Budapest - The Jewel of Hungary - Budapest, Hungary
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest is really the centre of Eastern Europe and and is underrated compared to Prague, Paris or Vienna. It's really a stunner. The city is bisected by the Danube River and was once two cities: the hilly Buda and the flat Pest. They are now connected by a network of bridges. The Buda side is dominated by the Castle, the Citadel and Universities, while Pest is comprised of Leopold Town and the Town Centre. Most of the architecture of Budapest dates to 1896 and its millennial celebration - there was a huge flurry of building impressive buildings. The train ride was uneventful and we arrived in Budapest - Keleti station on time. Attila was there to meet us and take us to the apartment. We got settled in, then walked a fair distance to find a grocery store open after 6 pm on a Sunday. We made dinner in the apartment and spent a quiet evening. The apartment is centrally locate in Leopold Town, walking distance to most Budapest attractions. It's cosy with a narrow circular staircase leading to the loft bedroom. Pretty crazy going downstairs to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The bathroom was tiny-cruise ship size and the kitchen rivals Darcy and Anna's. All in all, a perfect spot for a few nights. The next day we dallied. Deb had walked up to the Parliament Buildings to snag a couple of tickets for an afternoon tour, but discovered that were all sold out for the day. So it was off to explore the neighbourhood. We were heading towards Tourist Information (TI) and found ourselves on Vaci Utca, the Robson Street of Budapest which is geared to tourists now. Back in the '70's & '80's it was a shopping Mecca for Soviet bloc countries, the only place where people could buy Adidas or Levi's. Now, all the luxury stores are there, and so are Starbucks, Macdonalds, Subway, Burger King, and the others. From there we walked past several high end stores and hotels and ended up a a main square for the metro, buses, bicycle rentals, and tour buses. After lunch we decided to walk over to Andrassy Utca, another major street. Turns out there was a massive craft beer and food truck street fest going on, with a hundred or so vendors, and tables set up in the street, for three long blocks. Throngs of locals and tourists alike were strolling up the street, beer in hand, checking things out. So we had to join in, sampling various craft beers and people watching. (Eat your heart out, Darcy!) Turns out most of the rest of Andrassy was closed off because of a major horse show that was taking place in Heroes Square. That was fun. On the way back we stopped in at St. Istvan's Basilica, an imposing and impressive building. We spent some time exploring the impressive interior, especially the frescos on the dome. The organ music and the baritone soloist added to the atmosphere. The Church's main attraction is the right hand of St. Istvan, a 1,000 year old stump encased in a jeweled box. This Basilica is just minutes away from our apartment. That evening we dined at an Etterem - kind of a cross between a pub and a high end restaurant. Deb had chicken baked in yoghurt sauce, but it was not like Tandoori. Very good but Very rich! Jack ordered chicken goulash, which turned out to be a chicken leg with a cream paprika sauce. The next morning we walked toward the Chain Bridge, the first bridge to connect the towns of Buda and Pest (before then people had to rely on ferries to get across). Count Szechenyi was stranded for a week trying to get to his father's funeral, so in1842 he commissioned the bridge to be built. When it opened in 1849, he charged both nobles and commoners a toll to use the bridge. At the Pest end of the bridge is the elegant Art Nouveau Gresham Palace, now a Four Season's Hotel. We strolled along the Danube admiring the Buda side of the River until we reached the Great Market, a pretty good walk from our apartment. This giant marketplace was built in 1896 and features colourful Zsolnay tile on the roof - frost proof and harder than stone. We stepped inside into the biggest market we've seen (we thought Cleveland's was big). The ground floor has row upon row of fruit and vegetable stands, meat stands with salamis and sausages hanging from the ceiling, stalls selling paprika, goose liver, and other exotic treats, and on the second floor are stalls selling souvenirs - overpriced and junky. On the bottom level, vendors sell fish and jars of pickled vegetables. Sharing the second are food stalls, selling wonderful smelling foods including Langos, something like bannock but more flavourful. We shared one with sour cream, cheese, red onions and tomatoes. It was so-o-o good! The market was very clean, and had wide aisles, unlike most markets. In the afternoon, we visited the magnificent Parliament Buildings, overlooking the Danube. Now this is the BC Legislature Buildings on steroids. Built in 1895-1902 it is truly over the top: it has domes, it has spires, it's neoclassical, neo-baroque and was also high tech for its time, with some of the first electric elevators in the world, central heating AND air conditioning (using ice-cooled air). When built, there was a series of water pipes under the floor with open grates at each seat. In the winters warm air would rise through the vents and in the summer cool water in the pipes would be blown through the grates using fans. The Upper Chamber (like our senate) no longer functions, and the lower chamber is where Hungarian Parliament continues to meet. Currently the government is run by a coalition of two conservative parties. Carpets in the Upper Chamber areas are blue to connote nobility (blue blood); while carpets the Lower Chamber areas are red. In the corridors outside of the chamber, affixed to the window ledge were brass holders. Cigar-smoking parliamentarians would take a break to smoke one during the session. If they were called back in, they could leave their cigar in a brass holder nearest to them. The holders had numbers on them so each parliamentarian would know where to find his cigar. If a speech or debate was really interesting or entertaining, the cigar might burn completely to ash. In parliamentary parlance, that type of speech became known as a "good Havana". We also saw St Stephen's Crown, the coronation crown of the Hungarian Kings dating back to the year 1000. The kings only worn it once in their lifetime- at their coronation. The crown was hidden in WWII so the Germans would not confiscate it, then after the war it was stored in Fort Knox at the request of the Hungarians and kept there until the early 1990's when Hungary became an independent nation. It is now housed in the elaborate and ornate Dome Room in the centre of the Parliament Buildings. Two stern guards watch everyone suspiciously, because it is the greatest of Hungary's national treasures. We were truly impressed by the Parliament Building. Dinner was at home again with chicken and veggies that we had bought at the market. Although you can buy lettuce, tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers in stores, the Hungarians don't seem to be big on salads, least not in the restaurants. It was nice to have a home cooked meal. The next morning we split up. Jack went to Starbucks and wandered around the neighbourhood, while Deb walked up to the House of Terror, stopping at the State Opera to take a few photos. The House of Terror is a museum that documents the terror imposed by both the Nazis (1944-45) and the Communists (1945-56) whose headquarters were located at 60 Andrassy utca. While the museum describes the actions of the Arrow Cross Party (Hungarian Nazis) rounding up and killing over 70,000 Jews, it focuses mainly on the actions of Soviet secret police (AVH). Hungarians had their farms and businesses confiscated; non-Hungarians were deported; potential or actual dissidents were shipped off the the Gulag; people were removed from their homes and sent to work camps and people were compelled to spy on their friends and families. Everyone was being watched and many lives were ruined. The displays feature interviews with those who were directly affected by the regime. The displays were factual, not emotional. The events of the 1956 Revolutions were displayed, honouring those who fought. In October 1956, Hungarians rose up against the Government, led by a Communist Party reformer, Imre Nagy. At one point it looked as though appeals for reform might work, but instead, the Soviets send in tanks to crush the uprising. In the end 2,500 were dead, thousands sent to the Gulag and over 200,000 fled to the West. The museum is as much for Hungarians as it is for tourists. Our next visit was to the Castle and the St. Matthias Church on the Buda side. We took a bus over the Chain Bridge and up the hill to the castle. The original structure was built in1015, but the current structure was completed in the late 14th century and extensively restored in the late 1900's. The roof of the Church is colourful Zsolnay tile, like the Great Market. The church was named after after the popular King Matthias and was the scene of several coronations, including that of Charles IV in 1916 (the last Habsburg king). It was also the site for King Matthias's two weddings. During the Ottoman rule, the church became the city's main mosque. Ornate frescoes were whitewashed and interior furnishings stripped out by the Turks. In 1686 during the siege of Buda, a wall of the church collapsed due to cannon fire. It turned out that an old votive Madonna statue was hidden behind the wall. As the sculpture of the Virgin Mary appeared before the praying Muslims, terror overcame them, and supposedly, the city fell on the same day. A giant statue of King Stephen I of Hungary mounted on a horse is positioned at the side of the church and the adjacent Fisherman's Bastion offers panoramic views of Pest. The seven towers represent the 7 Magyar tribes that settled here in 896. For TV viewers, this was featured in Episode 6 of the Amazing Race. We wandered over to Buda's Royal Palace, enjoying the village-like atmosphere. It was the home of the Hungarian monarchies dating back to 1247. Over the centuries it has seen additions, reconstructions, fires and decimation during a siege in 1686. The palace reached its peak of grandeur by 1912 under the rule of the Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, Franz Joseph II and Empress/Queen Elizabeth (Sisi). Unfortunately, it was decimated by bombing in WWII, and has never be returned to its former glory. The building now houses museums and the National Library. We dined out at a restaurant around the corner. Deb had the goulash soup while Jack tried a beef stew. Both were not uninspiring. Our chosen restaurant was fully booked. The next day we experienced the metro (subway) for the first time. There are three lines, the yellow (built in 1896), the blue and the red, recently completed. Our destination was Heroes square. Built in 1896 as part of the millennial celebrations, this monument features the 14 Magyar leaders beginning with the granddaddy of them all, Arpad, standing 118 ft tall. Museums flank the square and City Park, a vast green space is behind. Our next stop was Vajdahunyad Castle. This was intended to be temporary for the 1898 exhibition, but the locals insisted it stay. The castle represent the Hungarian architectural style: a Romanesque chapel, Gothic gate, Renaissance castle and a Baroque Palace. The museum of Hungarian Architecture is located here. It is a replica (built in 1896) of a famous castle in Transylvania that once belonged to the family of King Matthias. We lunched in a vast tent in the park, that we think must be used as a beer garden most of the time. Jack enjoyed a 'Retro Burger', which is likely code for 'not a Big Mac'. Then across the road to the highly anticipated but somewhat feared Szechenyi Baths! This is a massive, opulent yellow palace with shiny copper domes. Much loved by locals and adventurous tourists, inside are three huge open air pools, in a courtyard surrounded by the building. There is one for soaking, one for swimming, and one for fun. The fun one had a peaceful circular bench in the centre, surrounded by a circular channel. Every five minutes or so, water would be forced trough the channel, people would wade in, and then be swept around the circle again and again, trying to stay on their feet by bouncing along. It was fun to watch people laughing hysterically as the flew through the water, especially some large older British ladies, and an Italian mother who was trying in vain to exit the channel only to be swept around again, while her daughters laughed and laughed. Yes, we tried it out, too. When the current died off, the water was diverted into water spouts elsewhere in the pool. Great for massaging your back. Inside the building, there were change rooms, private cabins to change in and store your things, lockers, showers, steam rooms, and saunas. Under the domes and along one side, were a progression of thermal mineral baths, each quite large. We went from one to the other, each with different temperatures and mineral content, for healing. One of them was cool, smelly, and had green water. This was the only one with a warning to use at your own risk. Jack is wondering now if he was unwise to venture in - Deb was too wise to do so. By the time we finished, we felt a bit like rag dolls. All in all, this was a wonderful experience, and highly recommended! That evening we took a boat tour on the Danube. The city is glorious when lit up a night. All of the bridges, and the main sites - especially Castle Hill and the Parliament Building - took on a magical air, and were breathtaking to see. The boat was glass enclosed and quite modern. They served us a complimentary glass of wine as we put on headsets to listen to a very professional audio tour, with the 'voice' of the Danube acting as host, relating tales of itself and the buildings and sites along the way. Other characters - kings and saints included, would intervene to tell their stories as well. Monitors were showing videos and photos of the interiors of the buildings as we passed them. It was a memorable way to spend part of the evening, and recommended if you ever visit Budapest. We dined at home on left over chicken, salad, Hungarian Rose and organized ourselves for our departure for Pecs. Budapest is a jewel - a vibrant city with stunningly beautiful architecture, cafés and restaurants, waterfront promenades, friendly people and a good vibe. We feel we barely scratched the surface of this city and will definitely return to see all those areas we had no time to visit.