Budapest
Arrival
Budapest is HUGE. It’s a beautiful city. After a brief walk to the hotel we checked in and relaxed before convening for our group dinner. We took a subway to dinner. After arriving to our stop, Saso took us on a brief walking tour. We then arrived to the restaurant. It was chic and trendy but offered traditional Hungarian dishes. We had duck for dinner this evening. Jim and I opted to walk back to our hotel. Budapest is bustling and active on a Saturday night.
Budapest, first full day
Walking tour of the Pest side of Budapest. Had breakfast at our chic hotel. Walking tour started at 9 with our guide, Andrea. Navigated trains and subway—cool!
First stop was Hero Square. They were doing horse racing-it reminded me of what happens in Sienna, Italy. This is the annual National Gallop. People were into it. Flags, costumes and pride of their horse. Barricades and screens prevented us from being able to see the venue. We did catch a glimpse of the jockeys and horses in the first race. Then we walked into Budapest Park. Budapest has a huge outdoor ice skating rink. It was filled with horse trailers at this time, but I could imagine what it would look like in winter. It would be super fun to skate here. Then walked into the Vajdahunyad Castle area.
Saw the Széchenyi Thermal Baths. There would be no thermal baths this trip with my arm in a cast. Then hopped tram to St. Stephens Basilica. It was time for a café break. A chocolate and sweet fair was also happening around the Basilica. After our break, we continued our walk and passed the "grassroots" Holocaust memorial and Parliament Building. Today's tour ended outside the Dohány Street Synagogue. Jim and I found a Hungarian restaurant by the hotel. Very good and filling.
Tonight is the Danube night cruise. Buildings were all lit up- beautiful. Windy and freezing. Walked back to hotel.
Budapest second full day
Buda side today.
Started at 9 am. Our guide, Andrea, helped us navigate the two trams necessary to get to this side of the city. Windy and cold this morning. Took a funicular to top of the Buda Castle Complex. Impressive views of the City. Saw where the president of Hungary, Katalin Éva Novák, has an office. Unfortunately, Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, wields the power. The political situation in Hungary is tenuous for the EU.
A 30 minute break was incorporated into our walking tour. I had no idea that there are actual neigbhorhoods surrounding the government offices. During break Jim and I ducked into a café to warm up. We walked along the wall that overlooks Budapest and then to Mathhias church. Beautiful. Our tour with Andrea ended. The Buda side is entirely different from the Pest side. It's less hectic, it's hilly, and posesses its own charm.
We took the funicular down and took a tram to the The Great Market Hall. We had stuffed cabbage for lunch. The market was packed with locals enjoying lunch during the work day as well as tourists. We got there around 1:30. Some of the stands were empty. I think early in the day or weekend is the time to go to experience a true market experience. After 2 it seemed like tourist hour. The 3rd floor is loaded with souvenier stands. It is hard to determine if anything on the 3rd floor is actually made locally or in Hungary. Glass objects, embroidered table ware, chess sets and the usual tourist souveniers can be found on the 3rd floor.
We had planned on creating a charcuterie board for the room and enjoying some of our Eger wine with it. We bought items for our impromptu room picnic. It was fun going from one stand to the next and easily buying what we actually needed. The vendors just package the amount you ask for.
The prior evening, after the Danube boat ride, we had walked past a beautiful cafe and hotel, Café Matild and Caberet. I thought to myself that this would be a very cool place to check out, but with our schedule, would it be possible? After food shopping at the market, we had started walking down the very touristy Vasi street across from the market. We ventured down an alley where I saw the beautiful Cafe Matild from the night before. We had to stop. We walked in and had coffee and a cherry cake. This cafe, now owned by Wolfgang Puck as we found out, dates back to 1901. We enjoyed our coffee and cake while listening to a piano player while taking in this very unique, very European, cafe scene. It was a beautiful stop to recharge after much walking this day.
We continued our walk after this amazing café break. The hotel had a masseuse and we took advantage of getting a Hungarian massage. It was wonderful after a week on the road. Spas and pampering oneself in Hungary is part of their routine and wellness. We enjoyed our market picnic with our Eger wine while listening to music courtesy of the iphone.
Budapest is a beautiful city. It was fun to see the regions in Hungary where my distant relatives may have lived.
