I thought that looked familiar...

Here in Budapest I'm fortunate to be living right next to the main city park, known as Varosliget (city park).  I go running and walking in the park often, and there is a statue that I pass each time that I never paid much attention to before, though I was vaguely aware that there was something familiar about it.  I think it was the eagle at the bottom, which looked so much like the image of an American eagle.

I figured the guy on top must be someone I'd never heard of from Hungarian history.  Yesterday, on a nice warm fall afternoon, I actually stopped to take a look.  Here is what the inscription said:

Who would have thought?  A statue to George Washington!  Ironically, it is not too far from the spot where a giant statue of Stalin was erected in the 1950's.  That one was torn down long ago.  So, I guess we really did win the cold war after all!  Woo hoo!  I can't help but wonder if my ancestors had anything to do with this statue, being that they emigrated to the U.S. ten years before it was erected.  Either way, it is nice to see a little tribute to America here so far from home.