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Haven’t you had enough of Slovakia?

August 26, 2009

Yes, I have. I’ve had enough of Slovakia, let’s move to Vienna – it’s only one hour drive from Bratislava. The highway is smooth and flat, no more obnoxious humps and pot-holes. The car glides graciously, reaching 70 miles and more, letting the thoughts flow alongside. Flurry of wind intrudes fiercely through the open window, intensifying my perception of the driving process.

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A snapshot taken on my way to Vienna. The weather is not at the peak of its hospitality, but this is exactly the kind of weather I like.

I don’t like noisy streets swarming of idle tourists and locals wandering around in search of entertainment, shopping and adventures. Though it depends on my mood-of-the-moment, I primarily prefer secluded, quiet streets where nobody expects to see a speckled mob of merry, hurrying people.

Vienna

This is what I was talking about – cars mixed with horses, hubbub and hilarious bubbling.

Now let’s hit the road south to Budapest, precisely to its authoritative Hero’s square, conspicuously positioned somewhere between the City Park and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Have some visual aids:

Budapest Square

I marvel at the magic created by an ordinary sunset. This square looks much different during the daytime…

and some more:

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I must show you the last one:

Budapest Square 2

When I look at this picture and all the kids romping out there, I can easily imagine myself being a kid too, carried away by wind, summer and joy. My heart almost “leaps up” and my soul bursts open. No, I didn’t smoke anything and I didn’t get high. Just happy ))

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Budapest didn’t fascinate and impress me as much as Prague or Vienna. I mean, the city is beautiful, with all its architecture, Danube and bridges laid over it, but… Maybe it were the people I didn’t like, maybe my subjective perception didn’t allow me to encompass all the city has to offer. A plausible interpretation is, that I was simply tired.

Not sure I’m entitled to assess the architecture, being quite a dilettante, so you can do it yourself:

Budapest city square

This is a large, central square – an excellent example of the city outlook. No threat of claustrophobia that’s for sure. Looks like there’s enough space for everyone (except for … but, oh well, this is not a political blog, I do not intend to discuss my views here).

Here’s one more, taken from a bridge:

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So, where were we?

Right, Budapest…

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