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As those of you who are my faithful readers may have noticed, I stopped doing the blog for a while. Although I loved doing it, it does take an enormous amount of time and I began to think of it as a chore. I would spend hours and hours on an entry and then feel as though I was posting it into the ether as I very seldom got any feedback on it. In the past couple of months, however, I have received several messages and emails from people (some of whom I don't even know) asking me to start it up again. So, here we go again. It seemed appropriate to start it off with a weekend away with friends.
My friend Alex moved to Budapest about six months ago and we deemed it only appropriate that we all go over to see him and his new city. I was doubly excited as Budapest represented not only a new city, but a new country as well.
We had booked early flights on Friday morning, so up with the birds and into a taxi to pick up Jeremy to make our way to Victoria and the Gatwick Express. As
Budapest
The eagle at Buda Castle that guards the city.we were going down the escalator to the train, we heard a greeting behind us and there were Mike and Sabi. So far, so good -- but only until we were about five minutes outside of Gatwick. At which point, Jeremy very quietly said, "I don't think I have my passport." A rummage through his bag and, indeed, he did not have it. Poor guy. As the other three of us made our way to the north terminal, Jeremy got back on the train to go back to London. As the morning progressed, we learned that not only would he not make our flight, but that all the other flights to Budapest on Friday were oversold. The ones on Saturday would cost a small fortune, so Jeremy missed the trip.
After an uneventful flight, we arrived into Budapest. We made our way to the Hilton, our home for the weekend, and were met by Alex and his girlfriend, Irene. The first thing that pleased us all was that the sun was shining and that it was warm. So, for the first time all season, the shorts and golf shirts came out. What joy. We walked around to a cafe
Budapest
The view from the castle. called Cafe Miro and settled down for lunch. After a leisurely time of food, water and catching up on the news, we decided to walk.
We started at the Buda Castle, then walked down the hill across the Chain Bridge to Pest. We wandered the streets until we got to St. Stephen's Basilica. Lovely church with deep sonorous bells that ring on the hour. How do I know this? After a wander around the church, we decided that drinks were in order. We sat down at the Cafe Bazilika for cold beer and (in some cases) ice cream. We sat there long enough to hear the bells ring twice.
Deciding that if we didn't move, we never would, we jumped into taxis back to the hotel for a shower and a change of clothes. Mike, Sabi and I had a drink in the hotel bar and then into another taxi back across the river to a restaurant called Spoon. It is on a boat on the river and serves typical Hungarian food. We ate lashings of goulash and fried pork all washed down with a Hungarian Sauvignon Blanc that was actually quite good. We had agreed that Saturday
Budapest
May Day celebrations was going to be a relatively big day, so we made it an early night.
Saturday morning dawned with the promise of another hot and sunny day. Early breakfast, and then Mike, Sabi and I decided to make the rather long walk down to the docks. We walked through Fisherman's Bastion which not only abuts onto the back of the Hilton, but has the best views of the city. Down, down, down many, many steps, a walk along the Buda side of the river, across the Chain Bridge again, a walk along the Pest side and we arrived at the dock. Alex and Irene joined us in the nick of time, and we all got on a boat up the Danube to a town called Szentende. We shared the ride with a group of German kids who were part of a Dresden children's chorus. Just as we were pulling in, some of the girls started to sing. They were amazing, singing a cappello and in perfect harmony. The rest of us joined into a huge applause when they finished.
Szentende is a lovely town. An artist colony back in the day, it is now full of little shops
Budapest
The tram cars up the hill. of antiques and tourist tat. We had a long wander around and then decided it was time for lunch. A cafe near the river called Fantazia seemed just the thing, so we ordered food and lots of water and settled in to watch the world go by. We had decided not to wait for the boat back, so we made our way over to the train station and got on a train back to Budapest. It was fun to go back another way and see another side of the country. We left the train and to onto the underground -- the second oldest in the world after London's. It was interesting because a lot of the stations looked like London stations -- tiles and bright colours.
We emerged into Hero's Square and then into City Park. It was fantastic to wander around a park on a Saturday afternoon and see all the locals enjoying the sunshine. We did see more than we had bargained for. One gentleman, of a certain age, was sunning himself in a thong. He bent over just as we passed by. There are some sights, no matter where in the world one is, that one
Good Friends
Stopping for beer and ice cream. really does not need to see.
Agreeing that we were now overdue for a drink, we settled into a beer tent for beer and people watching. A band who were going to be playing later were warming up. All fine and good except that they would play the first few lines of a song and then stop. We were more than ready to hear an entire song, but left before it actually happened.
After a rest and a change of clothes, Mike, Sabi and I walked down the hill to Alex's flat. We got the wrong door originally and were told off by his neighbour. Thinking this was a bit much, we realised the error of our ways when we heard a baby start to cry. Oh dear, we certainly have not made Alex's life any easier! The flat was amazing -- built over two floor with views over the Danube. We were there in time to see the lights of the city while we quaffed champagne.
Agreeing that food was in order, we got into taxis and made our way over to the Oktagon part of town. Bars and cafes line the streets, so we were
spoilt for choice. After a lap, we decided on a Mediterranean place, but they would not take us. So, we wandered until we found the next one along that would take us. Called Passion, we couldn't believe our luck. Another bottle of the fabulous wine from last night and steaks cooked to perfection. Good food and being able to eat outside. Life was good.
Eventually being kicked out, we began to wander the streets back towards our part of town. We came across a cafe right outside the Opera called Callas (as it would be). We sat down for dessert and nightcaps and lingered until, again, we were kicked out. We were not quite ready to call it a night, so we wandered down to the Four Seasons on the river. The bar was closed (perhaps not surprisingly as we were coming up on 2.00), but we did sit for a while in this beautiful Art Deco building and listen to a older gentleman serenade his girlfriend on the piano with versions of Lionel Ritchie and Billy Joel.
Calling it a night, we got into another taxi. We dropped Alex and Irene off and made our way to
Budapest
The Basilica. the hotel. Mike noticed that the bar across the street was open so, as you do, off we went. Two nightcaps later (and a bar bill that would have bought a new car), we finally made it into bed.
As you can imagine, Sunday's start was not quite as early as Saturday's. We did all make it down to breakfast and out of the hotel before we were meant to, so we were quite pleased about ourselves. The sky had clouded over a bit, so we decided to see a museum. Alex recommended the TerrorHaza, or House of Terror, so off we went. It is a museum housed in the building that was used by the Nazi party and then the Russians. Extremely interesting, but very disturbing. Film footage of Bergen Belsen that I literally couldn't watch. Stories of the secret police and the things they did to people who irritated them. In the basement were the cells and a gallows -- I swear I could still smell the fear.
As we emerged into bright sunshine, we all sat for a moment to take it all in. We were sitting on a park bench, with cars going by
and people out enjoying their Sunday. It was fascinating to think that, in our lifetime, these same people were the ones who were literally starved and lived in constant fear of saying or doing the wrong thing for fear that their family or friends would betray them. It certainly made me take a moment to thank the PTB that my life has been so fortunate.
Alex came to pick us up and he drove us up to the highest part of Buda -- the Citadel. Lovely views all over the city. A bit of a walk, but then we had to start making our way back. Irene was on an earlier flight, so Alex dropped us at the Hilton. A quick drink in Apetito, the cafe across the road and then we made our way home.
A fantastic weekend. Budapest is lovely, the food was better than I expected, the beer is excellent and cold and the wine was a find. Add all that into the mix with four good friends and it is a weekend that restores the soul. Mike, Sabi and I all agreed that we need to do more of them.
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Steven Toth
non-member comment
Budapest visit
I enjoyed your blog! I was there in 2006. How long is you visit? I'm currently planning a return trip. I found Miskolc and Debrecen great places to visit. I only today discovered your blog. Keep it going. Thanks!