Gone West

The view from Castle Hill in Buda, overlooking Pest.

The last time I was in Budapest, it was in the late '80s and this was still a communist country. I remember it like it was yesterday. I met a Hungarian girl and we traveled around the city, then hitchhiked and traveled around the country. She was afraid to talk to me here in town because I was a Westerner and Russian spies were everywhere.

Everyone worked for the government then. The average wage as $100/month. (My hotel was $4/night and meals were about 75 cents.) Freedom, and prosperity, were both a fantasy.

I can't believe what a difference 20 years and "a change of system" has brought. No more traveling across the city to get bread or toiletries. You can get anything now, 24/7. Thousands of shops are open, even on Sunday night.

It's still a poor place, and a beautiful place too. But long gone are the sour faces and dour people. It's utterly amazing.

The view today from the ancient Margaret Island Baths: change is ubiquitous.