Blog Archives - WANDERING WITH WILLIAM

Szentendre

10/31/2018

We've heard about an artsy town outside of Budapest called Szentendre.  There's half-day small group trips available but research shows us that it is the last stop on one of the commuter train lines.

We take the tram to a block from Batthyány tér.  From there we follow Google Maps to get to the H5 suburban train.  The train rambles northward through the city of Budapest and more suburban areas for 40 minutes until we stop at the small town of Szentendre.

There is a map of the city center at the end of the train track and arrows painted on the ground saying "Centre".  I think we can do this!

Our first stop is going to be the local museum, but we find a sign on the door stating it is closed for technical reasons.  No matter.  We walk further into this cute town and stop for coffees and a shacher torte at the Marzipan Cafe.  Apparently there is a marzipan museum in the back, but it doesn't call to us.

Pumped up on caffeine and sugar we walk along the cobblestone streets a few blocks to the town center.  Colorful small shops and restaurants line the streets.  The lights stretched across the streets cleverly include lamp shades.  The vines growing on the walls have turned their fall colors.  Very pretty!

We hope to see the interior of the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption but it is closed for renovations.  Too bad!  We pop into some of the artesian shops, examining their handicraft and art.  In one we select a ceramic figurine as a remembrance of Hungary.

It's been two hours since the coffee and cake so it must be lunchtime.  We choose one of the restaurants along the square and have a traditional Hungarian meal.   After lunch we take a slight different route through the Centre to arrive back on the street leading to the train station.  Within 15 minutes we are on the train and traveling back to Budapest.

With the time change, The sunlight gives us a wonderful opportunity. Upon our arrival in Budapest, we walk to Margit bridge and take photos of Parliament and the Danube. From here it is easy to catch the tram back to the apartment. A perfect ending to a picturesque day.

The 1896 M1 Line

10/30/2018

It's a busy Tuesday, further exploring the city then working remotely in the mid-afternoon into evening.

We take the street car to the Octagon stop then walk across the street and downstairs to the M1 subway, known locally as the underground. This is the first subway line built in Hungary, and has been in constant operation since 1896. The train cars seem to be the originals but they have been maintained and updated through the years.

We get out at Hero's Square. The Fine Arts Museum remains closed to the general public, but there is an invitation only event occurring - perhaps in advance of the general reopening anticipated for November. Unfortunately we cannot sneak through the security checkpoints. Could it be William's Hawaiian shirt and my jungle print running jacket?

Our next stop is just north of Hero's Square at the Agriculture Museum. There at least a hundred in line awaiting admittance, 70% below the age of 10. Nope. Not for us today. We have a nice coffee in the patio restaurant on the pond and plot our next steps.

The Hall of Art is a contemporary art museum opposite the Fine Arts Museum on Hero's Square. Let's try that. The neoclassical structure was built in 1896 for the millennium celebrations (not the ones that any of us would remember, the thousandth anniversary of the arrival of the Magyars). It is somewhat humorous when the ticket agent explains that it is contemporary art and asks us two times if that is okay with us. Perhaps she can see into our souls, revealing that we often struggle to fully appreciate contemporary art. We gladly pay the admission fee and proceed to the exhibits. There are 12 galleries, most with a few interesting pieces. Two galleries contain masks, many ghoulish; appropriate for Halloween, though that was not their original intent.

We return to the apartment and I setup for some hours at my consulting gig. Ah - the flexibility brought by the internet and remote work. :-)

The New York Cafe

10/29/2018

Máté from Fat Boy Foodies tour as well as Conor and Jenny recommended dining at the New York Cafe.  We check out the menu online and brunch sounds wonderful.  To minimize any issues, I make a 9:30 am reservation through the website.

The Café is in the New York Palace Hotel, an Italian Renaissance-style building.  In the early 1900's  it was considered the most beautiful coffee house in Budapest.  Writers gathered and newspapers were edited here.  After WWII if fell into disrepair, for a while serving as a sporting goods store.  I can't help but to think of the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel.  In 2006 it was restored to the beauty it once was.

There's a little bit of a class-system at work when we approach the reservation  desk; guests of the hotel are seated on the lower level near the buffet, while the rest of us are seated upstairs.  We quickly see that this is a tourist destination, with selfie sticks and camera phones capturing the moment at many tables. A line out the door is used by those without reservations.

The surroundings are beautiful and our waitress is very polite and professional.  She explains the menu, the options on the buffet and that she will serve our coffee or tea.  I am in a festive mood and would like to have a glass of prosecco.  I'm delighted when she explains I can serve myself to prosecco at the buffet.  There is a good variety of foods and sweets on the buffet and we take our time eating, enjoying our surroundings and watching the antics of the tourists.  Our only disappointment is that the food is warm, but not hot.  We are happy we dined here.

We waddle the 900 meters back to our apartment where we recover from the large meal and spend time on the internet and processing photos. By mid-afternoon we agree we need to get out and walk a bit. In a few days we leave for Vienna from Kaleti train station, so we go check it out. The M4 subway goes directly to Kaleti, and the Rákóczi tér stop is less than a ten minute walk from the apartment. We imagine ourselves pulling roller luggage and find that it will be fairly easy. Yeah!

Since Kaleti is in a part of the city we have not yet explored, we walk around the area near the station and pick a very local restaurant for dinner. The waiter seems to be delighted that some obvious tourists have come into his restaurant. We have a tasty meals of beef goulash and grilled pork chop with beer and wine for 30% less than the places closer to our apartment charge. A good experience!

Terror & Swing

10/28/2018

After breakfast we walk to the tram which takes us to the House of Terror Museum. Since this is so close to Halloween, you might think scary spooks and ghouls, but this museum is much more frightening. It is a remembrance of the terror during both the Nazi and Communist regimes. Under the Nazi's the building was occupied by the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party, which used the cellar to torture and kill hundreds of people at the same time Jews throughout Hungary were driven west to their destruction.

When Hungary ended up under Soviet occupation in 1945 the building was taken over by the State Security Authority, which used brutal interrogation, extorted confessions and sent their victim to labor camps, prisons or the gallows. Many did not survive the interrogations. It was also chilling to watch videos of large rallies of young people endorsing and cheering the Communist regime early in the occupation, drinking the koolaide of leaders using rhetoric of socialist peace and prosperity.

In the evening we have an early dinner at a restaurant along Ráday Út then catch a tram to the Buda side to attend Swing Concert 2. It is the same band of swing jazz musicians we saw a couple of weeks ago, but this time they are joined by a female singer. Once again it it a wonderful 2 hours. The band is happy for us to take photos and videos, so we do.

After the concert we take the long way home, walking part of the way along the Danube taking photos of the Pest side across the river.

Resting Up

10/27/2018

Saturday we spend close to home, recovering from our Bratislava fun. We walk to the local market to pick up vegetables, fruit and meat. I also want some white wine for cooking and sipping. In the back of the market is a bulk wine store with 6 different wines. I ask for a sample of the Chardonnay. It's not going to win International awards, but it is better than many of the wines made by members of our wine club and better than half of the house wines I've had in the US. The sales woman asks me how many liters I want (they have empty plastic bottles that range from 1 liter to a 5 liter jug). I choose 2 liters, which sets me back the equivalent of $3.45.

We spend much of the rest of the day working on photo's, doing laundry, cooking at home and watching movies. There's also a nap or two involved.

Last Day in Bratislava

10/26/2018

It's Friday, our last day in Bratislava. We must check out of our hotel by 10 am and our train leaves at 3:50 pm. The hotel allows us to store our backpacks and we walk into the Old Town to an Irish pub that advertises an Irish Breakfast. We arrive just as they open and are the only people in the place during much of our meal. The staff uses the quiet time to decorate for Halloween.

Following breakfast we stroll through town to Grassalkovich Palace which is the residence of the president of Slovakia. There are barriers setup, a military band, other military units and a large press group all inside the gates. A group of onlookers three or four deep extends around the barriers. Everyone is waiting for something to occur. We stand around for a bit, but decide not to wait since we don't know when something will happen.

We move on to the second stop we planned, the garden behind the Palace.  Drat!  The gates are closed.  Probably for the same reason everyone is assembled at the Palace.  Later we learn that the Emmanuel Macron, the President of France is in town to meet with Andrej Siska, the President of Slovakia.

We stroll a little further, taking a rest in a city park before returning to the Old Town and what we have planned as our third stop, the Nedbalka Art Gallery.  The Nedbalka focuses on Slovak 20th century and contemporary art.  The four floors hold 120 - 150 pieces.  We are handed an iPad with notes about the pieces and informed that our admission fee includes a beverage in the second floor coffee shop.  We make our way from the top down.  The art pieces are interesting, though most are not what I'd hang in my house, not really appreciating a great deal of contemporary art.

Following a relaxing coffee and tea in cushy chairs we leave the gallery.  We walk up to the salesman for the small trams which offer tours.  We think we'll sit back, relax and learn more about Bratislava as the vehicle takes us through town and up to the castle and back. Double Drat!  They are not able to offer that tour due to the road closures caused by President Macron's visit.

We sit in Hlavné námestie, the Old Town square, plotting how to spend the next couple of hours until we collect our backpacks and catch our train. We notice that the square is busy and there are a growing number of groups of men ages 20-30. Bachelor parties! We choose to have small(er) beverages at two different cafes/pubs and people watch. At one we run into a bachelor who is soon to be married. He's dressed in bride attire and his group of 10 friends seem to be thoroughly enjoying it.

Gathering our backpacks, walking to the train station and catching our train to Budapest goes without issue other than the usual anxiety about finding the right track and the right car. We are very tired when we arrive in our Budapest apartment. I glance at the walking app on my phone and see 14,086 steps, 5.3 miles for today. No wonder we're tired!

Exploring Bratislava

10/25/2018

William enjoys a breakfast of eggs and sausages or bacon, which isn't all that easy to find in most European cities, and Bratislava is no exception. Google maps finds a couple of places in the Old Town, so that's where we walk. The café that we choose has eggs, but is a little more foo foo than we expected.

After breakfast we walk back past the ApartHotel Virgo and continue up the hill to Bratislava Castle. The castle was constructed in the 9th through 18th century, then reconstructed in the 1950's and 60's. We walk around the castle and enjoy the views then return to Old Town.

We walk along the old city walls to St. Martin's Cathedral. We've been enjoying it's towering spire since we arrived in the city. The interior is beautiful, and it is easy to image the pageantry of the coronations which occurred here over the centuries.

We're hungry. We walk past Cumil (the Man at Work statue) and find Koliba Kamzik restaurant for a late lunch. The place is picturesque, with it's checkered tablecloths and the food is wonderful. We roll out the door feeling very full.

As we walk through the Old Town we come across Cuba Libre Cigar bar. William cannot resist. He buys a couple of cigars and we sit down in the lounge while he smokes one and we sip on Oban scotch.

We head back the the ApartHotel to relax. We aren't hungry until 8:30 pm. We stop in the local bar/restaurant and quickly find out that they (and most restaurants) stop serving food at 8 or 8:30 pm. Flashback to Ireland where we had the same trouble getting dinner after 7 pm! We walk down to the corner mini-mart, pick up some cheese, salami, rolls, wine and beer. We'll picnic in our hotel and watch Netflix.

A "Break" in Bratislava

10/24/2018

We decide to take a little break and travel to see Bratislava, another European capital along the Danube.  I make the train reservations using the local Hungary Rail website, finding it is a 30-40% discount to the RailEurope site I normally use from the US.

Wednesday we catch the 9:40 am train from Budapest's Nyugati station. Before boarding we have a few minutes to share a langos with garlic, sour cream and cheese.  Mmmmm.

It's a direct train from Budapest to Bratislava, which then continues on to Prague.  For a while the train parallels the Danube and we see old towns on the riverbank and restored citadels on the top of hills.  After 2 1/2 hours looking at the countryside through a light rain, our train pulls into Bratislava Hlavna Station.

We can't check into our hotel for 45 minutes and it's supposed to continue misting for an hour more so we find a small nearby restaurant for a beverage and relax until check-in time at the ApartHotel Virgo.  We have a two bedroom apartment with a balcony looking over a courtyard.  We don't plan to cook in the apartment, but it is nice to have the frig and kettle as well as the separate living space.

After settling in we decide to explore the area below Bratislava Castle as we make our way to a restaurant that is open early for dinner. Along the way we get our first glimpses of St. Stephens Basilica bell tower and the Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising, complete with it's UFO Observation Deck/Restaurant hovering over the Danube.

After climbing up cobblestone streets we arrive at the restaurant, Modra Hviezd. It is charmingly small, just a main bar / dining area and three small rooms which are really alcoves build with stone walls and curved brick ceilings. We're shown into an alcove. Fall is the season for duck, and roasted duck with buttery pancakes and red cabbage is a special. I can't resist but William is in the mood for beef and chooses a steak for his entree. After sitting and relaxing over a beer and glass of wine our entrees arrive, the duck with incredibly crispy skin and meat below that releases steam as I cut into it. William loves his steak with a delicious mushroom sauce and dumplings served on the side.

Full from our delicious meal we stroll/roll back downhill to find the ApartHotel Virgo. We're tired. Although much of the day was spent on public transportation - streetcar, train and taxi, my pedometer tells me that we still managed to do almost 8,000 steps. In addition we find travel days to always be tiring. We crash on the couch watching Netflix using former guest Myrna's account (apparently she didn't sign out when she left). Sleep comes easily.

Art Exhibitions

10/21/2018

We have a somewhat lazy start to Saturday; our intent today is to go to the MNG art museum by Buda Castle. Because of our mishap with the street car lines on Thursday evening William is able to map alternative routes to the Google Maps suggested bus transport. The street cars are much more charming (especially if they are not crowded).

The MNG museum by Buda Castle has two special art exhibitions, Frida Kahlo and Bacon, Freud and the London School. The Frida Kahlo exhibition is mentioned in several art lists of exhibitions to see this year, so it seems that we should take a look. We arrive at the MNG and encounter a considerable ticket line. Doh! I should have gone online to see if I could buy tickets in advance. Also, William had suggested entering the museum through another entrance, but I thought we needed the main entrance for the Kahlo tickets - I was wrong.

After an hour queue we enter the Kahlo exhibition along with a horde of other people. It is nicely laid out, providing biographical information about one of Mexico's greatest artists in addition to displaying 30 of her works of art. I am surprised at how closely people can get to the portraits, With the crowds people are frequently are within inches. There is nothing to prohibit touching, although they are protected by glass in the frames. Some of her iconic self-portraits are on display, but my favorite work is of an old woman knitting.

We need to make our way through some of the regular galleries of the MNG to reach the Bacon,Freud exhibition. Along the way we see early church art, various sculptures, and paintings from the 1800's. The painting The Emir of Lebanon catches my eye for it's colors and shading.

The Bacon, Freud and London School exhibition is interesting, but much of it isn't a style that resonates with either of us.

By now we are getting hungry so we decide to return to Ráday street with it's numerous small restaurants to choose from. Today we select a restaurant with mostly Italian food (and some Hungarian favorites). It's another delightful meal, though definitely not low carb.

Synagogue, Cathedral and Lunch with New Friends

10/19/2018

Our apartment is just a few blocks from Great Synagogue or Tabakgasse Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. It was built in the mid 1850's in a Moorish Revival style.

The building is on the edge of what once was the Jewish ghetto. During WWII it was used for Nazi radio. Over 2,000 Jews are buried in mass graves in the courtyard. Memorial slates have been inscribed for some and placed around the grave mounds.

The building was restored in the 1990's with mostly state funding. The ark contains various scrolls taken from synagogues destroyed during the holocaust. It contains a large pipe organ, which is unusual for synagogues. We walk through the synagogue as well as the small museum. In the courtyard at the rear of the synagogue is the Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish Martyrs, which resembles a weeping willow tree to honor the 400,000+ Hungarian Jews who were murdered by the Nazi's.

On Friday we meet Conor and Jenny for lunch at Vak Varju, a restaurant recommended by Bence when we checked into the AirBnB. I decide to try something different and select the crispy squealer knuckle with Bavarian cabbage, roasted potato dumpling and rosemary jus. The pigs knuckle has been roasted and then possibly deep fried to crispen the skin. It is flavorful and fun. William, Conor and Jenny also enjoy their meals. We have lively conversation and get to better know one another. After lunch when I visit the ladies room I find it's pretty easy to spot as they have signage in many languages.

After lunch William and I walk to five blocks to St. Stephens Basilica. The new-classical building was completed in 1904 after 50+ years of construction. It is a beautiful building. After walking through the church we pay a small fee to take the elevator to the walkway around the dome for a view of Budapest.