Waiting

We learned early on that travel often involves a combination of hurried rushing and patient waiting. Today I was challenged to wait with patience and slow down. We started our morning at the Dohany Street Synagogue, the largest in Europe. It’s just a 10 minute walk from our apartment, and even though we got there about ½ hour early, we found we had to wait for about 45 minutes given the extensive line.

It was beautiful inside and out, with Moorish touches. Interestingly, though, it was designed by a gentile Austrian who modeled it on a Christian cathedral, right down to an organ (never played these days, although Franz Liszt inaugurated it in the 1860’s). They sat us in groups inside the temple according to language, so we looked for the English flag and took our places.

The tour guide was good. Kitty noted his excellent pacing and humor. He offered history and context while we sat, and then took us outside to the mass grave memorial garden and sculptures. There was one that represented the “Death March” our Israeli friend mentioned in his story last night. There is also a willow tree with leaves bearing the names of the thousands who died. I feel as though every day we learn a bit more of the history and the sorrow builds with every lesson.

We stop in a café on the way home, the Frömlich, where we enjoy our first pastries of the trip. Once back in the apartment, Kitty takes over domestic chores (laundry day) and I set out to buy our train tickets. Getting from Budapest back to Vienna/Graz has always presented a challenge. It seems the only direct train to Graz takes many hours and goes overnight. It’s much faster to go via Wien. We bought all our train tickets in Vienna, but the woman there told us how she couldn’t sell us the ticket between Budapest and the Hungarian border town—we’d have to purchase those from Budapest.

I set off and rode the Straßenbahn without incident to the main train station. Once there, I struggled to find the national ticket line. It was long and winding so I waited about 20 minutes. When I finally got to the window, the woman told me I was in the wrong line and had to go the subway ticket line. There I took a number and waited dutifully about another 15-20 minutes. Finally, I got what we needed, feeling as though that was all a whole lot harder than it had to be.

I had meant to pick up lunch, and was looking for an easy carry out for a sandwich. The route just didn’t afford one (the ones I tried were sold out), so I went back to the apartment and Kitty joined me for a late lunch in one of the restaurants just downstairs. The chicken sandwiches were substantial and overpriced, but hit the spot. We had made reservations at the Sky Bar to view the sunset, but it started raining so we decided to cancel. Kitty is into her novel and happy to stay inside for the duration, so we settle at the apartment at 4:00. I am aware of other possibilities—if the rain stops, I may try for a beer at the ruin bar across the street, but I too may just settle in and call it a day.

We realized yesterday that we have fit in enough activity over the past 2+ weeks to last us for a year at home. I’m still driven to see some sights like the New York Café, but must admit we’ve done this city justice. We have used up our transportation pass so I expect we’ll walk our neighborhood and nearby tomorrow. For now, it does feel good to have a bit of downtime.