Budapest

Arrived by plane in mid-morning on July 4.  We had a few hours to kill, as check-in is around 1:00, so, after taking the bus to town, we stashed our luggage at Keleti Pályaudvar (train station) and grabbed lunch, then took a trolley to our apartment.  The place is on Akácfa Utca (Utca means street), next to a tatoo parlor.  Looks pretty run-down, and the entry to the building smells like pee and garbage, but up on the 4th floor where we were staying it was clean and new.   The street itself is a center of Budapest night life.  Every night there were lines of young people waiting to get into some of the hippest bars in town.  Around 6AM there were still a few drunken stragglers on the street, along with broken glass and some trash, but before noon the city had run their street sweeping crew through and the place was back to normal.

On our first night in town, we did what we do best... schmied around .  Turns out the street also has lots of restaurants and quieter bars.  Almost every bar had big TV's on the sidewalk for the World Cup.  It's a very big thing here.  Whilst in search of ice cream stumbled on a food-truck court which had a chimney cake vendor

It's essentially dough wrapped on rolling-pin sized stick that is rotated over hot coals until golden brown, then rolled in something.... cinnamon sugar, cocoa and sugar, ground nuts... whatever.  Some versions spread nutella on the inside or other gooey stuff. Right down the street from us is an extreme example:
https://www.facebook.com/meatyschimneyteria

The next day we toured the Great Synagogue of Budapest  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doh%C3%A1ny_Street_Synagogue)

Dohány Street synagogue (The Great Synagogue)  

It's certainly the most elaborate synagogue I've ever been in.  For the history, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doh%C3%A1ny_Street_Synagogue.

The Bima in the main sanctuary

Hungary was allied with Nazi Germany, and went along with much of their anti-semetic policies including forcing Jews into overcrowded and ill-supplied ghettos where many died from disease and malnutrition.  When the "deportations" began, Hungary's government refused to comply, so the Nazis invaded Hungary and took over the government, which resulted in about 300,000 Hungarian Jews being sent to the gas chambers.  The Gypsy population suffered much the same fate.   In the courtyard are 2 memorals to the holocaust.

Memorial in Synagogue courtyard to Budapest Jews who were killed by the Nazis 

Memorial to those that died on Nazi death marches

Tree of Life memorial in rear courtyard.  Each leaf contains an individual's birth and date death.  I saw 2 "Klein" leaves.

 Lunch on the walk back to the apartment at http://www.tolto.net/

After all of that... we had lunch... Homemade wild boar sausage (not Kosher)

On Friday, we tried the Rudas thermal baths.  Unfortunately, the thermal baths were "men only" on that day, so we ended up attempting to use the pool... which is basically an overpriced lap pool.  Nothing to write home about.  But I did end up with swimmers ear, and a couple of days later ended up with an interesting tour of Budapest's for-profit medical system.

On Saturday (7/7) we set out for a bike tour of Budapest.  It covered all the highlights:

Heroe's square

View from Castle Hill

Went out for a beer with Mate, an AFS exchange student from Budapest this year going to high school in SF.   It was good to see him again.

Monday was spent at a clinic on the Buda side having excess ear wax removed.  Nice to be able to hear again.  About $168 out of pocket.

On Tuesday, we went to Széchenyi Thermal Baths, the mother of the many thermal baths in Budapest.

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We also went to the Budapest "Great Market" and made the mistake of having lunch at one of the stands upstairs.  It was hot, crowded and apparently chock full of Salmonella.   Lesson learned:  Don't eat luke-warm steam table food.   I would pay for this one for the next week.