Budapest

Today was finally a day off from cycling.  We are in the amazing city of Budapest.  I started the day by going across the street and getting a cup of coffee.  I know, I am in one of the great coffee cities of the world and what do I want, brewed coffee.  Most of Europe has an "espresso" culture.  They make cups of coffee in one at a time, often out of a fancy machine that grinds, runs hot water trough and in the case of a larger cup of coffee, adds hot water. I wanted a taste of home and I found it at Starbucks.

The pastry was a local one.  Funny  thing is that when I ordered a regular pike place roast, they had to make it special for me 

Funny add on the reverence for coffee

Next on our agenda was a tour of the Jewish history of Budapest.  Pre-WWII, Hungary had a large Jewish population.  As we learned, the Jewish people were highly integrated into Hungarian society.  During the waning stages of the war, over half a million Hungarian Jews were transported to death camps, especially Auschwitz.  What was especially troubling was that the Hungarians themselves willingly did a lot of the dispossession, deportation, and murder.

This is the main synagogue in Budapest, the largest in Europe

This memorial, shoes on the Danube is particularly poignant.  It commemorates the death of nearly 3000 Jews that the Hungarian Nazi's took down to the river, had them take their shoes off, disrobe and shot and forced into the river

This little statue, found near the synagogue, is of  Theodor Herzl, he Founder of Modern Zionism.  He was born in Budapest

The Hungarian Parliament building - The largest parliament building in the world

Closer view of the Parliament

It is early afternoon in Budapest.  Despite being a rest day, I have about 18.000 steps done.  We are laying low now, finishing our laundry and getting ready for tomorrow.  We hope to get in a fine Hungarian meal for dinner