Budapest, Hungary

Nov. 26 - Dec. 5, 2010

Faced with three family milestone birthdays and a possible wedding in 2011, we were pressed to use our timeshare exchange before the end of the year. Project deadlines at J’s work brought us into November before we could get away. The exchange options were fairly limited, and since neither of us felt we were remotely close to “beach shape”, we looked for something attuned to the time of year. We managed an exchange with a resort hotel in the Transdanubian region near Budapest that looked like it would allow for convenient day trips to visit this great European capital city.

King Stephen of Hungary

Chain Bridge and the Royal Palace

The Roman ruins at Aquinicum

Margaret Island

Royal wine cellar in Buda Castle

A bygone era at Momento Park

Buda

Budapest was formed by the joining of the cities of Buda and Pest, but what was surprising to us was that this only happened about 150 years ago. In fact, the first permanent bridge connecting the two towns, the Chain Bridge, also dates back to this time. Our introduction to Buda came in the form of a room at the Hilton with a beautiful view of the Danube. It’s amazing what a Hilton Honors membership and $50 bucks can do. OK, it was probably the $50 that had the most influence. Situated on the Buda Castle complex, the hotel was built by incorporating the ruins of a Dominican church. The adjacent Mátyás church, Fisherman’s Bastion, and royal palace dominate the skyline on the west bank of the Danube. The strategic aspects of this hill have not gone unnoticed. Magyars, Bulgars, French, Turks, and the Habsburgs have all had a hand in its development since the 13th century. At one point, the royal palace had more than 200 rooms. It has since been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the years, and since the end of World War II, appears as it did in the 19th century

We wound our way down the staircases leading down to the river and eventually to the hill south of the Castle District. Gellért Hill is named for the Italian bishop who was martyred there in 1046 by pagans who sealed him in a barrel and threw him down the hill. We stopped in the ornate Hotel Gellért at the base of the hill for our first taste of goulash and then walked up to the top for some dazzling views of the city bisected by the Danube. While the hill is now a public park, it is crowned by a citadel built by the Austrian Habsburgs in 1851 to make it clear to the city’s inhabitants who was in charge. Staying with the same theme, a towering monument now stands in front of the citadel to commemorate the Soviet liberation of Budapest from German occupation in 1945 – a transition from one master to another.

We woke the next morning to a city blanketed with snow – as if powdered sugar had been sprinkled on the rooftops overnight. We decided to walk off a killer breakfast buffet by taking a stroll on Margaret Island. Long used as hunting grounds, site of religious contemplation, and even home to a Turkish harem when the Ottomans were in charge, the island is named for the daughter of King Bela IV because she was sent to a convent there at the age of nine. Princess Margaret was the bargaining chip in an oath Bela made to God in exchange for divine assistance in fending off the Mongols in 1241. Today the island is a place of leisure featuring pools, paths, and parks.

We were looking for something to do one evening, and we had read about wine tastings that took place in the royal wine cellar deep in the foundations of the castle. We had about an hour to kill before dinner so this seemed as good a time as any to try it out. The Faust cellar is as quaint and romantic a place as you would want to sample wine from the region. Wine was introduced to Hungary by the Romans, and there are now over 20 wine making regions including the Lake Balaton area. For about 20 euros each, we were able to choose six wines to sample in addition to some small snacks to clean the palate. The sommelier provided extensive background on each wine with colorful descriptions of the notes we were expected to detect such as black currant, honeydew, and fresh cut grass. The only problem was that we each chose six different wines and the sommelier also served the other handful of tables in the cellar, so after about 45 minutes, we were only into our second tasting. We knew we were in trouble. Our dinner plans would obviously be delayed, and we cleared the plates of snacks almost before they hit the table. So two and a half hours later, we were presented with a complimentary glass of Tokaji dessert wine which we drank in one shot (to the disgust of our host) and scurried to the exit in the hope that we could still find a restaurant that would serve us.

One site we didn’t want to miss was Memento Park on the outskirts of Budapest. After the fall of communism, streets and squares were renamed, Soviet murals painted over, and statues toppled. While little of that era remains today, some of the statues have been put on display at this park. A barracks-style building houses a museum dedicated to the Hungarian revolution of 1956 when protesting students demanded political reform and freedom. They initiated a movement which culminated in a new government that advocated secession from the Warsaw Pact and demanded the withdrawal of all Soviet troops. After weeks of anticipation, the uprising came to an end when the USSR sent Red Army soldiers to Budapest to retake the city and re-install a communist government. It is estimated that more than 20,000 Hungarians died in the revolution.

Hotel Gellért

Fisherman's Bastion

St. Stephen and the Liberty Bridge.

St. Matthias Cathedral

Funicular to Buda Castle

Royal Palace

Centennial Memorial

Cake with Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

Shoes on the Danube Memorial.

Kürtos Kalács.

Pest

When it came time to explore the Pest side of the river, we began with a visit to the central market. This massive iron structure holds three levels of stalls selling clothing, food, souvenirs, trinkets, and Hungary’s best known culinary ingredient - paprika. While paprika comes from dried red peppers, its potency ranges from edes (sweet) to eros (spicy). We bought an assortment of types for ourselves and friends. We eyed the selection of alimentation on display such as goulash, chicken paprikash, and langos, but J had her mind set on something sweeter.

Heading up the pedestrian zoned Vasca Street, past the shops and restaurants, we arrived at Vörösmarty tér and the 19th century baroque building known for its delicacies. Inside, the Café Gerbeaud, the décor is lavish with marble tables, crystal chandeliers, and velvet curtains. We each ordered a piece of chocolate cake to accompany our hazelnut hot chocolate, and braced ourselves for the check. Slowly nibbling at our treats, we gazed out the window and watched locals scampering around the square as they prepared to open the Christmas market for night. We decided that much like we did in Luxembourg the year before, we would forgo a traditional dinner and instead dine on vendor food at the market.

Although a smallish Christmas market for such a large European city, its lack of space was compensated by its selection of food items. Of course, there are tempting Christmas staples such as roasted chestnuts, grilled sausages, steaming goulash, and rooster testicle stew, but the real stars of the show are the kürtos kalács. Nicknamed chimney cakes because of their tubular shape, a long strip of dough is wrapped around a hollow spit in a long compact spiral before being rolled in sugar. The spit is placed over coals and baked right in front of you while you choose your toppings like cinnamon, chocolate, nuts, coconut, or you can just have it natural. One was enough for both of us, and we peeled off pieces as we strolled around the market to look at the various stalls.

For our next full day in Budapest, we were going to need our bathing suits. We took continental Europe's oldest subway line to Heroes Square, a massive memorial centered around the seven leaders of the Magyar tribes that established the Hungarian presence in this area. The square lies on the outskirts of Budapest's sprawling city park. Entering along one of the main thoroughfares, led us by the stunning Vajdahunyad Castle which displays a mishmash of architectural styles to represent several Hungarian landmarks as a tribute to the 1,000 year celebration of the Hungarian people. Pushing on, we reached our final destination, the Szechenyi baths – the largest thermal bathing complex in Europe. We explored each room taking dips in the baths of different temperatures with trips to the sauna and steam rooms in between. We mustered up the courage to venture into the freezing temperatures for a soak in the outdoor pools where despite the thick steam billowing off the water people were enjoying the massage pools and playing chess while submerged to their necks. The sulfate-rich water is famous for its ability to relieve bone and joint ailments, and we certainly felt invigorated when we finally emerged from the baths that evening.

Sunset on the Danube

Heroes Square

Testicles for sale

Szechenyi Thermal Baths

Paprika for sale

Central Market

Hungarian Parliament

Gerbeaud Café

Looking toward Pest from Buda

Vajdahunyad Castle

Kerektemplom

Fisherman and Ferryman

Promenade along Lake Balaton

Lake Balaton

Though we spent much of our time traipsing around Budapest, our hotel was actually located beside Lake Balaton. Known as the Hungarian Riviera, this 50 mile long lake is dotted with resort towns and is a major draw for tourists looking to beat the summer heat by swimming in its cool waters. As popular as it is with summer tourists, it is equally as dead in the winter. We stayed at a historic hotel in Balatonfüred which was situated right next to the long lakeside promenade. To say we had the place all to ourselves would be a slight exaggeration, but we only saw two other couples during our stay. All of the lakeside shops and most of the restaurants were closed for the season, so we had most of our meals either at the hotel or when we were in Budapest. On the upside, we had essentially exclusive access to the spa area of the hotel. Every time we went to use the steam room, sauna, hot and cold plunge pools, we did not see another soul. J even managed to talk D into getting a full body massage - which took less convincing once he saw the cute blonde masseuses.

On one of the few days we did not spend in Budapest, we hopped on a local bus to visit the town of Tihany. This peninsula that juts out into the lake has the highest property value of any other area in Hungary, and the town itself is dominated by the Benedictine abbey dating from 1055. It was a pleasant place to spend a half day and to enjoy a nice meal of chicken paprikash and the local wine.

Gyógy Tér

Calvary in Tihany

Tihany Abbey