Margaret Island

Tuesday, May 8

Margaret Island (Margitsziget) is an oasis of tranquil beauty and charm within the big city: think Central Park in New York City.  The island sits in the middle of the Danube River at the northern end of the city.  It is connected to the mainland by two bridges: Margit hid to the south and Ápád hid to the north.  All of the river crossings in Budapest are bike and pedestrian friendly, which really makes it easy to get around.  These bridges also afford some of the best views in Town.

In the Middle Ages the island was known as Island of the Rabbits.  The current name is attributed to Saint Margaret, who lived in the 13th century.  She was raised as a nun and lived in a Dominican convent on the island.  Remains of the convent and associated church can still be seen today.  At one time the island was dominated by churches and cloisters but most were abandoned or destroyed during the Ottoman occupation when the island was turned into a harem.  It was declared a public garden in 1908.

 

(Field of Pansies)

The island is accessible from the midpoint of the connecting bridges.  There are walking/biking/jogging paths around the entire 3.3 mile perimeter.  The interior contains manicured lawns, flower gardens, a Japanese garden, churches, ancient ruins, a small zoo, sports fields, tennis courts, a pool/water park complex and a hotel/spa complex.

(Japanese Garden)

One of the first things you see when you walk down the ramp from the bridge is a dancing fountain.  It’s a large circular fountain whose many water spouts are choreographed to classical and popular music.  We saw a schedule posted that lists all of the musical numbers and the time at which they will be played.  Chairs have been placed all around the fountain for maximum enjoyment.  It was a surprising and wonderful sight.  There’s something so mesmerizing about fountains that makes you want to just sit and watch them all day.

(Dancing Fountain)

On the way back to our apartment we stopped at a nearby Turkish restaurant  and shared a falafel sandwich.  One of the choices for dessert was chocolate flavored baklava.  We’d never seen that before.  We’re planning to go back and try it another time.

Around 4:30 pm we met my friend Peter’s sister, Andrea, and her friend Balazs at the Radisson Blu Beke Hotel, which is just a few minutes walk from our apartment.  The famous hotel had just undergone an extensive renovation and re-opened only three weeks ago.  The cafe, which serves exclusively on Zsolnay brand Hungarian made china, had a newly restored glass dome on display.  It, and many other of the hotel’s artifacts, had been saved during World War II by storing them in the basement.  The hotel, which served as a hospital during that time, had been badly damaged.

Ironically Andrea and Balazs, both native Hungarians, met while living in New York City.  We sat and talked for over 2.5 hours all while drinking coffee and eating cakes.  They were funny and kind and we enjoyed our time together.  They recommended a number of restaurants and many activities for us inside and outside of the city.  We’re not sure that we’ll be able to do everything they suggested the three weeks we have remaining here, but we’re going to try.

(Coffee with Andrea and Balazs)

In case you were wondering about the cakes, we had two Hungarian classics: Esterházy cake and Dobostorta.  Esterházy has flavored buttercream sandwiched between layers of crushed almonds while Dobostorta is a chocolate buttercream layered spongecake topped with crystallized caramel.  They were some of the best we’ve had.

(Esterházy Cake and Dobostorta)

Distance walked: 7.0 miles