Our Rick Steves guidebook calls BUDAPEST “Europe’s most underrated big city” and I tend to agree. It’s a pity that it took us so long to get here, but I am glad that we came AND that we had 10 days to spend exploring the city.
Divided by the Danube River, the city has two halves – Buda and Pest (pronounced Pesht). The Buda side is hilly and quieter. Here we found the former Royal Palace (on Castle Hill),
Matthias Church with its beautiful tiled roofs,
the picturesque Fishermen’s Bastion with its statue of St. Stephen, the country’s first Christian king and patron saint,
and an unusual hospital built in a natural cave system – called the Hospital in the Rock – that secretly treated the wounded during WWII and, during the Cold War, was a nuclear bunker (never needed, thank goodness…).
We stayed, and spent most of our time, on the livelier (and more touristy) Pest side. We walked the main boulevard, Andrássy ut, that is lined with stately 19th century buildings and lots of trees.
Along this walk is the Opera, which is under renovation inside and out. The areas inside that we were able to see were elegant.
At the end of the tour, our consolation prize for not being able to see the grand auditorium (under renovation), was a mini concert featuring several familiar arias, well-executed by members of the Opera company.
Farther along the street is the House of Terror, a museum housed in the building that was headquarters of, first, the Hungarian Nazi party and then, later, the Soviet secret police. Both of those periods were very difficult times for Hungary, and over 3200 people were jailed and then murdered in this very building!
On a lighter note, one day, while heading for a wine shop on Andrassy, we came upon a band and a group of locals dancing. They seemed to be having such a good time!
Speaking of wines (how’s that for a segue?), Hungary makes some excellent ones, but they don’t export much of it. So we’ve focused on learning – and tasting – as much of the local product as possible.
Our introduction was a tasting organized by Airbnb and led by a local wine merchant, which consisted of 5 wines (two whites, a rosé, and two reds). Of the five, we really liked three,
and carried that knowledge into the wine shop we visited the next day. Since we eat at home (in our lovely Airbnb apartment) many nights, we stocked up! We have also tried many other Hungarian wines in restaurants, and have been universally pleased.
Our next wine adventure was a trip out into the countryside, specifically the Etyek region (one of the 22 wine-growing regions in the country). We, along with a guide and a small group, visited 3 wineries.
Here we learned how hard it was to maintain a quality wine industry under communism (when the emphasis was on quantity and high alcohol content). It is only in the last 25 years that small wineries interested in quality have begun to flourish.
We also took a food tour through Budapest to learn about (and taste!) the local cuisine. We began at a local farmers market where the produce was fresh and the vendors were lovely.
We tasted cheeses, stews (goulash), pasta (with cabbage!), all sorts of pickles, langos (fried dough topped with sour cream & cheese), Mangalica (pork) sausage, sour cherry/poppy seed strudel, and chocolate. Not exactly a low calorie day!
On another day, we explored the Great Market Hall, several acres of produce, bakeries, butchers and, of course, mountains of paprika, the national spice.
Budapest is known for is its thermal baths. Sitting on a vast reservoir of hot water, the city has 123 natural springs and two dozen thermal baths, which are run by the government and are part of Hungary’s health care system! We tried out the Széchenyi Baths, a huge complex with indoor and outdoor pools of varying temperatures.
The water comes out of the ground at 170ºF and is mixed with cooler water to achieve the desired temperatures. People of all shapes and sizes (all wearing swimsuits), come here to soak, sunbathe, and play chess!
Hungarian is an unique language, not related to any European language. They use the Latin alphabet, but no Latin roots. It is a distant relative of Finnish & Estonian, and a very difficult language to parse. It will be a relief when we return to Paris (soon!) where we can understand what is being said, and figure out what’s in a package in the grocery store!
A unique feature of Budapest is its ‘Ruin Pubs.’ The nightlife here is quite vibrant and these pubs, set amongst buildings that are not in the best shape, filled with graffiti and ‘stuff’
are where the young people gather in the evenings. We decided that the best way to experience these pubs was to take a tour. We went with a guide and four young men (from Toronto, Gdansk, London, and Munich) to four representative pubs. Had a shot (of something) in each and got to have the experience without having to figure out how to ‘belly up to the bar.’ It was fun and quite a scene.
We have heard Budapest referred to as “the Paris of the East” and we would not dispute the reference. It is filled with beautiful buildings
and stately churches (most Roman Catholic),
many built in the late 19th century in preparation for the country’s 1000 year anniversary in 1896. Even though Budapest sustained significant damage during WWII, much of this grandeur has been restored.
Hungary’s twentieth century history is complicated. It controlled half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until after WWI when it lost 71% of its territory and 58% of its population in the treaty of Trianon in 1920. The country joined the Axis in WWII (but it felt to much of the population like a German occupation); were ‘liberated’ by the Soviet Union after the war bringing in new ‘occupiers;’ finally declared independence in 1989 after the fall of the Berlin Wall; and joined the EU in 2004. Things are looking up, and the people are eternally optimistic despite their difficult past. We’re glad we came and hope to return and explore more of the country next time.
