Visiting Budapest: Dearly Mist

“Midnight riverwalks, moonlight fey-strolls, urban lurks and witching-hour strolls are generally unwise. But they’re worth doing anyway.” – Old Sean

Landing in Pitch Mist

Following my vacation in Italy, I purposefully gave myself an extended layover in Budapest.

One of my favorite pastimes is using super-long layovers as a chance to do some incidental traveling. I managed to sneak in a little exploration of Canada back in 2022 doing just this. I pulled a similar stunt for Norway. When I’m very lucky, I can eek out an entire day of exploration on a cheaper, indirect flight.

As such, I’ve landed in Budapest, eager to see the city wreathed in the silence of the night. After a fortifying nap on the plane, I bumbled through the airport. Thanks to a single light backpack fueling all of my journeys, I didn’t have to wait long at all to wander forth.

I walked outside the airport to take the bus line into the city just after midnight. Bitter cold snaked in, fang finding exposed flesh. After nearly half a year living in a desert, my resistance to chilly weather is somewhat limited.

But Budapest still called. I kicked through ankle-deep mist, hunkered low against a fine spray of sleet, pulled up a hood and headed into town.

Witching Walk

From the Ferenc Liszt International Airport, I hopped on the 100E bus route which runs cheaply throughout the night. This brought me directly to the city center where a surprising number of younger people still walked the dark streets.

I made a slow rotation through a park to get my bearings, passing a couple of small pubs and a small dancing club. Once I was oriented, I followed the roads toward the Danube River.

This walk was rather slow and ambling, no urgency anywhere in my steps. I gazed up at the Ferris Wheel of Budapest, a strange feature when unmoving and unlit. I also spent long moments staring at the surprisingly pristine Michael Jackson Memorial Tree. The iconic performer often stayed at the nearby Kempinski Hotel, where fans would gather hoping to glimpse Jackson. Upon his death, glossy photos were placed on the tree, creating a unique place for mourning. 

Once I finally exited the park, I kicked through some quiet streets, finding patches of stubborn snow on several areas. Ornate fountains and soft lights lined the way until I finally reached the banks of the Danube.

The Danube River is lovely at night. I love river walks in general and while skyscrapers don’t line the waterway, reflecting lights on liquid, I enjoy watching the chilly flow, with soft yellow orbs glowing steadily in the distance. Naturally, the riverwalk area is filled with statues of dogs playing, oddly attired young folk balanced on railings, metal artists working and desolate figures peering over the waters. 

These statues include the Little Princess Statue (Kiskirálylány), inspired by sculptor László Marton’s youngest daughter. There is also the slightly bowed William Shakespeare Statue and a bronze sculpture depicting a girl playing with her dog. However, my favorite among these is the Roskovics Ignác Denkmal statue, showing the famous Hungarian artist at work beside the iconic Széchenyi Chain Bridge.

However, these are the large statues. Lesser known but highly sought are the mini-statues of Budapest. Scattered throughout the city are exceptionally tiny metal statues which are part-art and part-scavenger-hunt. I spent a shameful amount of time looking, but I eventually found the Balloon Dog with his Bone Mini Statue by Kolodko. 

A Revisiting of Strife

The next chunk of my night was spent following the river. Budapest in the mist at night is wrenchingly beautiful. Over the next hour, I would wander past Tőzsdepalota, the Exchange Palace. I would sit on the steps of Országház, the Hungarian Parliament Building. I would pass statues of lions, the István Tisza Monument, solemn spires, men on horseback, the Kossuth Lajos Monument and another miniature sculpture known as Frog with Ushanka by Kolodko.

Sadly, I couldn’t visit my most happily sought attractions, the Szamos Chocolate Museum. Traveling just after midnight has its disadvantages as well.

Eventually, I finished my slow loop and wandered back to the river to see one of the most memorable monuments in Budapest. Best known as Shoes on the Danube Bank or Cipők a Duna-parton, these metal shoes line the water’s edge, often ringed by flowers and candles. 

The shoes are dedicated to those killed by the fascist regime during WWII. Victims were told to leave their shoes on the banks before they were shot and executed into the waters. The Arrow Cross Political Party is thought to have slain an estimated three thousand five hundred people, eight hundred of whom were Jewish.

The shoes, which are period appropriate and facing the water, are weather-tested and ghostly. It’s as though specters are ready to take a step over the current, beyond life but not memory. 

No matter how many times I see them, the monument of empty shoes stays with me.

Crows on Fright

One of the rather humorous pitfalls when traveling deep into the night is the profound lack of food options. I started getting hungry fairly quickly and knew that my best chance of finding an open eatery would be in Budapest’s club district. With this in mind, I angled inland and south. 

I eventually passed a highly contentious monument known in Budapest as the Memorial for Victims of the German Occupation. This statue, which depicts a demented metal eagle over a statue with upraised arms, is meant to note Hungary’s occupation by German forces in March of 1944. 

However, those who visit the statue will notice wire surrounding it, as well as numerous papers across the wires. These papers actively decry the establishment of this monument, stating that it’s a whitewashing of history.

Hungary was not an active resistance against Germany’s Nazi regime. The nation joined the Axis powers in 1940 and arriving German troops were openly received upon marching into the nation. The state administration of Hungary remained in power during this time. 

The historical estimates regarding what happened next are beyond harrowing. Nearly half a million Hungarian citizens who were labeled as Jewish, gypsies, gays and dissidents were deported to Nazi concentration camps. 

As such, the monument is considered a symbol of rewriting history. Civil rights and recognition groups have consistently called for the monument’s removal and information regarding the contentious state of the monument can be found in dozens of languages.

This statue, to me, is one of the most interesting in Hungary. There’s no doubt the country faces unique social pressures and an integral history as a central European nation. But both the establishment of the statue and its resulting outcry give a deeper narrative that any single monument could portray. 

Every time I visit Budapest, I enjoy seeing the statue because of the dichotomy of it. But part of me would be pleased to visit one day and see it vanished. 

I turned away from the statue under the loud wings of a startled flock of crows I walked under. From here, I continued wandering until I reached the clubbing district.

While I wasn’t terribly interested in having a night out at the various venues, I was happy to see so many places open nearby. I discovered a nook which served gyros, seated myself and dug in. 

Blessed is gyro.

Silent Lionhearts

At this point, I only had a few hours left in Budapest.

Due to the lateness of the hour and the lack of open venues, I wasn’t so much exploring as visiting old favorites in darker light. With this in mind, I decided to visit my single, most beloved site, the Fisherman’s Bastion.

This was, naturally, a long and slow walk. I had little to do beyond plugging in my podcast and starting to stride. To be fair, there really wasn’t anything else to do for the evening. I’d already eaten, enjoyed a snack, walked a bit and visited whatever artworks and buildings I could. With so many other features closed, outdoor sightseeing was my only option. And I would be required to stay within walking distance of the bus station to make it to the airport in a timely manner.

So to the Bastion I went.

I crossed the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, dodging a couple of scooters and other late night wanderers. Stone lions gazed outwards as I slumped beneath pale lights. It took some time, but I eventually found the staircase leading up to Fisherman’s Bastion, where pale stone was accented by low mists and smokey spirals of sleet. There’s a lot to see at the Bastion, especially when no crowds are around. A fair number of Christmas decorations spoke to daily events and festivities, but for the moment, I had the entire fortification to myself. 

I took a ponderous loop past Matthias Church, around Szentháromság Park and past the Holy Trinity Statue. 

It was a nice little jaunt but largely dedicated to peacefulness rather than eventfulness. Eventually, the ski began to lighten in the distance, soft black turning to a slat grey. I turned and began stumping down the steps, heading back towards the airport over the next hour.

Overall, Budapest was a strange, dreamlike experience. I’ve been there before to experience the full bustle and entertainment of waking hours. Visiting at night made me feel like a ghost in my own memories.

A Last Hiccup

Currently, I’m at the airport awaiting my flight. As is the theme of the day, my plane has been substantially delayed, necessitating a long nap before taking off. I’ll be going back to work with a distracted mentality, I’m sure. 

I’ll be returning to Riyadh for a time to catch up on that small chunk of work. But I don’t plan on staying for long. There are many more places to see over the next few weeks. I want to finish out the year of 2023 strong.

Yeesh, as every year, I’m flinching at the inbound idea of 2024.

Such is time.

Regardless, my break in Riyadh will be brief. I have a vacation to Istanbul for the following weekend, which I’m looking forward to tremendously. 

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written December 3rd, 2023

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