Okay, back again. After two hours or so at the Bartok Museum we set out to walk down the hills to the old town of Buda, which is high on a sort of mesa, with cobblestone streets and a castle (think of Edinburgh for example). An interesting walk on which we noted many architecturally interesting villas, confirmed that we could not understand even one word of Hungarian... and found an advertisement for a certained favorite grocery store chain! The views from the Old Town were spectacular: see Ian far above the Danube. Here we also stopped for lunch, where Dad was served Hungarian sausage and rice in an .... interesting ... arrangement. We enjoyed the view of the spectacular Houses of Parliament as well (modeled on but larger than the British Parliament), and then descended to the riverside: the photo of Ida and Glenn on the Chain Bridge across the Danube shows the view back up to the Palace in Old Town. Another walk through the flat city of Pest led us to many spots, but Ida was thrilled to find the home of another idol, Kodaly, although it was under renovation and so not open to the public. We made our way back to the spectacular Keleti train station (see photo), and the train back to Vienna... where we encountered our new old friend Hopkins the waiter! By 11 or so we were at the apartment and ready to sleep. An amazing day, involving another country, another Habsburg capital city, two great composers, and more spectacular history and architecture than one could imagine compressed into this small corner of the world. Tomorrow will be a Vienna day again, culminating in the Opera! Stay tuned...
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