Parliament! (Finally.)

After a long semester of discussing legal and government systems foreign to the JSBP'ers, we finally saw a bit of our knowledge in action. We paid a visit to Parliament yesterday - a building that we've all stood in the shadows of, but haven't ventured past the gates or guards to explore. The building itself is breathtaking. When venturing over the Chain Bridge at night, it exudes prominence and power among the landscape of city lights. From the inside, the wonder is just the same. The vaulted ceilings are painted with scenes from Hungary's tumultuous history. The arches are outlined in gold, catching the light that pours in from the towering windows. The stained glass mosaics are a story in themselves - saved from complete destruction by being removed from their panes and stored in the basement during wartime. It's easy to get a little awestruck in a place like this.

The building itself is a story. After an international competition proposing different architectural plans, Imre Steindl's winning bid began construction in 1885. The building boasts "ten courtyards, thirteen elevators, and twenty-seven gates." The tallest point of the building is 96 meters - marking Hungary's inception, 1896. The number proves to repeat itself within other elements, like the 96 stairs leading up to the building's front. During the tour, we saw the

Holy Crown of Hungary. (The U.S. government website has a fantastic article on their role in returning the crown after WWII.) We were also able to sit in a balcony overlooking a session of Parliamentary proceedings. It was pretty empty, understandably so since the official proceedings take place on Mondays and Tuesdays and the overflow is taken care of on Wednesdays. Most of the officials, though, seemed more like they were sitting in on a dull college lecture than seated in Parliament. One woman remained on her cell phone the entire time, only pausing to hail down a man for a glass of water. Another man had pages of notes out, and was furiously typing on his laptop. Judging from the lack of attention he paid to the speaker, though, I got the feeling he was catching up on paperwork instead of being invested in the session. It struck me as odd, until I realized I witness the same scene back home every time I flip the channel past meetings of Congress or the Senate. There are rare events or topics that garner intense media attention in governments, local or international. The monotony of everyday dealings is bound to result in such apathy, even by those that chose this line of work. Sure, there are days when you can be debating the investment of your nation's troops in a foreign war - where those from one side are on their feet, literally spitting words across the room at their opposers. Most days, though, probably resemble this. It is absolutely necessary to secure the progress and stability of a country, of course - but you don't really want to sit through it.

As the semester is nearing an end, the trip has an almost bittersweet tinge. It's such a monumental visit, we've been referring to it all semester. (Even after it was moved from the day of Alex's 21st birthday.) True, it's a fantastic way to bring everything we've learned together. What better way to really take in the law and governance of a nation than to stand in it's Parliamentary halls? The visit has a more encompassing effect, though. For the past three months, we've lived an unbelievable life. We have walked the streets of a truly historic place -the same streets on which Nazi forces hauled away thousands of Jews from their homes; the same streets that students marched down fifty-five years ago, calling for their country back; the same streets that have been reduced to rubble time and again, only to be built back up again.

Some days - when all I've done is hurry to and from class and barricade myself in my little Benczur room to study - I forget where we are. This place has become so much like home that I no longer notice the things that make it so unbelievable - the same things that made my jaw drop when I first arrived. The visit to Parliament was not the most intriguing or riveting field study, at least not for me, but it did succeed in shaking some sense into me. Those Parliamentary ceilings we stood under and the floors we walked on have witnessed more than a century of history. I'm only here for four months, and I want to take in as much of this place that I can. I want to fold up every memory, memorize every little detail, and tuck them away for when I head home. We will never live in a place like this again, not altogether. All I want for our last few weeks is for us all to capture a bit more of Budapest. I know we're all going to miss it...