Remembering the past - 12 September 2008

The second largest Jewish Synagogue in world is in central Budapest and, built in a Moorish style, is quite a magnificent building. The stainless steel weeping willow tree in the grounds is a holocaust memorial with each leaf inscribed with the name of a victim.

From there it is a short walk to the Grand Market down by Elisabeth bridge where we feasted our eyes only before making our way back to our very centrally located lodgings.

When the communists were finally overthrown, some far-sighted city father decided that the numerous monuments dotted around Budapest glorifying the Stalinist era and the glorious workers' state should not simply be scrapped so a representative collection of them was assembled in Memento Park. This lies southwest of the centre just outside the city limits so is a bit of a hassle to access. There are tourist tours that go once per day for 3950 HUF but if you make your own way there it costs 2440 HUF.

The park includes a Trabant and some authentic footage from films used to train 'agents' to spy and inform on their fellow citizens including how to secrete your Super-8 camera in your handbag and how to best position it to carry out your covert surveillance.