Two Hearts in Hungary

AUTHOR’S NOTEWhen I visited Budapest at Easter in 1987, I found that it was one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. At the same time everything was very different from when the Empress Elisabeth of Austria found it the joy and delight of her heart. During the Revolution, as is always inevitable, much of the inside of The Royal Palace had been gutted, but it has now become a Museum. The Karolyi Palace was pulled down in 1933 and a great number of the older houses have been lost. Although there appears to be no poverty, I was aware of the constrictions that being behind the Iron Curtain imposes on the Hungarians, who have always loved to be free. As I was driving along beside the Danube with exquisitely beautiful views on each side of the road, I asked, “‘Where are the horses? It seems extraordinary to come to Hungary and not see horses!” “You are now in the Holiday Area,” I was then informed, “and you have just left the City, which is the Business Area. The next area is Agricultural and after that, a long way away, you will be able to see some of our superb horses.” I can imagine that nothing could be more frustrating to a Hungarian when horses have always been as much a part of his life and his family. When I left Hungary, my passport was inspected three times at the Airport by soldiers wearing large pistols at their belts. I can only assume that they were ensuring that I was not a Hungarian trying to escape!