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Published: October 16th 2011
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Fisherman's Bastion
always under dark, gray skies At the airport, a driver with a Mercedes is waiting for us. Nice. There is cold drizzle when we venture out of our hotel cubbyhole, the Ibis Centrum, so we comfort ourselves with a fine lunch at El Caramel, one of the new, cool places on fashionable Raday Utca. My thick creamy mushroom soup was a perfect warm up and my eggplant sandwich on a perfectly smooth crispy roll, hit the spot. Our waitress knows just enough English to get her job done (typical of Hungarian establishments). The thermal baths/spas that city is known for, have no use for English either, so we stumble through.
After a nap, we are ready for dinner at nearby Calvin on Kalvin Ter, a well-known square in downtown Pest. The fettuccine with chicken in a fine cream sauce (about $4.50 US) satisfied my carb cravings depleted in Prague. My Tuborg beer was equally satisfying, especially for 85 cents (US). Our waiter knows English. The crowd is young, hip and cool. I feel like we are in the SoHo of Budapest.
To walk off butterfat, we walk along the Danube from the Liberty Bridge to the Elizabeth Bridge to the Chain Bridge. We are
alone on this Thursday night in November. The area has been upgraded with the InterContinental and Marriott Hotels. Surprisingly, considering the foggy inclement weather we spot the majestic Gellert Baths, Citadella Fortress, the Vienna gate, the Castle, the bridges & of course, the Danube.
Our morning tour was nothing new. We are unceremoniously dumped across from the Castle District. We are taken to the entrance to City Park, too far for us to walk from our hotel. Then our guide, alternating in English and German, points to the shopping district and recommends a store and a restaurant (I’m sure she gets a commission). Onto the highlights: Fisherman’s Bastion, a turn of the century confection with tremendous views of Parliament & Pest (the city is actually 2 separate cities: Buda, the wooded, high, affluent part and Pest, the lower area on the other side of the Danube where the bulk of the hotels, restaurants and entertainments are situated. I snap photos furiously. Then onto the Citadella, with sweeping views of the Danube. It’s a dark, gray day, so it’s not a great photo op. Then we drive down Fo Utca, cross the Elizabeth Bridge passing Kiraly, Ruden and the now
View from Fisherman's Bastion
through the trees on a dark, cloudy day closed Rac Baths. We are then dumped at the InterContinental. A ride back to the hotel is not included.
We walk down to the Liberty Bridge with another Brit we met on the tour. What’s with our affinity for attracting Brits? We stop at Central Hall Market for a fine goulash lunch, complete with gypsy violinist. The market is two levels with a riot of fresh produce, food, restaurants and souvenirs.
Saving room for a grand dinner, I stop by “Museum” café/restaurant (much posher than the name implies & very formal actually) to make a reservation for later that evening. We are welcomed at 8:30pm to a fairly packed restaurant. But our table by a mirrored wall is waiting and it is perfect in every way. I order the obligatory Campari & soda. They seem to understand perfectly and respect the choice. I order goulash soup (made with tomato- the Hungarian way), a knock-out, hearty and good. A green and red leafed salad follows perfectly dressed. Our main course caused no debate: perch-pike fillets with bacon & dill sauce with a side of spaetzle-again perfectly prepared. On to dessert-plum streudel with vanilla whipped cream. Desserts needless to say
are flawless. The total cost for this taste of perfection was 12,500 Forints (about $50.00 US) for 2. No complaints here. One of the finest meals I have ever had.
We stagger home from our indulgent feast. What passes for home is the Ibis Centrum, a totally renovated modern hotel of 122 rooms on 9 floors. The rooms are clean and modern. But what is wrong with this hotel is epidemic with hotel rooms in Budapest- no face towels, no hand towels, no shampoo, and there are rations on soap and paper products. The soap bar was not even enough for one shower. The rooms are much tighter than in Prague. So I could never live out of this hotel.
Our last day in Budapest is a busy one. After a late breakfast buffet (about $7.00 US but included in our plan) which was surprisingly lavish and complete for an eastern European hotel, (they also have a bar that serves drinks and hamburgers 24/7), we head for the Applied Arts Museum, with its gold and green rococo exterior and all white interior (like being inside a wedding cake). We pay our $2.00 US and stroll through the displays of crystal, porcelain and design. We are shocked at the minuscule gift shop (they missed a great opportunity here). To compensate we buy plenty at the National Museum gift shop and bookstore.
Back to our hotel to brace ourselves for a double subway ride (with transfer) to visit the Kiraly Furdo on the North side of the river in Buda. We start on the blue line but transfer to the red line at Deak ter (it’s the only line that crosses the river). Arriving at Betthany ter, we walk up to Fo utca No. 86, a run-down yellow building housing the thermal spa we seek.
We pay 1000 forints for the thermal spa, turn in our number (the bored woman at the entrance gave us) to the guard, go upstairs to an attendant who locks your belongings in a room or locker and gives you a very large sheet. You must remember your locker number. No one here speaks English. Off we go downstairs to the sauna, steam, showers and four thermal springs of varying temperatures: cold, cool, warm (in the main pool) and hot (the tiny pool). Men are welcome Monday-Wednesday-Friday & Saturday, women on Tuesday & Thursday. We donned swimsuits but everyone else was naked...so.….when in Rome (or Budapest)….. Daylight filters in from tiny holes in the domed ceiling. We are only allowed to stay 1-1/2 hours, as it is so busy, this is the only way to move people along and out. Reluctantly we must leave the warm therapeutic waters.
After a subway ride back, we collapse in our hotel room, but time ticks away and we must find a place for dinner, always a challenge in Budapest as many places have untranslated Hungarian menus. Touring is such hard work. We tried to find the Vaci utca but fail miserably. So we return to the comfort of the Raday utca and stumble upon the Soul Café, with a translated menu and a young waiter who speaks English well. We arrive at 7pm with no reservations and are seated, but later the restaurant fills to capacity with a party of twelve British folks and German businessmen and Budapest regulars. My veal ragout soup is hearty and sensational-perfect for a cold drizzly night. My veal cutlets with real au gratin potatoes are elegant comfort food. My dessert is the special Swedish pancakes with maple syrup, a huge portion made with a deft touch. My trencherman friend tried the duck soup and the roast turkey with those same delicious scalloped potatoes, then insisted on very decadent chocolate for dessert, which I wanted no part of. Talk about going to hell in a handbasket! Black current tea was a fine close to a substantial meal. Total cost: $30.00 US for two.
We parade down Raday utca to work off the excess, reluctantly return to our hotel to pack, then off to a bar to mingle with Hungarians and visitors alike. Our work in Budapest is done
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