Monthly Archives: July 2023

Loving my bag of fun stuff from Giorgii! Missing you!

This is copied from a website by Yadvashem.

I was going to write about it myself but I can’t possibly do it justice. 

“On the banks of the Danube River in Budapest, not far from the Hungarian Parliament building, sit sixty pairs of old-fashioned shoes, the type people wore in the 1940s. There are women’s shoes, there are men’s shoes and there are children’s shoes. They sit at the edge of the water, scattered and abandoned, as though their owners had just stepped out of them and left them there.

If you look more closely, you see that the shoes are rusted, made of iron and set into the concrete of the embankment. They are a memorial and a monument to the Hungarian Jews who, in the winter of 1944-1945

During that autumn and winter, after the Germans had toppled the government of Miklos Horthy bringing Ferenc Szálasi and his fascist, violently antisemitic Arrow Cross Party to power, the Arrow Cross introduced a reign of terror in Budapest. The Arrow Cross militiamen ran amok in the streets of Budapest, beating, plundering, and killing Jews publicly. Thousands of Jews were murdered all over the city. Shooting the Jews into the Danube was convenient because the river carried the bodies away. Often, the Arrow Cross murderers would force their terrified Jewish victims to remove their shoes before shooting them into the Danube. Shoes, after all, were a valuable commodity during World War II.”

When you’re there- it’s just so devastatingly sad. A truly powerful memorial. 

Part of the Buda Castle wall.

Budapest

Day 1

We left Salzburg on July 13th. We drove 

337 miles. (543 km) 

to Budapest. 

Day 2

Budapest

Biked everywhere! 

Looked for the famous little hidden bronze statues. 

Walked about 10,000 steps. 

Went to Cafe New York – super fancy. 

Day 3 

21, 471 steps!

Rented bikes and rode all around the city. 

Found a water park that was a perfect break from the heat and sightseeing. 

Jesse and I walked up to some statues – the area was under construction but the views were amazing! 

Fisherman’s Bastion is beautiful.

When we get an Airbnb, we make sure it allows dogs and that it has air conditioning (especially for Maizy & Dottie.)

Sometimes the actual building, the views from the the apartment and/or the surroundings are a bit sketchy – but so far, so good. We’ve been happy!

In a lot of countries, you need to buy a vignette to travel their highways. If you don’t, they take a photo of your license plate and hunt you down. 

We went to my fabulous friend’s house for incredible food and even better company. Marisol and her husband should open up a restaurant. Their whole family are lovely hosts. We had a great afternoon eating, hanging out by the pool and going to the Alm Canal. 

Marisol and I always laugh so hard together. Come visit me!

Our incredibly fun friends in Salzburg. We always love seeing these people. Looking forward to seeing you some day soon again! 

We moved Maddux out of his apartment on July 13th. Platzl 4 on the 4th floor on the Salzach River above the Meindl store. We will miss this city. It is so beautiful.