Magyar News, 2003. szeptember-2004. augusztus (14. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-07-01 / 11-12. szám
A Step into Hungary's Past By Louis Bevilacqua As Hungary rejoins Europe after a century of tribulation, we look back into the past when Magyarország was one half of a great empire that stretched across central and eastern Europe. To understand who we are in the present, we have to look at the traditions of the past. We are, after all, an accumulation of all our experiences. It was early one sunny day when we drove from Solymár to the east of Budapest. Our destination is Gödöllő. Gödöllő was the summer palace of the Hapsburg King which served as a respite away from the busy Capitals and Café life of Vienna and Budapest. You could still feel Queen Elizabeth's presence. Her palace exemplifies the majesty of the times, and she was loved by the people of Budapest. Solymár to Gödöllő Solymár, a pretty enclave situated to the Northwest of Budapest, is a perfect example of the many ethnicities of Hungary. Solymár's main square contains, in the central square, a “templom” or church which has signs/monuments written in both Hungarian and German, a testament to the large Saxon (German) population of the area. The car was waiting for us near the church, which also serves as the meeting point of the bus to Budapest. It was a weekday and the sounds were of commuters hurrying to work ....people were speaking, chatting with the fruit vendor and buying a newspaper. The light of morning illuminated the lilac bushes, which were part of every home. The drive to Gödöllő was a short 20 minutes on highway M3. The longest part was stopping on Andrássy Ut as we added to our entourage. We passed the national FIDESZ party building and went past Kodály Tér where the composer celebrated his morning walk past embassy row. The Prime Minister of Croatia was in town so traffic was heavier than normal and Hungarian and Croatian Flags hung above the wide national boulevard. The scene was perfectly framed by the sunlight and the magnificent buildings that surely Queen Elizabeth viewed on days like today. When we arrived in Gödöllő it was still in the morning. I personally had never heard of this town so I didn't know what to expect. When you are driving somewhere, you see different landscapes than you would see if you took the train. I remember when we went to Szolnok the train always seemed to cut through the back of yards, past farms, forests filled with tall skinny trees. When you drive on the highway you see more modem sites. Posters for the latest concerts were exchanged for product advertisement as we left Pest and reached the end of City limits. To the right a room in the palace with the Royal couple s portraits. On the left: Louis Bevilacqua on Castle Hill in Budapest. Top: A paing of King Franz Joseph and Queen Elizabeth. Below it: A birdeye view of the Royal Palace.
