Saturday night yet the streets of Budapest were deserted. A musical concert was going on right behind the Hungarian Parliament house. The music was nice and peppy but the language being Hungarian was incomprehensible. I lost interest soon and wandered away to a nearby Cafe. The quaint cafe overlooking the Danube had a great view of the illuminated Parliament.
I asked the owner if they had tea and Wi-Fi. He chuckled and replied ‘Yes, we have tea and free wi-fea’. We both laughed at the deliberate rhymed words. He took my order and came back with the food in a short time. After serving he pulled a chair and sat next to me. He was almost my age, not very tall, quite thin and had a chiseled face. His English was not very good but that did not deter our conversation. He said he had visited India couple of times and even been to Mumbai. He seemed quite excited talking about India. Within no time we were discussing our respective countries.
My Hungarian Dinner
This is what I love about travelling. Travelling exposes you to new people, new culture, new food and new things. Each time I travel I come back with memories of the people I met, the food I ate, and new things that I learnt.
Unlike, Mumbai shops shut down quite early in Budapest. I left the cafe and started walking towards the deserted bank of Danube. The riverside that was brimming with tourists in the afternoon was now empty and forlorn. It was getting cold. I pulled my jacket and wrapped my arms around. I stopped near the Shoes on the Danube and tried to imagine the pain of all those who had to jump into the Danube on that fateful night when the Nazis attacked. It must have been devastating.
I was alone and engrossed in my thoughts when I saw an elderly homeless man approaching towards me. Budapest is a city where in every corner you get to see a homeless person scavenging for food and clothes. The man came near me. He was wearing dirty and torn clothes and had dishevelled hair. He was carrying a big jhola. There was not a single soul around, other than myself and this man. He came too close to me and started muttering something in Hungarian. I was unable to understand a single word other than ‘cigarette’. I was damn scared however what I understood was that he needed cigarettes. I fumbled but somehow managed to utter that I didn’t have a cigarette and almost ran away from the place. I had been warned of muggers in Europe and this man closely resembled the description. Maybe he was not a mugger and probably just wanted a cigarette but these are perils of solo travel where you cannot take risk. I didn’t waste any more time wandering on the lonely streets of Budapest and headed towards my apartment. Well, a different story awaited there.
To be continued.…..
Trina Looks Back 
I’m intrigued now …. what happened next?
I also get scared of being mugged and thuggery and admire your guts for wandering around a strange city after dark. I know bad things can happen in the daylight too but nights just spook me out .
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I know it was risky and maybe I shouldn’t have ventured in an empty Street alone.. thankfully nothing bad happened…thanks for reading Sunita. .. please come back to read the next part
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Will do Balaka. I enjoy your style
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Thank you so much Sunita
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Travelling does expose us to a range of experiences.I lov how travel does broaden the mind and helps bring out our innate ability to adapt.Thank God you ran !I would have started running from one km away!
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Ha ha ha… I still try to convince myself that the man was harmless. Thanks for reading and commenting Amrita.
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It is always better to be safe in a new country! wise decision
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I was being little extra brave..but that was not a very wise thing to do..
Thanks for the comment Arv
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Its better to exercise safety when in unknown places.
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Will surely keep this in mind now onwards… I learnt my lesson… thanks a lot
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👍
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The man sounded scary, Balaka. Enjoyed reaching your description about Budapest and never knew that lights down early. A beautiful post written like a novel.
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The man was probably innocent..a homeless man looking for some food..but the way he approached was scary… The part where I stayed in Budapest used to get deserted quite early… especially for us Mumbaikars it is strange to see shops shutting down at 7pm.
Thanks for the appreciation Vishal
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I grew up in New York City and would have been scared, especially in a place foreign where I did not have any “street smarts”. I wanted to thank you very much for introducing me to the Shoes on the Danube. So much is left unsaid in this work of historical art – it chills me to the bone.
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Shoes on the Danube is a place where you would literally get chills down the spine just imagining what they went through. Thanks for the comment Alana
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Shoes on Danube sounds painful. How helpless those people must have felt that night that they had no other option but to jump and drown to escape the Nazis. What times those were! The ending was a bit scary. Good that you escaped and ran to your apartment.
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It is difficult to hold back tears when you see shoes of small kids on the banks of Danube..it breaks your heart.. I actually felt a movie should be made on this particular incident.
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