Parliament lesson

2.49PM CEST
Yesterday, I decided that I wanted to see the inside of Parliament, which is the largest legislative structure on the continent. It's also magnificently neo-Gothic. Unfortunately, none of the tour books really tell you what to expect or how to procure tickets. So when I arrived shortly after noon, I can only guess that since there was no queue, there were no tickets. And I got the brusque guard who spoke only Hungarian.

So it was my mission to see the Parliament today, dammit. Went to bed early in hopes of getting up early to get in queue for the 10AM tour. Well, I got up early-er and even with busting my hump the 2.2km to Parliament from my hostel (I would have spent more time fighting with the ticket machines than I saved taking public transit), I only arrived at 10. I figured I had missed my shot, but asked about the queue. Apparently there were still tickets available. I was a bit confused, but stood in line anyways. Ended up having a lovely conversation with another American and getting tickets for the 12PM tour.

(original crown jewels from 9th century)

The tour itself only lasted 30 minutes (the building is symmetrical and we saw the half not in use). The inside is just as grand as you would expect, with lush carpeting, gold everywhere, and a historical fascination with the number 96. Also, all of the materials in the building are Hungarian. Unlike the U.S. Capitol, the chambers and halls are bright, colorful, as opposed to dark, wooden and cave-like.

All in all, I waited 90 minutes for a 30 minute tour. Fortunately, it was very nice outside. But it was definitely a lesson in power. Clearly, this structure was built to be imposing. It is covered in spires on the outside and gold on the inside. The guard only lets two people at a time walk across the pavement into Gate X to get tickets. Even when the queue is spilling onto the street. Walking inside, you are both impressed and intimidated. Mission accomplished - I bow to the power of the Diet.