Sunday, October 12, 2008

Yet another weekend in Budapest...

This weekend, we decided to stay in Budapest again. Fall is definitely here, and I'm loving it!
Rachel and I decided to go to the Labyrinth on Thursday. We had a great time getting creeped out by all the stone figures, wall paintings, and small, dark spaces. I had David Bowie running through my head pretty much the entire time. :)
We ended up going bike riding on Margarit Island as well. We rented bikes for 1/2 hour for less than $3 (450 Forint). This weekend has been beautiful with the high temp being in upper 60s lower 70s. Soo good.

On Friday, a group of us toured the Holocaust museum as part of an excursion through our Holocaust Literature class. Here are a few things I learned:
  • Ten percent of the Jews murdered were Hungarian.
  • Deportation of Hungarians did not happen until 1944.
  • Many Jews were put into ghettos first but were moved to concentration camps only one to three weeks afterward.
  • Budapest Jews were not deported but many were still killed here by various means, many in the Danube.
  • Hungary was unique because it was politically independent but still enforced antisemitic laws. Laws included a limit as to how many Jews could be accepted at universities and forbade marriage between Jews and non-Jews.
Most of the images and footage shown at the museum were overwhelming, seeing people starved, deprived of freedom and dignity. Another eye opening experience.

On Saturday, I went to Hero's Square with the roomies. We were looking for the Budapest Crafts Exhibition and Fair. We found it. I thought it was really neat! Many booths were set up for anyone to participate by weaving baskets or painting jewelry. It would have been a lot of fun if I had been in the U.S. and had been with someone who was interested in making crafts with me. :)
In the evening, I went on a sightseeing cruise on the Danube with Rachel, Stephanie, and Elizabeth. We had a lot of fun!
Next week, we're planning on going to Prague. I'm pretty excited.
Oh, and I do homework every once in a while...
This is the life. Now if only everyone from home could come join me.

p.s. I think I just fixed my blog so anyone can post comments to an entry. FYI. I didn't know I had control over who comments on my blog...

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