THE PINKI VIEW: Monday, September 23, Budapest

Took a long walking tour of "Jewish Budapest". Started at the huge (biggest in the world until NY's Temple Emmanuel was built) Dohany Synagogue, surprisingly Moorish in style, and quite beautiful. But the most impressive thing was how crowded it was, with tour groups representing many countries, and most of the visitors were not Jewish. We visit synagogues everywhere we go, but never saw one this busy. Saw the Jewish museum next door on the site of Theodore Herzl's birthplace. This museum is a gem, filled with both Judaica and Holocaust displays. Our guide, who was excellent, was five years old in 1941 and was confined in the ghetto, where his mother died. His father died in a labor camp. Next to that is a "cemetery" where the bones of thousands were found after the war. Many were identified and have memorial plaques, but over 1100 were never identified. At the back of the complex is the memorial park, with the tree of life statue, the Raul Wallenberg memorial, and other commemorative art.

Dohany Street Synagogue

Cemetery

Tree of Life, each leaf has the name of someone or a family that perished in the Holocaust

Next we saw the Rumbach Street Synagogue, which is really just a shell, but the bits that remain are even more Moorish, with mosaic floor tiles and elaborately painted walls. It is currently used as a public art space. Since none of that community remains there is an ongoing public capital campaign to raise money to restore it.

Rumbach street synagogue exterior

This is a photo in a niche of the decaying interior of the Rumbach Synagogue

Then on to the Kazinczy Street Synagogue, with it's Gozsdu Courtyard, the center of the orthodox Jewish community. There was a sukkah set up, which our guide didn't recognize, since he wasn't Jewish and hadn't been on the job for a full year. We gave him the scoop, and I'll bet his afternoon group thought he knew what he was talking about. This place was Art Deco in style and quite different from the other two.

Art Deco painted walls, interior Kazinczy Synagogue

But many tourists see these places. It was the afternoon activity that will surprise you. Charlie was eager to try the thermal pools at Szechenyi Bath, but I was concerned they might be too warm for me, so while he went pool hopping, both indoors and out, I had a pedicure at the spa. But not just any pedicure. This was a fish pedicure! Once you get over the ick (ichthyotherapy, get it) factor, it really was quite pleasant. At the outset it tickled so badly I didn't think I could last the 15 minute session, but that passed in a minute or two and it just felt like a low-level vibration. And my feet actually felt and looked smoother after those little guys feasted on my dead skin! Don't know what it is about traveling that makes you do things you'd never do at home -- even though we have this in San Diego I'd never been tempted.