Budapest

Where: Budapest, Hungary
When: June 30 - July 6, 2017
With: Dave, Pam, Aunt Lee, Uncle Joe, Mary Kate

Ah Budapest, one of the last big European cities I had yet to explore. This one has eluded me for years because I didn't want to experience it without my Hungarian family along for the ride. And finally, after years of talking about it, we were able to make it happen and have our big Fungarian adventure through the country.

Dave and I arrived a couple days before everyone else (and Uncle Joe told me he was disappointed that I went to Hungary without him :-) ) We got ourselves a hotel right on the Danube River and started exploring immediately. 

First we wandered up the promenade that lines the Pest side of the river, with stunning views onto Castle Hill. 

We immediately noticed the plethora of statues all over the place. They commemorated everything from famous Hungarians to slice of life moments to William Shakespeare. 

This one spoke to me...it looked like me trying to get something out of Izzy's mouth. I know your struggle, girl. 

After a short walk, we decided to grab a seat at a restaurant on the water for our first Hungarian meal. To start, the Hungarian wine was fabulous. We didn't expect it to be this good! And of course, we both ordered chicken paprikas, which was as amazing as we could have imagined.

With bellies full, we were off for a boat tour of the city at dusk. A boat tour is our favorite way to get a lay of the land in the most scenic way (and fend off jetlag on day one). 

 The boat made its way south first, with the sun setting behind us in a glow of orange against the many bridges of Budapest. It was beautiful. 

The Szabadsag Bridge and the Elizabeth Bridge.

The top of Gellért Hill, with the Liberty Statue and the Citadel. More on them later. 

As we turned north up the river, we got our first glance of Parliament by night, which was absolutely stunning all lit up. 

Castle Hill by night. 

And a view of both Buda (on the right) and Pest (on the left) from the water. Absolutely stunning to see at night. 

After the boat tour, we caught our second wind, and headed in from the river to do a bit more exploring. Many of the cobblestoned streets in this area were blocked off for pedestrians, allowing restaurants and cafes to spill out onto the sidewalks. It was so gorgeous. 

We ended our night at a sidewalk wine bar with some more amazing Hungarian wine. Such a perfect ending to our first day and a great way to gear up for the trip. 

The next morning, we were up and moving right away. First stop was a tour of Parliament. Commissioned in 1885 after the unification of Buda, Pest, and Óbuda (once all separate cities), it was commemorated in 1896 for the millennium celebration of the founding of Hungary and finished in 1905. 

The tour was only 45 minutes long, but it packed a lot in. First, we were led up a back entrance staircase decorated in floor-to-ceiling gold. Apparently, not much actual gold was needed to paint this because the artist only used real gold up to a certain height, and then painted the ceiling and high points with fake gold paint. Clever, and still impressive looking. 

While wandering down the long, massive hallways, we were reminded that this building is still in use by the government as a group of soldiers came marching down the hallway, forcing us all to get out of the way. 

The hallways eventually gave way to this amazingly gorgeous entrance hall, used for dignitaries entering the building.

The main attraction of the Parliament building, sitting directly under its dome, is the Holy Crown of Hungary, worn by every king since the 1100s. It cannot be photographed and is guarded by two soldiers at all times. (Photo from Wikipedia - I wasn't getting impaled by a sword for the sake of the photo!) After World War II, the crown was held by the US in Fort Knox to keep it safe from the Soviets, and was returned by Jimmy Carter in 1978 under the condition that it was on display for the people. Hence, it found its home here. 

The following room was where the members of Parliament used to gather. It was decorated to honor the various trades that support Hungary's economy, including a special rug woven by a local Hungarian village.

Inside the actual room where sessions are held, it was gold, gold, and more gold. I'll be honest, I started zoning out at this point of the tour as she started to discuss the intricacies of how Parliament works and when it's in session, etc. But the gold was impressive!

Outside the main room, on the window ledges, were these ridged metal things with numbers on them. Back when smoking was allowed in the building, these would hold the cigars of the Parliament members, with a number so they could identify which one was theirs. 

Finally, at the end of the tour was a reminder of how far the country has come in the last 30 years. When Hungary was under Soviet rule, this massive red star of communism sat on top of the Parliament dome.

After Parliament, we walked around the surrounding area to see more and more statues. The lion in this one represents Hungary as it's being choked by communism, the serpent. 

After finishing up around the Parliament area, we started walking up Andrássy út, the Budapest equivalent of the Champs-Élysées. It was a beautiful tree-lined street with cafes and shops along the way. Oh, and more statues. Obviously.

At the end of Andrássy út is Heroes Square, a massive plaza commemorating the leaders of Hungary (with, you guessed it, more statues). Built in 1896 for the millennium anniversary of Hungary, the statues cover everyone from the Magyars to the Hungarian kings. 

The column in the middle has the archangel Gabriel holding the crown of Hungary at the top. At the base are seven men on horseback, representing the heads of the seven Magyar tribes that came to the Carpathian Basin in 896 and founded the country of Hungary. 

Behind the column is a semicircle of more statues (shocking!), reflecting the great kings of Hungary, starting from the left with István, the first king. 

Underneath each statue is a relief showing the most monumental moment of that king's reign. For István, it was when he was presented with the crown of Hungary, the very one we saw in Parliament. 

Sitting just behind Heroes Square is City Park, one of the first public parks in the world. It contains the Széchenyi Baths, the Budapest Zoo, and lots of open green space for Hungarians to relax and enjoy the sun. 

One of the main attractions of city park is another leftover of the 1896 millennium celebration. In the similar vibe of a World's Fair, the Hungarians built a little pavilion of wood and cardboard buildings representing different architectural periods of time. The locals loved the complex so much that they decided to make the structures permanent, and they are now open to explore.

The most eye catching of the buildings is Vajdahunyad Castle, meant to represent a Transylvanian castle of the Renaissance era. 

After walking through the castle gates, all the buildings of the complex can be seen. To the right is a baroque palace that has since been converted into the Hungarian Museum of Agriculture (shockingly, we skipped this tour.)

To the left, there is a small Gothic church that has become one of the most famous churches in Hungary to get married. 

This statue, in the midst of the complex, represents Anonymous, the name given to a notary and chronicler who wrote the most comprehensive history available on the arrival of the Magyars to this area. Little is known of him or who he was or even what his real name was except that he worked for a Hungarian king in the 1200s. 

After a long day of walking, Dave and I decided to jump on the metro to head to the Buda side of the Danube for a soak in Gellért Baths. But since we can't sit still for too long, after our relaxing break, we decided to take a hike up Gellért Hill, the largest hill in the city. The name Gellért comes from the first bishop of Hungary. He became tutor to the king's son, but after a pagan rebellion, he was put in a barrel driven through with nails and rolled down this hill. Yikes. Now there's some good statues of him preaching from the hilltop that bears his name. 

To set the mood of our hike up Gellért Hill, it was the end of day, but still wildly hot. Also, the Red Bull Air Race was going on. All day, bi-planes manned by crazy pilots had been zooming and zipping along the Danube, dipping under bridges and around pylons. We were glad we knew this race was happening, or we would have been concerned someone was invading the country. Again. 

So as we climbed Gellért Hill, we heard the whirring of planes above us. As it was end of day, the races were complete, so we just saw the final airshow of military planes and jets zipping around. 

The views as we climbed the rather steep incline were pretty spectacular. The first bridge we saw from above was the Szabadsag.

At the top of the hill is a statue of a girl holding a feather above her head called The Liberty Statue. Originally built in 1947 and dedicated to the Soviets who "liberated" the Hungarians, the statue's inscription has undergone a bit of an amendment since the Cold War, now dedicated to those who fought and died for Hungarian freedom. 

Flanking statues underneath.

This dog, representing how I felt at the end of this hike. 

However, the views of Budapest were pretty spectacular from up here. 

Also got a good view of the Red Bull race course from here. Apparently, those pylons are state of the art.

Finally time for the shady hike down. Ahh.

As we crossed back over Elizabeth Bridge to the Pest side, we realized something: Viking River Cruises are EVERYWHERE. Not just one or two boats but tons of them, all ready to take tourists along the Danube PBS style. 

Back in Pest. More statues.

This is where Dave and I had a funny moment. See, we had no phone access during our time in Hungary, and when we needed to find a location, we had to do it old school, with a map. With some time to kill before dinner, we decided to try to find a bar Dave knew about and had written down the address for. So we plopped on a bench to study the map and figure out where to go. We probably spent 10 minutes scouring the map for a street called Irányi utca with no luck. Finally, we decided to give up and just wander around. When we looked up to see which cross street we were on, we discovered it was Irányi utca. Sometimes, you just can't make this stuff up.

That meant we got to experience this really interesting bar Dave found called Red Ruin. Meant to be a tongue-in-cheek celebration of communist rule, everything was painted bright red while loud grunge music blasted through the tiny pub. The beer was good, but the murals were better.  

After that, we took a quick stroll up the most touristy street in Budapest, Váci utca, where prices are high and nothing is authentic. Just like this cocktail bar in a shark's mouth. This is super traditional Hungarian, right?

Contrary to our walk over, we did have an amazing meal at a truly authentic Hungarian restaurant called Chef Cafe. It only sat about ten tables, the owner was the only waiter while his wife cooked in the kitchen, and he could speak about 7 different languages to the various patrons of the restaurant (we heard him speak English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian during our three hour meal). 

The next morning, our fast paced tour through Budapest didn't stop. First, we went for the low hanging fruit by going to the István Basilica right outside our hotel. Named for the first king of Hungary (that same István!) this place was huge! Even from the outside!

On the inside, since it was Sunday, mass was going on, but there were so many people ignoring signs and taking pictures, it was unclear what was permitted and what wasn't. However, the church was ornately decorated, with lots of gold leaf, domes, and a huge organ. 

The basilica was completed in 1905 and at that time was the sixth largest church in Hungary. Now, following two world wars and the Cold War, it is the third largest in the country. 

The big attraction of this church is that it supposedly houses the actual hand of István. Withered and almost 1,000 years old, it's super gross and creepy. And oddly fascinating. 

Our next stop was at our first official museum of Budapest, the House of Terror. In this unassuming building on Andrássy út was the headquarters of the Arrow Cross, the Hungarian version of the Nazis, and then later, the headquarters of the AVH, the Soviet-run State Security (like Hungarian KGB). Now, the building has been converted into a museum to show the atrocities and horrors of both World War II and the Cold War for the Hungarian people. 

The building has an awning with a silhouette of the word "terror" across the top that reflects the word along the sidewalk when the sun hits just right. 

Along the walls of the building's exterior are the pictures of those people killed within the basement of that very building. 

A memorial in the front entrance of the building. 

No photos are allowed inside, but the museum was spectacular. It had amazingly poignant exhibits to explain each horror in history as it went along and got worse and worse for Hungarians. Between the murder of the Hungarian Jews during World War II, the deportation of thousands of Hungarians in attempt to achieve cultural segregation, and political dissidents sent off to Siberian work camps, it's a terrifying period in history that didn't happen that long ago. 

This is all super poignant as we were meeting up with my Uncle Joe later that day, who as a teenager, was partaking in a revolt against the Soviet regime and was hoisted up by the crowd to cut the Soviet hammer and sickle out of the Hungarian flag. As a result, he needed to escape the country. We'd heard the story for years, but seeing the Hungarian flag in the museum with a cut out just like he described was incredibly moving. (Photo by my Aunt Lee Lee since they went to the museum on a different day from us). 

Our final tour of the day was much lighter by comparison, as we went to the Opera House. Opened in 1884, this building reflects a much grander time in Hungarian history. 

Right from entering the building, the old-time grandeur hits you in the face. Everything looked pristine: high ceilings, marble walls and massive chandeliers. Simultaneous tours are held in multiple languages everyday. We followed a red carpet up the grand staircase to meet with the English tour guide. 

The tour was short, only 45 minutes, but packed a lot of history in. Since there were so many tours going on at once, everyone started in a different corner of the massive building and passed each other as they went along. 

We started at the royal entrance to the building. The king and queen would enter the building up this massive staircase. But since it was considered improper and unroyal to turn their heads as they entered, a mirror was installed at the top of the stairs so they could marvel at their surroundings without looking around.

The walls were adorned with portaits of famous opera singers and the rugs were made my the same village that made the rugs in Parliament. 

The intricate wood carvings were beautiful, and carved from one single block of wood.

Our first glimpse of the theater and stage were from the royal box. The first thing that struck me was the gorgeous ceiling and chandelier. The opera legend is that the cherubs in the paintings come down at night and give performances after everyone's left for the evening. 

Royalty's view. 

Next up was the cocktail bar for the elite opera patrons (not open to the peons). The walls and ceilings were covered in gorgeous murals and tapestries. 

From the cocktail lounge, there was a patio out onto Andrássy út. 

From there, we went down into the theater to see the stage as the common-folk would. This theater was actually modern beyond its times. Vents under the floor allowed for air to come in from the street, and small vents above the chandelier allowed warm air to escape. So effectively, this was built with natural air-conditioning. 

Looking back up at the royal box. 

After the tour, we got a special treat: one of the opera singers for the theater came out to give us a performance. She sang two songs in the grand entranceway, and they were lovely. 

After this, we finally took a break and went to Gerbeaud for some afternoon pastries and waited for the rest of my family to fly in. They were delayed, jetlagged, and tired, and their suitcases were mysteriously waterlogged, but everyone was up for dinner and a glass of Hungarian wine. Egészségedre!

The next morning, Pam, Dave, Mary Kate and I headed to the Great Market Hall. (Aunt Lee Lee and Uncle Joe spent their morning at the local laundromat Bubbles attempting to remedy the mysteriously wet clothes in their suitcase from the flight). The Great Market Hall is like a giant farmers market coupled with some amazing food stalls. 

This couldn't have been a better start for my foodie-cousin, like the best museum in the world: one with food. The high ceilings and natural light, coupled with the bustling of both locals and tourists alike, made this feel like a super authentic first stop.

The main floor sells many things, but we're in Hungary, so let's be honest. It's mostly paprika and sausage. 

There are apparently several different types of paprika, varying on levels of heat and sweet. They had them all.

There was also tons of fresh produce. 

Branching off the main drag were just rows and rows of stalls. It was a complete maze.

I believe I read this is one of the original stalls of the building, passed down through the same family for generations. 

The second floor of the Market Hall has stalls selling souvenirs, like handmade lace and traditional Hungarian outfits. It also is where the food stalls are for grabbing some lunch. To say it was a bit crowded is an understatement. 

The view from the second floor. 

We decided to divide and conquer. Mary Kate and I secured a seat in the corner bar while Dave and Pam went out for food. We got traditional Hungarian langos, a baked bread with toppings. We got one savory each (with onions, picked peppers, meat, cheese, and cucumbers) and one sweet to split (nutella, strawberries and bananas). It was delicious.  

After that, we luckily recovered Aunt Lee Lee and Uncle Joe from Bubbles so they could join in on the sightseeing. We took the metro up  Andrássy út to Heroes Square to officially kick off the family vacation with a soak in the Szechenyi Baths. 

Over the next couple days, we went up to Castle Hill, and took a day trip to the Danube Bend. On Wednesday night, we met up with Uncle Joe's family again for dinner and Uncle Joe got to see his niece Csilly for the first time in 40 years. 

The six of us all had dinner with Csilly and her children, Cecília and Gergely, and their partners, in a beautiful traditional restaurant on the Buda side. We started off the meal the best way Hungarians do: with a shot of Palinka. This was quince flavored and easily the best we had the entire trip. 

The restaurant was outside and had amazing food. It couldn't have been a more perfect setting. 

And what traditional restaurant is complete without the traditional music and a weirdly annoying man on a violin playing in your face?

When we weren't reacting to the traditional Hungarian songs, he broke into Hava Nagila and ran with it when he saw we recognized it. 

The Hungarians. 

Plus the Hungarians by proxy. 

The photographer...

That evening, Cecília and her boyfriend Daniel very graciously offered to take us out in Budapest to experience the local's night life. One thing in particular we had been excited about were the ruin pubs, bars that have been built into the bombed out and unrepaired buildings of World War II. 

To kick off our night, six beers and six shots. Let's do this. 

In the courtyard of our first ruin pub that we never would have found if without Cecília and Daniel. So fun!

Second pub, and one of the most famous in Budapest was Szimpla Kert. Taking up multiple floors of three adjoining buildings, it was massive. And since the center building seems to have been blown out, there was no roof: free courtyard! It was colorful and loud and drunk people were everywhere, even on a Wednesday night at 2am. The bartender was spraying people with seltzer water, one guy was walking around drinking out of any drinks left behind, and there were some heavy makeout sessions going on. It was glorious late-night people watching. 

After this wild experience, we had one more stop at a local's bar that Cecília and Daniel frequent, and we closed out the night with Pam and Cecília recounting stories of their grandmother/great-grandmother and appreciating this long lost meeting of cousins. We got home at 4am and couldn't have felt more awake and excited. The rising sun and István's Basilica greeted us as we walked home. 

Oh and more statues. 

The next morning, we had a drive out into the countryside and left Budapest for the next few days, visiting Herend, Lake Balaton, Villány , and Pécs. We returned just at the end of our trip for one last night before leaving Hungary. It was a bit rainy, and I managed to snap this photo of my family looking like the cover of an indie rock band album while they waited out a passing storm.

That night, we got to see a sight that had been eluding Dave since we had arrived as it sits on the edge of the Danube and the Red Bull Air Race made this difficult to get to: the Shoes on the Danube. The bronze shoes lining the edge of the river represent the 3,500 people, 800 of which were Jewish, who were lined up along the Danube, asked to remove their shoes, and subsequently shot between 1944-1945. Their bodes fell into the river, leaving behind just the shoes. 

It was an incredibly moving memorial and I'm glad we were finally able to see it after our time there. 

Our last activity in Hungary was to do an escape the room game, which actually originally started in Hungary (along with the Rubik's cube - the Hungarians love their puzzles). We did the Pharoah's tomb, we did terribly and needed help from the central office for every step of the way, but we did escape (with lots of extra time). When asked to sum up the experience, Uncle Joe said "well, it was easier than escaping the country." 

Budapest couldn't have been a more perfect city to start and end this amazing, once in a lifetime family vacation.