After an amazing tour through the smaller cities in Hungary, we were on the road again with a 7 a.m. departure to Budapest. The lack of sleep from the night before led to a glorious “I’m on a boat” parody created by Aubri and me, entitled “I’m on a Bus” (the official release can be heard at Lost Canyon 2009).
After a few hours of travel, we reached Statue Park. The park was created during the communist era, and though its fate was debated after the 1989 revolution, it still stands strong today. Larger-than-life statues of communist leaders such as Lenin, Marx, and Engels stood tall. This visit, however, quickly turned from a historically significant moment in our lives to a Flinn photo shoot.
After about an hour of amazing pictures we were back on the bus ( And I regrettably talked myself out of purchasing wonderful communist novelties like the “Mc Lenin’s” shirt or Communism’s Greatest Hits, Volumes 1 and 2.)
Once back to the Radio Inn in Budapest, we immediately dropped off our bags and set off for the world famous Liszt Music Academy. We were greeted by a tour through the academy and a sample of beautiful Hungarian folk music from throughout the ages (including that of our incredibly gifted host).
We were also introduced to an instrument I had never seen before. A student of the academy played our group a three song set on an instrument called the symboline. This instrument seemed impossible to play. Imagine a piano, but instead of striking keys with your fingers you are using mallets to hit the strings yourself.
Dinner consisted of typical Hungarian food from the Bombay Express (a Bollywood styled Indian food restaurant in the heart of Budapest.) As we finished our meals, we went off for a wonderful free night on the town. Budapest is a city with an amazing night life, and after a few hours of being lost, we all made the best of it.
Signing off from Central Europe,
Chase Gammon
P.S.–I love my mommy