Back in time

I came to Hungary to research Hungary before and during WWII, but Hungary's rich history can't be confined to those few years, of course.  But for any history nut (of any period), there is so much to explore and sample and learn.

The Alexandra Bookstore Coffee House

In Budapest, many buildings have been restored to their glorious facades and interiors of over a hundred years ago.  One of these was the Alexandra bookstore and cafe, where I met an American who has been living with in Budapest, who shared with me much Hungarian history. And through her stories, I felt transported back to that time. The coffee house was elegantly furnished with a variety of tables, armchairs, and sofas.  Like one of those salons meant for deep and intelligent conversation and where great ideas are forged over strong espresso.  I salivated when I glimpsed all the cakes, tortes, and pastries in the display case. How could I choose but one?

Later in the week I sat in awe of the stories that a Hungarian gentleman and his wife told me about WWII and the years leading up to and after the 1956 Revolution in Hungary. Why have I waited so long to come back to Hungary and hear these stories, I wondered to myself.

I took the bus out beyond the borders of my Budapest tourist map to a the Hungarian Railway Museum (Vasúttörténeti Park), where old steam and diesel engines of the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) can be examined, explored, and peered inside. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for these great engines to be chug-chugging across Hungary's railroad tracks. What it must have been like for these trains' engineers to stuff coal into their furnaces to power the engines of those older powerhorses.

Hungarian National Railway (MAV)

Then I bused back to present-day Budapest and to the East train station (Keleti pályaudvar) where I bought a train ticket to ride the MÁV north to Sátoraljaújhely, where my mother lived until she was nine years old.