The Sun’ll come out….

(Budapest, Wednesday) Today! The sun actually came out today. It has been unusually mild in this part of the world for January but it has been uniformly grey. It was nice to see the sunshine as we took the bus across the river to Buda. It was there that we talked with someone from the European Roma Rights Centre. These are the folks who look after the rights of Roma also called Travelers or Gypsies. This nomadic group of people has been persecuted throughout the years and they were victims of Adolf Hitler. They continue to be discriminated against. We spent an interesting 90 minutes hearing about the struggle to get equal rights for the Roma.

Students had the next 24 hours free for independent research. Some are going to explore the caves in Buda that were used by the Nazis in WWII, some are heading to a traditional Budapest spa for a soak in the hot springs that run under this city. I spent the day wandering around town, having goulash in the market and then walking to Gerbaud—a 150-year-old coffee house that instantly transports you back to 19th century Europe. It’s a great place to quietly sit, sip coffee, eat a decadent pastry and watch the world go by outside. It’s the kind of leisurely afternoon we Americans so rarely allow ourselves. It’s a shame really because it is a known medical fact that if you relax and eat slowly enough, pastries have no calories.

Tomorrow: a free morning followed by a trip to the US embassy.