something then you're in pest. >> anthony: péter zilahy is a budapest born poet and performance artist. >> peter: according to the myth i was brought up in, if you're in buda you're in europe and the other side is asia. this was the, this was the border of the roman empire originally. this big river. >> anthony: right here? >> peter: yeah. >> anthony: why didn't they cross? >> peter: uh, the other part, the other side is flat. it's hard to defend and there were all these tribes that were, like, really vicious and uncivilized as the romans believed. >> anthony: they've all been here. the celts, the romans, mongols, the ottoman turks, all had their way or tried. all left their mark to one extent or another. ♪ then, mid-nineteenth, century the curious seemingly improbable austro-hungarian empire. this is when the city came into its own fueled by untold wealth, accumulated power, and ambition. architecturally, intellectually, a great city. one of the world's greatest. >> peter: and that was a time when budapest was a really progressive metropolis. you know like, the first subway