Freedom Square by The Gigapanographer Currently Known as "Kilgore661"

Perhaps my favourite shot of those I took while in Budapest. It strongly reminds me of how pleasant it was to be there surrounded by fine archictecture, greenery and people having fun in the sunshine.

Being surrounded by so much that makes up a fine European capital city, it is easy to forget that it wasn't so long ago that Hungary was part of the Communist bloc; and immediately before that, the Nazis held sway. Initially I found it surreal to see a statue of Ronald Regan in Budapest, vaguely comical, even. Indeed the lady in the shot shows exactly my reaction of surprised laughter. Irrespective of what one thinks of Regan, the point is that the statue is here because it was so important for the then-oppressed Hungarians hear somebody from the West stand up for them. A sobering reminder of how things were.

If you want to know what I think of when I think of Ronald Regan then listen to Gill Scott-Heron's masterwork "B-Movie" www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLtRHN7fsgY