Sensational by day - Budapest. A Glorious Masterpiece!

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Five days in this masterpiece of a capital, Budapest, was a stroke of genius choice by Jeanette. While we have considered visiting many cities in Europe via a river cruise, we are exceedingly pleased that we opted to spend time in a city such as this. Very walkable, historic, hospitable and cosmopolitan, I would find it less rewarding to visit with just a stop on a cruise line using the packages offered on board. As with any visit on a cruise line anywhere, it is a good appetizer for the main course of a longer stay at a later date.

By the way, I make no apologies for the prominence of the Parliament building in my photographs because it was simply captivating in design and appeal.

Morning haze and dark rain clouds somewhat obscured tho view of Pest from the Buda side as we took the several steps to climb up to the Citadel. Making frequent stops along the way, the views got more spectacular with every step and had our cameras constantly clicking. We finally reached the top and were greeted by a huge monument. Eventually the rain came but the shower was brief and the weather progressively got better afterwards.

Before parking the car earlier and climbing up to the Citadel we had driven miles in search of the famous Bend on the River Danube. The tourist people at the airport had said that I should use Route 10 but the more we drove the closer we came to the Slovakia border and the elusive site never appeared. It turned out that if we had taken Route 11 we would have found the Bend which is frequently used in many of the river cruise advertisements. We soon gave up and returned to Budapest.

While filling up at the gas station I noticed damage to the rental car which I had not previously seen. I imagine that it must have happened in Heviz somewhere before driving up to Budapest. It is interesting that on the very occasion I opted for basic insurance coverage (I usually take full coverage), I sustained damage to a rental car. (MY LESSON - ALWAYS TAKE FULL INSURANCE COVERAGE).

Having returned the car to Avis, we retraced our steps by foot to an elegant looking restaurant nearby that Len had taken a mental note of earlier (Len was visiting us from Brussels for the weekend). Covered with the usual large umbrellas, white table cloths and wine-drinking clients, we took a curbside table and studied the menu. It was a most entertaining process as the waiter, Akos, demonstrated his expertise in Hungarian wine and cuisine. His engaging manner throughout, perfect English and sophisticated humour added greatly to our late luncheon experience. The meal was par excellence ending with a very smooth Hungarian plum liqueur.

After lunch we walked over one of the many bridges crossing the Danube to the Buda side and climbed the steps up to the Palace in Buda Castle from where the panoramic views of Budapest were, once again, stunning and beautifully clear under brighter skies. Looking down, we knew that there would be a great deal to see when we continued our walk of the city during the days that we would spend in it.

Jeanette and I love the cuisine that is truly representative of any location we visit. Times have changed over the years and a wide variety of international cuisine is available in most large cosmopolitan cities now. The trick is to talk to local people to get to know the best local places to eat. Side streets are amazing locales to discover otherwise unknown adventures in taste. We have often discovered great delights for the palate on our own and we are never shy to try something new as we continue to do throughout this vacation.

Hungarian tapas for lunch, pickled pork starters at a fancy place, fried sweet cheese, fine strudel and many more delights tease the taste buds and stretch gastronomy in new directions. And of course, we discovered some great wine, both red and white, along the way. Surprising, as I have never heard of Hungary being on the connoisseur's list for fine vintage. At one place we ended supper with a delectable plum drink offered in style by our knowledgeable waiter, Akos. We even bought a bottle, in its deservedly elegant black and silver packaging, at the airport to enjoy with company in Brussels. The name (try to pronounce it) - "Zack sander Nemes Palinka".

We walked everywhere we could, visited most of the recommended sites and simply soaked up much of what Budapest had to offer. One evening of sightseeing was pure magic - a cruise on the Danube that will live in our memories forever. We started at dusk, and pulling away from the dock we slowly headed in the direction of Margaret Island, a chunk of land dominating the centre of the river and tied to both the Pest and Buda shores by a bridge. As the sun began to dip behind the distant hills, natural light slowly surrendered to the soft hue of flood lights, gently emerging against the historic buildings that lined the Danube. As the boat made about and headed up river, the magnificence of the evening cast its glorious presence before us, bathed in soft amber or orange lighting.

It was a sight to behold with awe and to cherish forever, placing Budapest, at least in our books, at the very pinnacle of many a great city we have visited.

In a more personal vein, our close friend Len flew in from Brussels and spent a weekend with us adding greatly to our enjoyment. We also enjoyed meeting Anna, a daughter of Budapest, introduced by our good friend Naomi, her cousin. It would be remiss of me also not to have mentioned Ezster, manager and daughter of the owner of the apartment complex that we stayed and who was very helpful and a delight, even joining the three of us over wine one evening, sharing insights into life in Hungary.

Throughout our vacation we have been very fortunate to have met many, many people who have been kind and helpful to us in several ways, adding immensely to what has turned out to be an amazing vacation in every way imaginable.

The next blog will be exclusively a pictorial of Budapest at night.

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Photos

Inside the building where we stayed.
Offices and rental apartments make up this one-time palace. The ceiling in our room appeared to be about 22ft.

Monument at the Citadel.
Olive branch held high as a gesture of peace.

Comments

[sharon]

buda
Well i've learnt something, and hope it doesn't sound ignorant on my part. I never till now realized that the city Budapest was made up of two different places - Buda and Pest. Good blog, hope you weren't 'stung' with rental car charges

[David]

You are obviously have a wonderful time exploring al these European sights! Enjoy the remainder of your travels! All the est. David.

[Naomi Rattray]

The waiter's sense of humour
Not surprised, the Hungarians on the whole have a wonderful sense of humour, often dark. It sustained them in difficult times, of which they had many...