Here is an HD video tour of Budapest, Hungary Castle Hill and Chain Bridge with Rick Steves, well known tour guide and tour guide book author. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. It is Cameleon. **Use our Trip Reports section to discuss other parts of your trip. Your email address will not be published. It was about states rights and money. Your insistence of “it is not true” is based upon…your gut feeling? His mission: to empower Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. Surely there are hundreds if not thousands of sites across the US –abandoned racetracks, barracks, shopping malls, shooting ranges ,— that could be repurposed as an outdoor museum and graveyard for a sampling of statues from our own example of failed ideology. Rudas Baths (Budapest) Thanks to a recent rejuvenation, Rudas offers an ideal combination of old … Travel with Rick on this video guide to Budapest, Hungary and find out what to do on your next trip. ©2020 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | Hungary Reviews. Thank you for sharing this. Because, obviously, you don’t need to keep a symbol of oppression in a prominent place just to ensure that it’s remembered. And I can promise you: More than 30 years later, nobody is in danger of “forgetting” the dark days of communism. When European communism fell in the autumn of 1989, the people of Central and Eastern Europe turned their attention to the unwanted statues that had loomed over their lives for generations. In the south, owning slaves was very expensive and owners, which were the wealthy, were slowly going to another practice of share cropping. However, the idea of destroying all of these or putting them in “the bottom of a river,” is, to me, too easy a solution. For ideas on what to see and do in Budapest, check out this roundup we put together of Steves' sightseeing adventures. A conversation you had with those around you waiting to get into a Trump rally? (45:38), Hungary III: Goulash Culture Hi guys, Anti-semitism, what else would you like to read about? I am not referring to that statue in any way. I do not know where you get your statistics from but mine come from my brothers and sisters throughout this great land. In America, all the statues of Confederate generals are going to be irrelevant as long as pictures of Washington, Jefferson, and Jackson are staring at us every time we make a cash transaction. Budapest: The Best of Hungary . There were some taken down that had nothing to do with the War of Northern Attrition. I always proposed to my American guests on our Life under Communism tour that the Statue Park is fine example to follow. ▲ Szentendre Colorful, Balkan-feeling artist colony — the easiest (and most touristy) small town to visit from Budapest. Paperback $8.99 $ 8. The Eastern Europeans did not wait long to remove those statues; most were torn down within weeks, or even days, and tossed onto the trash heap of history. So glad we did. Rick Steves' Europe is an American travel documentary television series created and hosted by Rick Steves.In each episode, he travels to the continent of Europe, documenting his experiences along the way.. (And this is the first time anyone has ever accused me of being “Trumpian.” Ouch.) The ONLY TROUBLE IS that his informators have been biased! Your email address will not be published. Relax in the Széchenyi Medicinal Baths, observe the incredible neo-Gothic architecture of the Parliament building, and stroll along the historic banks of the Danube at sunset — Rick Steves' Budapest allows any traveler to experience all that the country has to offer — economically and hassle-free. While it’s possible that a few nostalgic old-timers come here to get misty-eyed about the “good old days” of communism, it’s clear to me that the vast majority of visitors are here to ogle these monstrosities, to learn about the era they represent…and to take a “victory lap” around the now-pitiful remains of a failed empire. It stifles the arts – just look at those hideous statues! ▲ Hollókő Intriguing village-meets-open-air-folk-museum hiding in the middle of nowhere an hour and a half northeast of Budapest (visit only if you have a car). Considering that these statues embody a shameful heritage of racism — and the majority of Americans want them gone — taking them down would seem pretty open-and-shut, not to mention long overdue. These polls can be searched for online and actually read. Up in the north of Hungary, I settled in for a couple of nights in my sentimental-favorite Hungarian small town, Eger. Thanks for the directions! Each group was convinced that their guide — Peter, Etelka, and Katka — was the greatest guide on the Continent. see our FAQ. It's centrally located, close to a metro, the rooms are spacious by Europe standards, the staff was friendly & helpful and the breakfast buffet awesome. They had their share of slaves also. ▲▲ Gödöllő Palace Summer palace of the Habsburg monarchs — the best place in Hungary to get to know the “royal and imperial” couple, Franz Josef and Sisi. Hungary. The optimism of the post-Revolutionary days died with Lenin – ever heard of the Great Famine? And there should be only one of these museums, maybe in DC, but not hundreds spread across the U.S. I would say that even if the original motives of Marx, Engels, and Lenin were pure, those ideas metastasized into the brutal Stalin era. I’m a disabled veteran, but will still fight for freedom. Love it. They say history doesn’t echo, it rhymes. At the same time, we don’t want to censor the past. The public view is not something we can all find out from anecdotes or asking our friends. In Budapest, however, they took a slightly different approach. It’s an excellent idea! ▲ Lázár Lovaspark Entertaining demonstration of traditional Hungarian equestrian arts; a visit here combines well with nearby Gödöllő Palace. 4.6 out of 5 stars 128. I’d describe it as tourist-slash-educational. — How the Coronavirus Is Changing European Travel for Americans, statues of Confederate figures are finally being removed, https://thehill.com/homenews/news/503226-poll-majority-supports-removing-confederate-statues-from-public-places, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/majority-back-removing-confederate-statues-but-split-on-renaming-bases-poll, roll back many of the reforms of 30 years ago. Terms of Service | Privacy, Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in Hungary, Travel Talks: Czech Republic, Poland & Hungary, Feel the Spirit at Europe’s Pilgrimage Sites, Hungary II: Beyond Budapest Cheers, At my Budapest hotel, Gerlóczy, on three successive nights I got to pop in on Rick Steves Tour groups who were having dinner in the dining room. Otherwise, the considerable number of people who think the Confederacy should have won, should be preserved, etc. That is very Trumpian-capitalist. The Statue Park is a fabulous thing. I felt a mix of, creepy, cartoonish, and educated. In any event, I for one am not interested in using Russia as a moral compass.). No health care, no education, no social policy. Yes, Aron–I’m well aware of that! Get it as soon as Fri, Mar 6. The valiant Red Army soldier charges boldly toward…nowhere in particular. But a vast majority of Southern’s DID NOT own slaves. I’ve been to Memento Park several times since 1999. Unfortunately, Marx’s writings were perverted by Lenin (and then by Stalin) into totalitarianism that was oppressive for the people who had to live under it. Video: Watch Budapest: The Best of Hungary, an episode of the Rick Steves' Europe TV show. Are you reading this Rick? (And I, for one, would be happy to relocate all of them to the bottom of a river.) Like many Confederate monuments in the US, the statue you’re describing has sprouted a whole new collection of “protest” monuments (the photos you describe), which makes it a kind of double-monument: One represents the current Hungarian government’s whitewashing view of their own history, and the other is the real story told by Hungarians on the street. Explore Hungary! Doable as a day trip from Budapest, but worth an overnight. For coronavirus (COVID-19) travel information, The key thing is that the statues are being preserved and presented carefully and with context, rather than simply being out and about in public. So it’s been turned into a tourist attraction? The statue you mentioned that depicts Hungary as an innocent angel attacked by the nazi eagle is in fact a recent and very controversial monument (not in the memento park but in a very central location in the city). 4.6 out of 5 stars 66. I learned about myself that day, even as I learned the facts behind each stature and the park itself. And are interested in a REAL presentation of Budapest? Um, click the link in the post: https://thehill.com/homenews/news/503226-poll-majority-supports-removing-confederate-statues-from-public-places, In fact, “merry”, polls do show the majority would like them taken down–not everyone, but, yes, a majority. To say that the statues of Lenin and Marx are the embodiment of oppression is to say that certain ideas should be regulated. I was at Momento Park October 2019. It was really a great experience – walking among these gigantic statues on a windy hill. Just taking these statues down isn’t enough, and we can’t give our society a collective excuse to say that they’ve checked racism and bigotry off their to-do list. by Rick Steves | Nov 27, 2018. The problem with your logic on this issue is that you are aiming at the “dark days of Communism,” in other words Joseph Stalin, who was a Communist in the same way WWE wrestling relates to the Olympics, and taking your anger out on Lenin and Marx who were valid intellectuals that, in Lenin’s case, lived through the oppressive police state of the Tsar and strived for a better, egalitarian future. “Emotional outburst?” The removal of Confederate statues has been an important and much-discussed topic for decades, escalating in recent years.