From Berlin to Buenos Aires, we pride ourselves in taking public transit wherever we travel. It is becoming more difficult with my spine issues and need of a cane, and we increasingly use taxis, However, we hired a private guide on Sunday and took several trips on the Budapest Metro. Public transit here is free for 65 and older. The stations, trains and cars are tiny by New York/London/Paris standards but they are impeccably clean, run frequently and get you where you want to go.
More color from Dia de los Muertos at the history museum. I can't say which was more engaging, the choreography or the costumes.
We visited the two major cathedrals of Budapest today, St. Matthias and St. Stephen. I didn't know anything about the former. He was chosen by the other eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot. There are a couple of St. Stephens around but this one became the first king of Hungary in about 1000 CE.
The first photo is an amazing window in Matthias, The second is a wide view of the transept of Stephen. But while editing it there was something I couldn't get out of my head, https://tinyurl.com/ykjpasa2 .
La Catrina is the face of Dia de los Muertos. The origin and popularity of the figure is a bit murky (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Calavera_Catrina) but it is now inescapable during the November 1 - 2 period of All Saints and All Souls Days. This example at the History Museum festival stands in front of the flag of the City of St. Louis.
One of the most touching customs of Dia de los Muertos is the building of altars that memorialize the dead but, even more, keep the living in communion with them. It can be an individual, an entire family or something much wider. At the History Museum's festival there is always an altar for the entire local Peruvian community. This one strikes particularly deep. The circle at the bottom center say "Perished In ICE Custody or Encounters, 2025-2026." ICE, of course, is the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. I don't need to repeat its story.
