The little girl’s gone home. Today morning was Pragati’s flight back to Bangalore. Now I’m on my own for the next three days. I’ll miss her wisecracks and her ‘pearls of wisdom’.
Yesterday’s rain left its after-effects. Or maybe I should mention it as “the day before yesterday”, as it is just past 12 and Saturday has already begun. But let’s not break the chain. It was a gloomy day. Grey clouds still lingered in the morning sky. But the city looked more beautiful – like a maiden who had just come out of the lake after a bath. The waters of the Danube were sparkling like silver. It was overall gloomy in the office too, as most people chose to either bunk or leave early. Peter had left for home after lunch and Frank had to leave shortly after to catch his flight. By 5 O’clock only Gabor and I remained. Soon it was time to say goodbye. As I exited the outer gates of the building for the last time, the office wore a deserted look. Weekend had already started.
I headed for Deak Ferenc Tere, with the intention of exploring Andrassy Street up till Hosok Tere, but I took the diversion and decided to have a look at Kiraly Street first. It was a small and narrow street flanked by huge old buildings on either side. It seemed like a legacy left over from the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, since I came across cobblestones at some places. Dominating all the old buildings is the Liszt Ferenc (more popularly known to the world as Franz Liszt) Academy of Music, a massive structure situated in a beautiful little square. Once I crossed this building, the complete appearance of the road changed. It had now become a busy thoroughfare with trams and cars whizzing past. I headed for Andrassy Street.
Andrassy is perhaps one of those so-called “main streets” in Budapest – glamour personified. It runs from Deak Ference Tere at one end to Hosok Tere or Heroes Square at the other. As you proceed down the road, the massive column of Heroes Square dominates the horizon. It could perhaps be compared to the Raj Path or the Champs Elysee. The street is one of the busiest, with cars and buses (mostly city tour coaches) whizzing past. On either side massive old buildings housing shops boasting the latest brands, loom up and huge trees provide a canopy for the walkers. The most common sights on this road would be the yellow boards announcing the metro stations that exist under this street and the ubiquitous presence of the yellow-green telephone booths. Unfortunately Pragati did not set her eyes on this street. Else she would surely have forgotten Vaci ut. The magnificent Opera House interrupts these flashy surroundings. Like our trip on Saturday to this place, it was again closed today. Unlike other monuments, this opens only at 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm. As Obelix would have liked to say, “These guys are crazy!”
A huge octagonal intersection called “The Oktogon” breaks the Andrassy into two. The rest of the street from here to the Heroes Square is a picturesque drive, clattered with museums and embassies. Wide cycle tracks covered by a canopy of trees run on both sides. The first museum that you come across is the dark and grey building of the House of Terror – a place that houses the memories of the dark periods of the world wars and the communist rule. Right opposite is the Liszt Ferenc Museum, a small building that you might give a pass by, if you did not consult your map. There are innumerable other museums that dot this street until you reach the run down and dilapidated Andrassy Palace. From here the cycle tracks become cobbled pathways with benches and people walking their dogs. The grandiose Heroes Square stands at the end of the vast street.
Storm clouds were already gathering in the distance. Gabor had warned me that there was another storm expected today at 8:00. Nevertheless I decided to take a risk. Crossing the road here is a momentous task, as most of the motorists give scan attention to the traffic lights. And being a huge intersection, one has to cross at least three roads to reach the square. This was my third visit to this place, but the first time that I was going spend much time over there. Built in 1896, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stands in front, but it is masked by the towering column behind it and the immense statues of the people – from Szent Istvan to Kossuth Lajos - who shaped the formation of the country that we know today as Hungary. Conspicuous by his absence was Attila the Hun. For all his “exploits”, perhaps they don’t consider him a hero.
I still had enough time, so I decided to do a round of the City Park, and proceeded towards the castle, that was build across the small iron bridge. This bridge spans a small artificial channel which is used to construct the grand ice rink in the winter. But today, it was empty. The water is held at bay by a dam-like structure. Just beyond this structure was the restaurant, “Robinson’s” where we had had a 2 hour long lunch last week (later mentioned by Gabor as one of the most expensive in Budapest). “The castle” is not exactly a castle by definition, but was a cardboard model built for the millennium celebrations in 1896, and later restored since it became quite popular with the kids. The beautiful Hungarian Museum of Agriculture is seated next to the walls of this castle. The city park, a huge green expanse filled with shady trees stretches out on all sides of the place. I roamed around for some time and met Vijay and his family – a group of Punjabis who were here on vacation. They were quite amused at the fact that I was here for work. We talked about the beauty of Budapest as we walked back to Heroes Square.
It was almost dark now. A few kids cycled around or skated under the watchful eyes of their parents. As darkness descended, even their numbers were dwindling. Quite a few bag-toting men and women were sitting near the tomb, and I realized as before that they were just waiting like me, to get a photograph of the place once it was lit up. The actual lighting up of the square was not an elaborate spectacle as that of the Chain Bridge, but once it was fully lit, it was indeed a spectacle. I set up my newly bought tripod and camera, and started clicking. Of course I, lying there on the ground and clicking the photos, seemed to amuse some of the photographers around. But one look at the photo and they seemed to be impressed.
The real fun started once it became completely dark. Until now, there were hardly few people on the square. But now, it was a party. Young men and women appeared out of nowhere, on bicycles and skates. Music blared from some small trucks which had suddenly appeared. And then the dance began – on skates and on bicycles. It was a spectacle worth the wait. I sat there for long before realizing that perhaps I cannot walk all the way back to the hotel.
The day was not done yet. The girl in the train was very pretty. But that’s nothing new out here – most of them are. She was wearing a simple long skirt, a pink in color with a pattern of tiny roses. She was sitting opposite to me, had a small but distinguishable smile on her lips and a sparkle in her green eyes. But what made me notice her so much was that her eyes lingered on each and every person sitting on the opposite side – including me. It was clear that she was studying everyone - quite a talent that would be to have. She knew that I had noticed. She gave me a smile before getting off.
Pic of the Day: The Heroes Square, built in 1896 to commemorate the millennium celebrations of the country
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