An Emotional Reminder Of A Dreadful Time

Budapest: Day 3
Sushi and I headed out to the Jewish synagogue first thing but when we got there the queue was huge so we opted for tea and croissants in the cafe opposite instead to review our plans and we decided to return later in the day. So we headed towards the Danube to walk along the esplanade to the Hungarian Parliament.

On the way we stopped at this incredibly moving sculpture. It consists of 60 pairs of iron shoes to represent the countless Budapest Jews who were lined up on the riverside and shot by the militia during WW2. They were lined up so their bodies fell into the river to be washed away and didn’t need disposing of. It was certainly an emotional reminder of a dreadful time in history.

We had a tour of the Hungarian Parliament Building booked in advance and I am so glad we did. It is an incredible building from the outside and from the inside (extras). The outside is loosely modelled on our own Houses of Parliament but the inside is completely unique with 46kg of gold leaf on various statues, columns and domes. It is still in use and we could only imagine what it would be like with a full house.

Walking back via the Central Market, we did finally get our visit to the Synagogue and we were both glad we did. Our guide, Stephen, was so interesting and beautifully explained how the architect had interpreted the Jewish laws to make the building unique and very special (extra). The memorial garden with the graves of 3000 unidentified Jews from WW2 was another reminder of how the city suffered at the hands of the Nazis.