Budapest Day 3

City Park is a couple blocks up from where Lucas and I have been staying. A large avenue terminates into Hero's Square, which is flanked by two museums. 

There is a new controversial master plan to redevelop the park with several new cultural institutions all designed by signature architects. There are protest camps set up around the building sites. The construction sites are surrounded by plywood fences so we could not see the work going on, which is what we wanted to look at, but we walked around the protest camps. 

I am sure the protesters are upset at the loss of open park area and the public expense of the buildings. But theree is a fine line where you are protesting against museums.

This month is the end of our fundraising cycle for our Natioal Endowment for the Humaities grant to build an endowment to fund staffing at the Deser Museum. I have been working toward requests for donations since Fedruary. We came before two public boards this week and recieved approval for donations, but at about 10 percent of our request. It is enough so they can say they gave us money, but not not enough to keep our positions funded. 

The Carpathian Basin has such an interesting history. It is replete with migration, conquest, revolt, and renewal. In this picture, Lucas standing next to a statue of George Washington. Next year it will be near the entrance to a new performance venue and the center of an internationally known culture park.