dohany.synagogue.budapest

the weather has turned cold quite significantly, autumn is definitely here and i need to dig out my autumn clothing soon.  work and life is a little balance this week, we are planning a new trip soon (a long weekend so to speak).  For now, i bring you the summer story...

twenty fifth august

the weather cools down a lot. now it is in the midst of pleasant 26c or 27c! no sun glass or contact lens, your nikon is giving you a lot of problems today, your netbook also decided to call a day off by graphical interface failure. 

you take tram 4 to a synagogue at dohany street. 

the dohany synagogue is also known as the great synagogue is a very pleasant church/cathedral style synagogue in byzantine-moorish style, apparently it is also the largest synagogue in europe.  you bought your ticket, you stand in the queue, the security is strict, you have to go through a thorough search and x-ray.  not so welcoming, you don't expect treatment like that...

the white and red brick along with a wealth of ceramic decorative elements are attractive

and two onion-dome towers are quite impressive too

the interior is a little unusual than the other synagogues that i visited in madrid, this looks like a church really....

there are plenty moments for photography, simply because the use of light, colors and stained windows are the best parameters to capture artsy photos....

inside the 'church', this place really reminds me of the church that i used to attend when i was living in shanghai, the international church (国际礼拜堂) at hengsan road (衡山路).

there are a number of guided tours and you opt for english tour, all the tour guides are jewish or with Jewish blood.  later you realize that almost every visitor here either has jewish blood or related to jewish background, that makes you the only one who came in just in the name of the architecture.  the people in your group asks a lot of questions but not really relating to this monument but rather how the jewish lived or survived the second world war. 

although your spirit is a little heavier due to the history that this synagogue has witnessed and a few photos you saw where the dead body is lying on where you are now standing.  you are not put off by the historical element, you try your best to appreciate this synagogue from a different perspective. 

another nice spot for photo moment

and playing with aperture...

the guided tour finishes at the back garden where there is this stained glass work by a famous artist with a title that relating to flame to remember the suffering and the sacrifice of the jews during the second world war period

and this metal tree with metal leaves are impressive, each blade has a name engrave to it for every jew that died in this tragedy.  it is very sad indeed although the interpretation of the sadness is nicely done through the art work so that the lesson and history is known to the future generations...

as usual, every synagogue has a story to tell and this one certainly has a sad one (God bless them).  one last look at this 'tree', and you leave the compound from the back door.

from jewish quarter, you hop on to a tram and transport me to a place where I lost myself in between the cities…