Month: May 2018

Monday, May 7

We got up early and…went for coffee at the place next door to our apartment.  Our plan was to explore the Castle District in the hills of Buda.  We walked over to the  riverfront to photograph another holocaust memorial called, “Shoes on the Danube Bank”.  We’d actually seen and photographed this memorial on our very first day in Town but since it had been a national holiday the waterfront area was crowded with people and taking pictures was a challenge.  Now, on a weekday morning at around 9:15 am, we had the place to ourselves.

Shoes on the Danube Bank is a beautiful and chilling memorial commemorating the brutal mass killings of Hungarian Jews.  The events in question happened in and around December 1944/January 1945.  During that time approximately 20,000 people from the ghetto were taken to the river bank, told to remove their outer garments and shoes and were tied together in groups of three.  One member of the trio was shot and the entire group was then tossed into the river to drown.  These despicable acts were orchestrated by members of the Arrow Cross Party, the Hungarian Nazi Party.  The memorial is located in a central area in the city along the riverfront just south of the Parliament building but the actual events occurred in many different places along the Danube.  Reflecting on these and similar events that happened over a half century ago has been very upsetting.

(Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial)

We continued our journey over the ‘Chain’ bridge and up the hill to Matthias Church.  The church and the surrounding area (Fisherman’s Bastion) are said to resemble a Disney castle, only better.  They really are incredibly picturesque.  Nothing remains of the original church that was built in 1015.  The current version, which dates from the 14th century, was designed in Gothic style.  Over the years the entire complex has been renovated many times.  It was badly damaged during World War II when it was used as a camp both by the Germans and the Soviets.

The church was converted to a Mosque during the time of the Ottoman occupation.  There is an interesting story about the liberation of Buda from the Ottomans that is associated with the church.  A precious statue of the Madonna and Child was hidden behind a fake wall in the church to keep it safe when the Ottomans ruled the area.  During the battle for liberation in 1686 a blast near the church destroyed the wall and revealed the statue to the Ottomans who were praying inside.  The Turks took this as a bad omen and were quickly defeated.  Like all good tales there is probably a crumb of truth to it.

The church also contains a small museum housing precious relics.  Some of the more interesting items were those associated with the coronation of Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary and Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  The museum also holds a replica of the Holy Crown, which we were able to photograph.  The original is in the House of Parliament.  We had seen it but were not able to take pictures of it.

(Main Alter of Matthias Church)

We also purchased tickets to climb the bell tower.  The way up to the viewing platform was via  197 steep, narrow, winding stairs.  It was a difficult climb but the view at the top made it all worthwhile.  We got some wonderful photos.  There was a cool, refreshing breeze that quickly made us forget our aching leg muscles.  I think we used to be in better shape.

Back on Earth we wandered the area north of the church.  There are many hotels, restaurants and shops in the vicinity.  From the viewing platform we had spied the nearby National Archive building.  It’s colorful roof and interesting shape made it easy to see.  A sign inside the vestibule said that they had free guided tours twice a week.  We’ll return in a few days to see its exhibits.

We had lunch at a nice restaurant in the district with lovely views of the church.  We sat outside at a shaded table and ordered goulash soup and a plate of homemade sausages served with onions, sweet purple cabbage and fried potatoes.  For dessert we had fresh, homemade donuts.  They were served hot, covered in sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce.  The entire meal was delicious and the donuts were probably one of the best things we’ve eaten since we arrived.  Considering that we were in the heart of a touristy section of the expensive side of Town the $20.00 we spent on lunch seemed like a bargain.

(Half Eaten Donuts – Yum!)

Near Buda Castle we found a little shop that sold collections of stamps.  We got a package that contained a series featuring famous composers, famous Hungarian composers and other musical themes.  It seemed tailor made for us.  There were 20 stamps in total and the cost was about $2.50.  We were very happy.

Next we walked over to Buda Castle.  Buda Castle, which sits in the Castle District, is probably the most famous landmark in all of Budapest.  The only problem is that it doesn’t exist!  There had been a castle there since the 1200s but it was destroyed in 1686.  The current building dates from the 1760s and was used as a royal palace.  Today the large complex houses the Budapest History Museum, The Hungarian National Gallery, The National Széchényi Library and much more.  We plan to visit the National Gallery on a day when the entrance fee is waived later this month.

(View of Pest from Buda Castle)

We strolled around the entire complex and the surrounding gardens and finally exited down a long staircase the led to the riverfront along a crenelated wall.  It was a long walk back to our apartment but we enjoyed the trip.  The day had been sunny and the temperatures had only reached into the 70s.  Now, later in the afternoon, it was even cooler as we meandered through the now familiar streets on the Pest side of the river.

(View of Parliament from the ‘Chain’ Bridge)

Distance walked: 9.1 miles and 25 Flights

Sunday, May 6

We got up and out fairly early this morning.  We had to meet the Free Jewish District Tour at 10:00 am.  Along the way we took pictures with a bronze sculpture featuring Peter Falk as his most well known character, “Columbo”.  We also took pictures with a bronze of Ronald Reagan.

(Asking Columbo to Put Out His Cigar)

It seems odd to see a sculpture of Peter Falk in Budapest but he appears to have some tenuous relationship to a well known Hungarian by the name of Miksa Falk.  It doesn’t really matter if it’s true or not.  Who isn’t a fan of Lieutenant Columbo?  Ronald Reagan’s sculpture is contained within Liberty Square and commemorates his contribution to the end of the cold war.  Fittingly there is a nice view of the Parliament building over his shoulder.

(Meeting Ronald Reagan)

Our tour of the Jewish District was led by an enthusiastic young Hungarian man whose main job is teaching English and French at a local high school.  He said that he likes to do these tours on the weekend.  As the tour went on we found out that he is very active in the Jewish community in Budapest and is passionate about all types of education.  We could’t have chosen a better guide.

Like most tours our guide started by telling us some general information about the district and soon we were heading over to the main attraction: The Great Synagogue of Budapest also known as The Dohány Street Synagogue.  Built in just four years and completed in 1859 it is the third largest synagogue in the world.  It was built by the Neolog sect, which only exists in Hungary.

Before World War II Hungary had a large and thriving Jewish community but that is no longer the case.  Over 600,000 Hungarian Jews died during the war.  One quarter of those who died in Auschwitz were from Hungary.  A small number of the Neolog sect survived the war.  The entire conservative sect was killed off and their synagogue now stands empty and unused.  Recently work has begun to restore and renovate that synagogue and it will be turned in to a Jewish Ethnographic Museum.  It should be open sometime next year.  A third synagogue still exists in the district.  It belongs to the Orthodox sect.

Our guide also talked about modern life in the district.  The area is well known for street art and he showed us some of the most famous examples.  We passed a number of restaurants and he gave us his recommendations of pastries and other foods to try.  The tour ended at a ruin bar called Szimpla Kert.

Ruin Bars are unique to Budapest and only exist within the district.  When the Soviets left there were many unused and dilapidated buildings.  Some enterprising people decided to convert these spaces into pubs.  The first and most famous pub is named Szimpla Kert.  The bar is huge and encompasses two full floors.  The downstairs has a courtyard and a market where you can buy fruits and vegetables as well as meats and cheeses.  On the weekend they have a buffet style brunch.  We bought a loaf of a homemade, artisanal bread (it turned out to be sourdough, yeah!) and some homemade sausages.

After the tour we ate lunch in what amounts to an outdoor food court.  A number of food trucks setup in an alley in the Jewish District each day and serve some of the most interesting fare you can find.  We shared a burger served on a bun made of langós.  It was dressed with tomatoes, roasted peppers, rucola and a lamb’s cheese that was similar to feta.  For dessert we had a waffle that was covered in chocolate pudding and bananas.  We’ll be back to try some of their other ‘delicacies’.  We never took a picture of our burger so this is a picture from the food truck…

(Langós Burger)

Fully refreshed we went back to tour The Great Synagogue.  It’s a large complex with two synagogues, a museum and a number of memorials.  The large synagogue is mostly used as a showcase for tourists.  Today’s Neolog community consists of only about 500 families and they use the adjacent, smaller synagogue for Friday and Saturday services.  We were not permitted to see inside that building.

The outside of the main building was designed in a Oriental/Moorish style.  It has onion domes and towers that are reminiscent of minarets.  The interior is grand.  It is long and wide and has two levels of balconies.  More than 3,000 people can be seated inside.  The building is often used for secular concerts and performances during the year.

(Inside the Great Synagogue)

Just outside you can find the memorial cemetery.  It’s unheard of to have a cemetery near a Jewish house of worship but this one has it’s origins in World War II.  When the Soviets entered the city in 1945 they found thousands of dead bodies in the Jewish Ghetto.  It was a public health nightmare.  There was no time to bury them individually nor was there time to identify them.  The Soviets buried the bodies in 22 mass graves next to the synagogue.  Over the years tremendous efforts have been made to identify the people in the cemetery and headstones have been created for the ones who have been identified.  Mulberry trees, which are sacred to the Jewish people, are planted throughout the area.

There is also a memorial garden where you find a metallic tree of life whose leaves contain the names of all of the fallen.  Some of the leaves have been left blank as a symbol that, to this day, the names of many of the dead are still unknown.  The tree is designed in the shape of an upside-down menorah.  Nearby is another memorial for all of those who helped save Hungarian Jews during the war.

(The Tree of Life)

We also visited the museum.  The collection was large, diverse and interesting.     We’ll just shout out a few of the things we liked the most.  We really loved one of the passover seder plates.  It was made of silver, had several slots for matzos and the top had figurines for the festival foods.

(Silver Seder Plate)

The museum also had a note from a man named Jenö Reich.  The note had been thrown from an Auschwitz bound train.  Miraculously it founds its way to his family.  The note was used as evidence in Adolf Eichman’s trial.

Fun Fact: Theodor Herzl, who is considered the father of the Jewish State of Israel, was born in a house that stood on the grounds of the present day synagogue.  That house no longer exists but there is a plaque on the site commemorating that fact.

Distance walked: 7.7 miles

Saturday, May 5

I have a friend back in NYC named Peter, a native Hungarian, who has been enthusiastically making suggestions and finding all sorts of interesting things for us to do.  He found some notices on a food truck festival at Kincsem Parkban – a nearby track that hosts dog and horse racing.  It sounded like lots of fun.  Our plan was to take the free shuttle bus service, have an amazing lunch and watch some racing.  What a great way to spend the day.

(Peter is also an amazingly good tennis coach.  If anyone in the New York City area is interested in improving their game please let me know and I will give you his contact information.  You won’t be sorry.)

We walked down to Déak Ferenc tér to get the shuttle bus.  The notice didn’t say anything about where in the square it would be nor did it list any sort of schedule.  All it said was that they would be using a yellow school bus.  We figured there would be a sign or perhaps we’d see a group of people waiting.  As we’ve said before, figuring was never our strong suit.  We waited in the square for about 30 minutes before we saw a yellow school bus loading people across the street.  We tried to make a dash for it but the lights were against us and the bus left without us.  We waited at the new location for over an hour and never saw another bus.  By now it was after 1:00 pm and, after having stood waiting in the hot sun for over an hour and a half, we decided to make a new plan.  We headed over to Vörösmarty tér for lunch.  We went to Café Gerbeaud.

Café Gerbeaud is one of those storied places that you have to visit when in Budapest.  It’s history started in 1858 as a coffee house and it later achieved even greater fame as a confectionary.  It’s decorated in the  Gründerzeit style from the mid 1800s.  We chose to sit outdoors at a table with a large umbrella overlooking the square.  The menu had an extensive list of alcoholic beverages, a large list of specialty coffees and soft drinks and a small list of breakfast and lunch items.  The desserts looked particularly interesting.  We were warm from having stood on the street corner for so long and so were tempted to just order some of the ice cream.  At our age aren’t you supposed to eat dessert first?

Deborah ordered a smoked salmon salad and a sour cherry lemonade while I ordered a smoked salmon sandwich and an iced coffee made with ice cream and caramel sauce.  I’ve only just begun drinking coffee since we started this trip and one thing I’ve discovered is that sugar and coffee are a bad combination but, since the drink looked so interesting, I decided to give it a try.  OMG!  Pick your favorite superlative.  It was unbelievably good.  I asked Deborah if the coffee drinks at Starbucks were like that and she said that they were similar but not nearly as good.  I’ve discovered another thing: coffee in Europe is really good.  American coffee, which I have tasted and rejected many times, is awful.

Our main courses were also quite good.  My sandwich came on a house made, seeded whole wheat bread.  I generally don’t care for whole wheat bread but when that’s your only choice you go with the flow.  It was absolutely delicious and may have been the best part of the sandwich.  Unlike most whole wheat breads which, to me, have no taste and the consistency of cardboard, this had a delicate flavor and a soft texture.  The seeds had also been toasted which really brought out their flavor.  We decided to get dessert elsewhere.  At around $50.00 the cost of our feast was way more that we would normally spend for lunch but this restaurant was one of our bucket list items.  We’ll just have economize on toilet tissue this week.

(Smoked Salmon Salad and Sandwich)

We decided to walk back to our apartment through the Jewish quarter.  Since it was Saturday we knew that the synagogues would be closed but the area is reputed to be one of the livelier sections of Town and is known for some interesting restaurants.  Along the way we found several long alleys where food stands had been setup, street musicians were playing and crafts were being sold.  The area felt festive.  We were dying to try some of the delicacies that we saw but just couldn’t manage another bite.  We did find a shop that was selling flódni and we bought some to take home and try later.  We told ourselves that we would go back to the apartment, rest for a while, and go out again later that evening after the sun had set.  It was something we wanted to do but we both knew it was never going to happen.

(Street Musicians)

Later that evening, after dinner, we tried the flódni.  Flódni is an Eastern European Jewish dessert that was mainly served at Chanukah.  Today you can only find it in Hungary.  It’s a layered pastry containing poppyseed, walnut, apple and plum jam.  Given the apple and nut mixture the taste and consistency reminded us a lot of the charoset that’s eaten at the passover seder.  The pastry was rather filling too.  If you want to see a picture check out the link above (we ate it before remembering to take a picture).

After dinner we finally went online and bought some opera tickets.  They were reasonably priced.  Two tickets for a single performance cost about $37.00.  For one performance we’re sitting in the middle orchestra and in the other we’re in the first section balcony.  We’ll be seeing Rigoletto and Die Fledermaus.  Other interesting choices included the Barber of Seville and Ernani.  They were also doing The Magic Flute.

Distance walked: 5.6 miles

Friday, May 4

It’s Star Wars Day!  “May The Fourth Be With You”.  We saw about a dozen people in full regalia in the subway tunnel.  Most were dressed as storm troopers and one young lady was dressed as Princess Leia.  They appeared to be on their way to a party but were happy to pose for photos.  We wish we could share all of our photos with you but there are just too many.  Since arriving in Rome we’ve taken 3,257 and a handful of videos.  We’ve already taken 250 during the four days we’ve been in Budapest.  It’s such a picturesque place that we may need to buy more disk space.

(Star Wars Day)

We started the day by attending a tour of the House of Parliament.  It’s an iconic building along the Danube River.  It’s an enormous building and is completely symmetrical.  It’s the largest building in the country and the second largest parliament building in the world.  The interior includes 10 courtyards, 13 elevators, 27 gates, 29 staircases and 691 rooms.  There are statues and coats of arms everywhere.  The building was inaugurated for the millennial anniversary in 1896.  About 100 pounds of gold leaf was used in the decorations and it is the predominant color.  The central hall, under the main dome, contains the Holy Crown, scepter, orb and ceremonial sword used for coronations since the 12th century.  The crown was used by more than 50 kings and the last person who used it was Charles IV in 1916.

It’s a magnificent building.  The outside was designed in the Gothic Revival Style.  The interior is ornate and covered in gold.  By decree all materials were required to be sourced from Hungary.  Similarly, all craftsman were required to be Hungarian.  The interior contains two deliberative chambers – one for the upper and one for the lower legislative bodies.  Today Hungary is unicameral so the upper chamber is used mostly for tours.

Our tour began in the aptly named “Golden Staircase” and proceeded through several hallways to the main, ceremonial staircase, which has – drumroll please – 96 steps!  It’s a large space that’s perfect for diplomatic receptions.  Afterwards we entered the main dome and saw the crown and other ceremonial artifacts.  No pictures were permitted in the main dome.  Our last stop was in the upper chamber.  The way out went through a small museum featuring information about the building’s construction before being led out through the gift shop.  The entire tour took about 35 minutes.

(Central Staircase)

By now it was around 9:45 am and we went in search of some coffee.  We’d seen a shop nearby that had been very busy the day before.  When we got to it we saw that it was closed.  We had similar issues in Bulgaria.  In the U.S. people are used to getting their morning jolt before work.  Many shops we’ve seen only open later in the day.  They function more like cafes and seem to be popular places to socialize.  Fortunately the cafe next door to our apartment was open.

The coffee that they served had a very distinct flavor.  It was mellow and smooth with a strong taste and absolutely no bitterness.  We enjoyed it very much.  We thought it might have been a blend containing Robusta but the barista said it was 100% Arabica from Columbia.  They must have a unique resting process.

Afterwards we went back to our apartment and “rested”.  We wanted to be fresh in order to see Mozart’s Requiem that evening.  Of course neither of us rested.  I processed almost 1,000 photos and Deborah did laundry.  Still, it was less strenuous that walking around outside.

The performance was held at Saint Stephen’s Basilica.  What we hadn’t known was that the concert was to begin with a performance of Bach’s Toccata, Air and Fugue in D Minor on the church’s organ.  We were thrilled.  We really wanted to hear the organ and had originally planned to attend one of the weekly concerts.  Unfortunately, those concerts were a little pricey.  Now we were going to get to hear the organ and save some money.  It was a great day to be alive!

The organ and the organist’s keyboard were at the back of the church while the seats were set up facing the altar.  We listened without seeing anything.  The organ had a large, rich and beautiful sound that completely filled the church.  The space had a pronounced echo that both helped, and in some places, detracted from the performance.  One thing we both noticed was that the organ had vibrato.  We’d never noticed this before in any other organ and thought that it was unusual.  We figured that perhaps the pipes were electronically controlled.  Afterwards we researched this and found that some pipe organs are equipped with tremulants, which have been in existence since the 16th century.  Don’t be too hard on us – we’re only string players.

The same person who played the organ conducted the Requiem.  The orchestra was a little on the small side.  There was just one bass, two cellos and two violas.  We both thought that the performance could have used more bass.

The choir was a professional group who’s name, translated into English, means  Downtown Chamber Choir.  The ensemble had about 50 members.  They were very good.  The soloists were all members of the Hungarian State Opera.  Conductors are beneath mention.

The performance was fantastic.  The sound of the choir easily filled the hall and we were all bathed in luxurious sound.  We really enjoyed the soloists.  Their voices were strong and sweet and they blended well with the orchestra.  It’s a shame it wasn’t a sing-a-long.  We were dying to participate.

We walked out of the basilica singing all of our favorite parts – basically the entire thing.  By now it was around 9:30 pm, the sun had set and all of the buildings were lit up.  We walked north along the river and took way too many photographs.  It may not be obvious to people who subscribe and get our blog via email but it’s worth pointing out that we’ve been changing the main picture on the web site for every country we’ve been in.  We just updated the site with a picture of the parliament building.  You can see it here: Website Photo.

(Széchenyi ‘Chain’ Bridge and Buda Castle)

During our travels we found a riverside pub and ordered a Pálinka.  It’s a fruit brandy that’s popular in this part of Europe.  They are known to have a high alcohol content – often as much as 40%.  Pálinka is normally served in a shot glass.  We ordered one shot of sour cherry which we shared.  It was good but not really our thing.  We tend to prefer wines.  Hungary is actually famous for its high quality wines but that experience will have to wait for another day.

(Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion)

We got home around 11:00 and stayed up past midnight watching, “The Crown” on Netflix.  Yes, we’re wild and crazy people.

Distance walked: 6.8 miles

Wednesday, May 2

We started our hunt for a new, favorite coffee shop.  Yesterday we spotted a likely candidate and this morning we had a chance to check it out.  It’s called, Madal – Beyond Within.  It’s a socially responsible company that only buys coffee from select growers.  They rotate the coffee they sell based on the best available supply.  Our cappuccinos were made with a mild blend that had a good flavor without even a hint of bitterness.  We liked it a lot but would have preferred a more robust flavor.  The barista was a little busy do we didn’t get a chance to ask about what they were serving.  According to their website it is a sweet Columbian coffee with hints of tropical fruits and vanilla  We’ll certainly be back but we’re also going to hunt bigger game.

Fully caffeinated we walked down to the Vörösmarty Tér (Vörösmarty Square) where we met the Free Budapest Tour.  They offer a number of free tours including several different walking tours of the  city’s most famous attractions, a Communist tour and a Jewish Quarter tour.  They also offer a paid tour of the “Ruin Pubs”.  We intend to do all of them.

The tour took us from the square over to Saint Stephen’s Basilica.  It is a Roman Catholic church named in honor of the first King of Hungary who ruled from 975 to 1038.  He is also responsible for converting the populace to the Catholic faith.  

Afterwards we crossed the Danube River by walking over the Szécheni Bridge, also known as the Chain Bridge.  This suspension style bridge was the first permanent bridge across the Danube.  It opened in 1849.  A path from the bridge leads directly to the base of the hill that Buda Castle rests upon.  We didn’t go up to the castle but walked north to the heart of the Castle District where we saw Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church.  More details on all of these sights will be forthcoming when we revisit them at our leisure.

We had lunch at a nearby restaurant situated in a beautifully wooded park.  We ate Lángos (LAN-gosh), which is a common Hungarian food.  It resembles a pizza but the bread part is made from thick, fried dough.  The dough is crispy on  the outside and chewy on the inside.  Ours was covered in a white garlic sauce, sour cream and cheese, which is the classic combination.  You can get them with just about any topping but most have the garlic sauce.  It was delicious!  (Sorry, we forgot to take a picture.  We’ll take a picture next time.)

At one point our guide talked about typical Hungarian foods.  One person asked about vegetarian options and he chuckled.  He remarked, “In Hungary we eat meat with our meat”.  He also mentioned a famous pastry shop in the area that had been started by a German family over 150 years ago called Ruszwurm Cukraszda.  He said that they had the best pastries “In The Solar System” and specifically recommended the Creme Cake and the Esterhazy Cake.  Guess where we went after lunch?

The shop was opened in 1827 and is still operated by the Szamos family.  They are of German descent.  It’s a charmingly small shop with decorations in the Empire Style of the 1840s.  We were lucky to find a table.  They had a nice selection of breads, cakes, cookies and ice cream but of course we ordered the two cakes that our guide recommended.  They were good but certainly not to the extent we’d been lead to believe.  Our rating: average.  We’re confident that we can find better elsewhere (at least we hope so).

Since it was getting late and we were a bit tired we decided to tour Fisherman’s Bastion and leave the rest for another day.  Fisherman’s Bastion got it’s name because, in the Middle Ages, the Fisherman’s Guild was responsible for defending that side of the castle.  The structure seen today was built around 1900 and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city.  The bastion is a wall complex built in the neo-Gothic style.  It has seven towers, which represents the seven Magyar tribes that originally settled the region that became Hungary.  It has never been used to defend the city and is one of the best ways to view Pest and the surrounding countryside.

Admission to the bastion cost about $8.00 for the two of us.  It seemed a little pricey but you only live once.  We’d remembered to bring the long lens for the camera and were able to get some fantastic photos.  When we got to the middle of the wall we were forced to exit.  We’d seen other people on the other side, how’d they get there?  We figured that we could just walk over to the other end, show our tickets and walk back up on the wall.  Figuring was never our strong suit.  

(Fisherman’s Bastion Looks Like a Fairy Tale Castle)

We found the other end.  There was no ticket taker, no restricted admission, no nothing.  We just walked right up the staircase and found ourselves on top of the wall.  What we did find was a restaurant and a bar.  Obviously their customers had to have easy access or else they wouldn’t be able to do business.  We followed a number of people through the bar and out to one of the towers where dozens of people were enjoying the view and taking pictures.  They hadn’t paid a dime for their experience.  We were pretty ticked off.  We’d read a number of articles about the site and had just taken a tour of the grounds and had never seen any mention of this “free” side.

After taking a bunch more pictures we headed home.  We decided to walk north on the Buda side along the River and cross the Margit Bridge, which was near our apartment.  It had been a long day and we were pretty tired but it had been a good day.  We made plans to see all of these (and many more) sights in the coming days.

Distance walked: 8.6 miles

Thursday, May 3

We’ve seen many people eating something called a Chimney Cake.  You can buy them from little booths that are set up along well walked paths.  They’re easy to find – just follow your nose.  They make them fresh in those booths and the smell wafts through the air for several blocks.  What is a Chimney Cake?  It’s a long strip of yeasty dough that’s formed into a hollow cone shape which is then covered in something wonderful.  The main choices for toppings are things like chocolate and flavored sugars.  Ours was served warm and had been covered in vanilla flavored sugar.  The dough was about half an inch think and had the texture of crusty bread.  They’re very popular around here.  Apparently there is a feud about who invented them.  Both the Czechs and the Hungarians claim credit.  It’s not our place to judge but whoever invented them was a genius.

(A Chimney Cake Covered in Vanilla Sugar)

On our way to the Parliament building we passed a street that we nicknamed Antique Alley.  We found at least a dozen shops right next to one another selling high class antiques of every kind.  It was so early that most of the stores were still closed but we made a mental note to return and check them out.

Our quest to get tickets to tour the Parliament building was in vain.  Tickets for the day’s tours were already sold out.  We bought tickets from their website for the next day.  There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

Next we returned to Saint Stephen’s Basilica.  Our tour guide had walked us past it the day before but now we were going to go inside and see it for ourselves.  The Basilica was named for Hungary’s first king.  He reigned from 975 to 1038 and was canonized for converting the country’s population to the Catholic religion.  During the canonization process his tomb was opened and they found his right hand to be perfectly preserved so they chopped it off and it’s now on display in the church.  He have pictures!

The church was completed in 1905 and stands 96 meters (315 feet) in height.  Arpad, a Magyar chief, united the seven tribes in the year 896.  Ever since then the number 96 has been important to the Hungarians.  Both the parliament building and the basilica stand 96 meters tall and by law no building in Budapest can be taller.  The height of the two buildings represent a delicate balance between the Church and the State.  Seven is also an important number as it represents the number of Magyar tribes that settled the area (remember the number of towers at Fisherman’s Bastion?)  If you like that kind of thing you’ll love this article with fun facts about the country: 25 Fun Facts About Hungary.

The exterior of the church was designed in neo-classical style.  The interior is romanesque and is laid out in the pattern of a cross.  The decorations are in the early Renaissance style.  We also climbed over 300 stairs to get to the viewing platform.  It’s probably the best place to take pictures of the Buda side of the river.

(Saint Stephen’s Basilica)

The basilica has a magnificent looking organ.  They sponsor paid organ performances at least once a week.  They also actively host other types of performances.  We bought tickets to see the Mozart Request for tomorrow evening.  It will be performed with full orchestra with vocalists from the state opera company.  We’re going to have to rename our trip the “Requiem Tour”.

Of course our main goal for the day was the Central Market Hall where we planned to eat lunch.  On our way we ran into an interesting confection shop and just couldn’t resist trying some.  They featured flavored marzipan covered in all sorts of delicious things.  We raised our sugar to abnormal heights by choosing a cherry flavored candy covered in sour cherry as well as a chocolate flavored one covered in Nutella.  After that we practically flew down to the market!

Our path took us down a famous road named Vàci Utca (Vàci Street).  It’s the most famous pedestrian way in the city and is known for cafes, pubs, clothing stores and all sorts of interesting shops.  It stretches over a mile between Vörösmarty Tér and the Central Market Hall.  During the communist period it was well known for having many Western items like blue-jeans and Coca-Cola for sale.  People from all over the communist world traveled to Budapest to buy these things.  Today locals consider it a tourist trap but the street and the shops are very appealing.

Central Market Hall is one of the most famous places in Town.  The building was opened just before 1900 and served as one of the main markets.  Today it is a popular tourist attraction.  The downstairs area still contains a huge number of stalls selling meats, fruits, vegetables and specialty items like caviar and pastries.  The upstairs has many souvenir shops and places to buy clothing.  We also found a number of stalls where typical Hungarian foods were being sold.  As we were tired and hot we opted for a sit-down restaurant named Fakanál.  The food was served buffet style.  We pushed our trays past too many wonderful looking things and, because it was so hard to choose, ordered three different meals!  We had goulash, loaded potatoes and sweet and sour pork ribs.

(Goulash, Loaded Potatoes and Pork Ribs)

In Hungary goulash (goo-yash) is always made with beef.  It is very similar to what we would call beef stew only the broth has the consistency of soup.  They actually refer to it as a soup; of course ours was seasoned with sweet paprika.  The load potatoes consisted of slices of potatoes baked with onions, carrots, tomatoes, cheese and homemade sausage smothered in sour cream.  The whole thing was practically swimming in pork fat.  The ribs were cooked until they fell apart.  The glaze was not too sweet and they were seasoned with just a little hot paprika.  We washed it all down with homemade lemonade.  Of course we ordered too much food and wound up leaving almost half of it behind, which was a shame because it was all so darn tasty.  Next time we go to the market we’re going to try some of the food stands.  There were some amazing choices.

While we were eating we were treated to some live music.  They had a three piece combo that played gypsy music and popular tunes.  The combo consisted of violin, piano and a hammered dulcimer.  They were a lot of fun.

The Hungarian State Opera House is one of the most famous houses in Europe.  It is reputed to be a magnificent building and the opera company is supposed to be first rate.  We’ve been told that the cost for tickets is very reasonable.  We’re not sure what they’re definition of reasonable is but we intended to find out.

We walked over to the opera house to find that the building was being renovated and that all performances were being held in another building.  The house was still open for tours.  We’ll be back on another day to take the tour.  We HAVE to see this place.  The ticket agent gave us a brochure showing the name of the house where the performances were taking place.  We’ll see about getting tickets online.

It had been a full day and we were a bit tired. The weather has been warm and sunny reaching well into the 80s.  Fortunately there is a nice breeze coming off of the river and, if you walk on the shady side of the street, it’s very pleasant.  On the way home we saw people sitting along the steps leading to the river.  They were dangling their feet in the water and watching the river traffic.  I suspect we’ll be doing that in the coming days.

Distance walked: 9.0 miles

Tuesday, May 1

After a long day of travel we arrived in Budapest.  Our trip entailed two flights.  The first one was from Varna to Sofia and then from Sofia to Budapest.  In order to keep costs down we had to take two different airlines so, after we arrived in Sofia, we had to claim our bags and then go back and check in, weigh and tag our bags and go through security again.  There was only two hours between flights so we were a little worried about making the second flight but everything turned out just fine.

Our apartment is in a great location.  It’s right near the Margit Island Bridge.  The outside of the building gave us pause – it’s very industrial looking and really has no curb appeal – but the apartment is great.  It has been recently renovated and has every modern amenity including WiFi, air conditioning (not very common in many parts of Europe), satellite TV, electric window shutters, colored lights, a free Netflix account and free use of a smartphone with an unlimited data plan.  We’re not going to have to get our own phone service; that’ll save us a few dollars.  Our hosts are lovely people and really went the extra mile to make sure our stay was comfortable.  I think we’re going to be very happy here.

We’re very happy to be in Hungary.  Budapest has been a bucket list item for us for a long time.  My paternal grandmother was born in Hungary.  When my second cousin heard that we were coming here she volunteered that my grandmother was not from Hungary – she was from Czechoslovakia!  We never knew much about my grandmother’s past but we all “knew” that she came from Hungary.  This set off a wave of research.

It turns out that she is from a town called Munkacs (also referred to as Mukachevo), which is near the borders of present day Hungary, Slovakia and The Ukraine.  When she emigrated to the U.S. in 1908 the town was part of Hungary.  From 1920-1938 it became part of Czechoslovakia and then reverted back to Hungary until 1945.  Today it is within the borders of The Ukraine.  The town has an interesting history.  When the Magyars, the original Hungarians, settled in the area in 895 Mukachevo was their capital city.  In the 16th century it became part of Transylvania.  Later, in the 18th century, it became part of the Hapsburg controlled Austro-Hungarian Empire (that’s the short version of the story).

As a child I thought my heritage was 50% Russian, 25% Hungarian and 25% German.  Given the borders of countries today my heritage would be 75% Ukrainian and 25% German.  I don’t feel any different!

We spent our first day in the city walking around the Pest side of the city.  Many of the most interesting buildings are along the waterfront and are best photographed from across the river.  I am going to have to start carrying my telephoto lens everywhere.  Budapest, situated on the Danube River, is actually a combination of two different cities.  Pest sits on the Eastern side of the River. Buda is on the Western side.  In 1873 the two cities united to form present day Budapest.  It’s a large city and perfectly suited to walking.  There is also an extensive public transportation system.

Given that we’d gotten up at 4:30 am to catch our first flight and, given that we’d crossed a timezone and gained an hour, we had an early dinner at one of the nicer restaurants overlooking Buda Castle.  We ordered Hungarian Pork Stew and Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage.  Both dishes were spiced with sweet paprika.  It’s likely we’re going to get a lot of that here.  It was a great way to start off in our new home.  We only ate a small amount before we remembered to take a picture. 😉

(Dinner.  Buda Castle in the Background.)

Because May 1, is a national holiday (International Workers Day) and all of the supermarkets were closed we bought some Hungarian strudel from a street vendor near the river.  They’re called Rètes.  One was filled with sour cherry, one with apple and the other with apricot and cheese.  They will be our breakfast tomorrow morning.  If they taste as good as they look we’re going to be in a lot of trouble.  Hopefully we won’t gain back all the weight we’ve lost.  Our new apartment also has a scale; we’re not sure if we should use it.

(Rètes for Breakfast – They were REALLY good)

We have a huge list of things to see in the city and we’ve gotten some recommendations for sights in the countryside.  We’re going to be very busy for the next month.

Distance walked: 7.6 miles