The Shadow moved close to hear the words exchanged by the delightfully contented Western couple leaning against one of the lion statues marking the ‘Pest’ side entrance to the Chain Bridge in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The medieval city’s bright yellow lights were beginning to sprinkle on the crowds of strolling tourists leisurely occupying the pavement suspended over the Danube River. On the river bank, a lively collection of young lovers, shirtless men and curious visitors were drinking beer and dangling their legs over the water…

“I am utterly swept away by the depth of the beauty of this city. I feel like I am in some sort of magical setting, like we are caught up in a medieval fairytale. Budapest is really marvelous, wondrous…” – Karlie to Shane

…Europe’s second longest river had the world’s most inclusive reach as its bounty flowed through ten countries from its origin in Germany’s Black Forest to its reed-choked end in the Danube Delta on the Black Sea. As importantly, its role in history, trade and empire had few equals…

…Located at the center of Europe, the city had retained many of its historical structures which deliberately enwrapped a visitor into a subdued sense of passed times. Even though the fall of Communism at the beginning of the 1990s almost instantly transformed the vibrant Hungarian people into dynamic, fashionable industrialists, the city stayed as it had always been, locked forever in an essential past. “I’m serious, this city is like…God, I don’t know…unforgettable I guess…”

– Quotes describing Budapest in Front of Silence by Case Lane

Place:  Capital city of Hungary, at the center of Europe

Last visited: June 2017 (see also: Viking River Cruise)

Original sites: High

Familiarity: High

English usage:  Scattered

Great surprise:  Excellent, inexpensive local wines.  About 3 euros (in 2017) for good reds.