Vacation - Danube Cruise #4 - The Pest side - and Sound of Music

Tom and Rob board the bus!

In part 4 of our Vacation cruise on the Danube we will take you into the Pest side of Budapest, Hungary on our bus tour that featured a famous square, Lots of Fun Facts, "Judapesht," and sing-a-long from the Sound of Music (and short video).

Heroes Square

HEROES SQUARE -  known in Hungarian as "Hősök tere" is one of the major squares in Budapest, Hungary, noted for its iconic statue complex featuring the Seven chieftains of the Magyars and other important Hungarian national leaders, as well as the Memorial Stone of Heroes, often erroneously referred as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
   It was designed by architect Albert Schickedanz. In the center of the monument is a column and behind two colonnades in a circle arch with a set of statues and sculptures: the monument to the Thousandth Anniversary. In front of the column, two soldiers perform a well rehearsed ballet before the tomb of the unknown soldier. It is a place for meetings for mass demonstrations and celebrations.
   The square is surrounded by the Museum of Fine Arts and by the Art Gallery. 

typical buildings

TYPICAL BUILDINGS - We noticed that buildings are typically made from large blocks (either stone or cement). Some are painted. -(Right picture - typical buildings - one painted, one unpainted).


THE HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH WORD "HELLO" - We were surprised to learn that "hello" is actually an Hungarian word that means "I hear you." 

The Weeping Tree- honoring Jews killed in WW2

The Jewish Temple w/weeping tree

WHAT IS "JUDAPESHT"? - That's the name of the large Jewish community in Budapest.. Refugees from Spain during the Inquisition fled to Hungary to escape torture and death. During World War 2, after the Germans invaded, they were not safe. That part of the city was walled off and made into a ghetto. - We passed by a Jewish Temple where in the back courtyard there appears to be a "Weeping Willow tree made of metal"- it's to honor the jews killed there during World war 2. 

FAMOUS THINGS, PEOPLE, INVENTIONS

Museum

1) Estee Lauder (make up guru)
2) Rubik's Cube inventor
3) Ballpoint Pen invented here
4) Soda water/Carbonation invented here
5) 1st PC invented by Mr. Neiman
6) 2nd oldest Zoo in Europe
FAMOUS PEOPLE OF HUNGARIAN DESCENT:    Drew Barrymore, Peter Falk (Colombo); Ben Stiller, Stephen Spielberg, George Soros.

Tunnel through a mountain

THE KODALY METHOD and SOUND OF MUSIC- The Kodály method, also referred to as the Kodály concept, is an approach to music education developed in Hungary during the mid-twentieth century by Zoltán Kodály.The Kodály method uses a system of movable-do solfège syllables for sight-singing: scale degrees are sung using corresponding syllable names (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, and ti). "Do-Re-Mi" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. Within the story, it is used by Maria to teach the notes of the major musical scale to the Von Trapp children who learn to sing for the first time.

A FUN BUS SING - A - LONG!!
While taking a bus tour of the City of Budapest, Hungary on May 20, 2019 through the Viking Cruise on the Danube River, the bus tour included singing "Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do" from the Sound of Music... that's because this musical method was developed in Budapest! 
   SO,,, on the BUS TOUR, they played the song and we all got to sing along!!
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/OWcRJwSoktE




NEXT - Visiting the Buda Side of Budapest