Budapest

I paid my first visit to Hungary yesterday and today. I realize that it's only been a few months since we moved to Europe - but this stuff still fascinates me. To think about the very recent history of these very old places ... what happened to them during the two world wars, during communism, and today.

In Budapest, I stayed at the New York Palace hotel. It opened in 1894 and suffered various tragedies throughout the 20th century as broader European tragedies unfolded around it. It served as "the world's most beautiful warehouse" during the Nazi occupation. An Italian hotel company bought it and completely restored it during the 2000's - they did an amazing job as you can see below.

And on another historical note, during the last few weeks the Hungarian government apologized to the Czech Republic for their role in crushing the Prague Spring. Hungarian soldiers marched into Prague 40 years ago alongside Russian troops. An interesting juxtaposition with more recent events nearby.

The interior atrium with a Hungarian business group meeting over wine ...



















Exterior shots ...
















































Fauns lining the exterior at street level ...



















This morning in the atrium ...