Freedom

Budapest's shortest bridge used to be my daily route a few years ago- as tram number 47 was slowly and rather noisily plodding along, I caught a glimpse of many a spectacular sunset and sunrise.Freedom bridge (Szabadság híd) is also the prettiest in fog- maybe it's the green colour which makes the contrast more exciting, or maybe it's the convoluted metal shapes. Its structure makes it the bridge of choice for climbing, sometimes unfortunately with a rather dark purpose: Hungarian photographer Péter Lakatos won a World Press Photo Award for Spot News, singles, in 2011 for his shot of a young man jumping to his death from the bridge's elevated tip (http://www.worldpressphoto.org/photo/2011p%C3%A9terlakatossn-1?gallery=890). Luckily most of the time it's just a case of rowdy youngsters in search of thrills in the big city, quickly ushered down by some rather cross policemen. The feathery beings on top are turuls, undetermined Hungarian totemic birds of fabled Asian origin, somewhere along the lines of a hawk/eagle/vulture.