I came to spend some time living in Budapest because I thought it would be a good place to write. There are great cafes to work in, an interesting atmosphere to the place, and relatively cheap rent. It also happens to be the case that a great-grandfather of mine actually emigrated to the U.S. from Hungary at the end of the 19th century. He came from a tiny, isolated village on the border with Slovakia. When I was here in 2009 I meant to go there for a visit but never managed. Now, finally, this past weekend I went with a few friends to check out the village of Felsovadasz.
It ends up, the place hasn't changed much since my great grandfather left. People still use water from wells out by the street. There are chickens and pigs in the yards. In the next village over I even saw some guys riding down the street in a horse-drawn cart. (Sadly, my photo of that one didn't turn out...) It was fun to walk around the village and picture my great-grandfather running around these same streets as a child. I couldn't help but wonder which house might have been theirs...
There's something nice in that it hadn't changed at all - must have felt like a real connection with the past.
ReplyDeleteYes, it did feel like I was communing with my ancestors. When I saw kids running around the streets I thought that my great grandfather's childhood must have been just like that!
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