Hungary

Hungary

 

The Hungarians (I’m half Hungarian, as i was mentioning while sailing past Bratislava last night, a phrase I just love) have dirge-like national anthem, asking God to provide relief to people suffering from chronic defeats. They have won no great wars and have lost most battles. The statue of a king who won a great battle neglects to mention that he gave it all back when he quickly lost the next one.

The national sport is water polo. These are tough people!

Note the bronzed shoes below are a monument to the Jews who were told to take their shoes off before being thrown into the river by the Nazis. And that car is an honest-to-goodness Trabant from the old East Germany, made of a compound like cardboard and capable of a downhill speed of 40 MPH.

I’m half Hungarian and I’ve never been here, as I recounted while sailing past Bratislava last night (I always wanted to say that). It turns out that the Hungarians have won no wars and very few battles. They were on the wrong side in both World Wars, but long before that they didn’t shine on the battle field. There was a king whose statue specifies that he won a great battle, but it doesn’t include the fact that he quickly lost the next one. Our guide told us that the Hungarian national anthem is sad and regretful, and contains lines such as “may God help us overcome our eternal defeats and regrets.”

Fortunately, everyone seems very happy today and Budapest is a fascinating place.