Budapest Pride!!

Back tracking a bit - I was in the Budapest Gay Pride parade the day before the half marathon. I knew it was taking place in town the day I went to pick up my registration pack and number, so I thought I'd check it out. For those of you who have not experienced a pride parade of any size, the Minneapolis one is a wild and crazy party. There are floats and groups and politicians - you name it, there is a group walking in the parade. The last one I attended in Mpls was hours long. So, I wanted to compare the Budapest Pride parade to ours. Well, there is no contest. The parade here consisted of one truck with lots of streamers and a stereo system, and a couple hundred people. Now, don't get me wrong, it was still a festive event, but the presence of so many police really kind of overshadowed the whole event. I guess last year there were Molotov cocktails and smoke bombs thrown into the group as they marched. SO - this year, they shut down all of Hero's Square, and lined Andrássy Ave with police men. No lie- there were probably a thousand cops in the area with full SWAT gear and protective gear on. I've never seen anything like it. So, as people were gathering to start the parade, I decided to join in. What the heck?! I support GLBT rights, so I went through the extensive security - they decided my bag of sandwiches and reading material wasn't hazardous to any of the marchers so I made the cut. I joined the group in the march down the main avenue and after about an hour I ducked out - which was not easy since the entire street was blocked off and secured for the safety of the walkers, but I made it out. I was glad to be able to support the Budapest and surrounding area GLBT community.

Hungarian flag and peace sign - I love it!

Two British guys

the cleared street - only those who passed the security check were allowed in

THE float...

cops

cops

more cops