing insight into the history of the city and its sights and even speaking Hungarian, a feat I greatly admire.
I found the city to be charming in an undiscovered way. Although there are scatterings of boxy, nondescript buildings and some of the buildings are covered in dirt, exemplifying remnants of communist era, there still can be found wonderful architecture and a sense that there has been tremendous effort put forth trying to rebuild and restore a city that lost 80% of its buildings in the Second World War. In certain ways there is a sad aura that is felt about the city that has endured so much in its history. However, I found there is also a determination to present itself as a city that is no longer under a communist hold and that does not shy away from it's plagued history which is evident in the many statues and tributes scattered throughout the city.
We were fortunate to be there just before Christmastime. In addition to the lights that adorn the buildings to illuminate them each night, there were even more lights strung above the streets in snowflake and icicle patterns. There was also a large holiday market with wooden booths set up for vendors selling everything from Hungarian made leather products, to ornaments, to tasty food offerings such as giant pretzels, sausages, pastries and endless cauldrons of hot mulled wine.
On that note, what about the food? I had heard a preconceived notion before traveling to Hungary that the food left much to be desired. In fact, we found the food was delicious, albeit very meat-centric, but filling and just the type of thing we craved in the cold weather. I thought that goulash was supposed to be a thick, gravy-type meat dish; instead, it is more traditionally a broth based meat soup. Other traditional specialties include stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage, all delightfully seasoned with another Hungarian specialty: paprika.
I'm thankful that I was able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday in such a unique and wonderful city with my family who I cherish so deeply. Although our Thanksgiving day meal did not have any turkey, stuffing, cranberries or even mashed potatoes, and there was no pumpkin or pecan pie, we still all sat around one table together, enjoying each others company and all thankful for the opportunity to see another culture half a world away.
