Prague Budapest Untour, Fall of 2003
by Alison & Frank Davis, Rancho Palos Verde, CA
Being an Comprehensive Account of the Travels,
Experiences, Observations, Opinions, Emotional Reactions,
Disappointments and Satisfactions of
Principal Writer - - ALISON
Personal Additions - - BRIGIT
Compulsive Inserts - - FRANK
*With apology to C. Dickens
Untour Trip - September 16 - October 1, 2003
Week 1 - Prague
Tuesday, September 16, 2003.
LAX. We boarded our British Airways 747 on time at 5:40 p.m. After a delay of an hour for repair of an engine, confined in the plane, we had an uneventful flight to London arriving there on Wednesday, September 16. We changed planes and had a good flight on to Prague.Wednesday 17th
We were met by Alena (Idyll's local staff person) and George, her driver. We went to an ATM machine right away to get Czech korunas (Crowns). Then we were driven to our apartment, Hastalska 23, which turned out to be quite spacious and on the ground floor. Workmen were digging holes and replacing pipes in the neighborhood, repairing damage from last year's floods. The street was cobblestone as were the sidewalks, the latter in black and white stone designs.The apartment had a nicely furnished living room, small bedroom with twin beds arranged at right angles at the head, a large bathroom with shower and a kitchen with table and chairs. There was, also, a small, attractive patio with potted plants. We settled in and then went to find my sister, Brigit, who was staying nearby in a hostel. To leave, and to enter, the apartment we had to unlock and relock three doors for security.
Brigit: I had arrived earlier and got a little shuttle bus into the city centre. My hostel [Ed note: Brigit did not stay in an Idyll Untours accommodation] was on a smart wide street, but my room was round the back, at the back of the block, actually on Alison's street. It had a very dingy entrance, dark and dirty, and a very small rickety lift. I was too scared to go in the lift on my own, so hauled my case up to the fifth floor! My room was large, with huge windows looking out onto the courtyard and flats around it, but was almost unfurnished. There were two beds, a metal table, and two wooden chairs, but that was it. The best thing was discovering I had a private loo and shower! Across the corridor was a dining room and a beyond that a balcony, looking onto Alison's street, the dome of a church and over to the wooded hills on the other side of the river. In the distance to the left, I could see the hill with the cathedral and castle, which looked stunning in the afternoon sunshine. However, I stayed in my room and rested - sort of. I didn't know that Czech curtains are not very sturdy, and soon managed to yank one curtain out of its little clips, and then yank the whole pole down on the other side! This necessitated clambering onto the little table and putting everything back, rather difficult, as the windows were so high. After all that excitement I lay down and read my book.
We met Brigit and walked to the Old Town Square which was fairly close
(10 min.), and was a scene of activity. At night, the Church of Our Lady of Tyn (pronounced teen) is floodlit and beautiful to see. There were many people around but it was quite quiet. Many restaurants around the square were busy with outdoor diners and the buildings were all so interesting and beautiful. We found the Cernyston Hotel nearby and ate a good meal there. (We were a bit baffled by the dumplings that were like slices of something very solid, not round and squashy.) The smokers nearby were a bit of a problem, but we found later that this was something we had to get used to. There are many smokers in these cities. We walked back to the apartment and had a good night's sleep.
Thursday 18th
The refrigerator had supplies, so we were able to have breakfast the next morning with coffee, etc. After that, we went to the Untour orientation meeting at the Kampa Hotel. That involved a walk across the lovely Vlatava (Moldau) River to the tram stop. We caught the tram, activated our seven-day transportation passes and found the correct stop to alight. It was a sunny day and many people were out and about. The Kampa Hotel was in a lovely location and we found the rest of the Untourists. The orientation was very helpful and we got lots of information and maps from Alena and her assistant.Brigit: While they were having their orientation I wandered about and practised my Czech a bit. Bought some tickets for the tram and went to the loo. (I had managed to ride the tram as nice German man sold me a spare ticket.) I lost my beloved Lonely Planet guide somewhere and very lonely indeed! However, was bowled over by all the streets of ornately decorated apartment blocks, in different pastel shades, and the relaxed feel of the place.
We had hoped to go up the nearby funicular for lunch and a view, but found the funicular to be out of action for the month. Somewhat disappointed, we settled for lunch at the Bagel Cafe that turned out to be quite good and provided a chance to chat with other Untourists. While waiting for a special 3 p.m. bus tour of the city, we took a stroll along the riverbank past the Kampa Modern Art Museum and its outdoor art installations. (We have a photo of a giant straight chair on a wall in the river.) At the base of the Charles Bridge, there was a lot of activity, as a movie was being filmed with actors in period costumes.
We went back to the hotel to the bus tour-gathering place and met our guide Eva, who is young and knowledgeable. We traveled in a minivan, and had an interesting tour of the city. We saw the castle, a Benedictine monastery which had an enormous, beautifully decorated church, painted in a Rococo style, the National Cemetery where Dvorak and Smetena are buried, and saw many interesting things to which we would return later.
Brigit: the cemetery was really beautiful, as they make each grave into a colourful little garden. Saw many nuns all buried together in the same area, each with the same simple headstone, and we thought of Muriel with her sisters.
Our tour ended at the Old Town Square (our neighborhood), there we saw the Astronomical Clock perform its actions at 6 p.m.
For dinner we ate at Mama Lucy's on the Square and had a good meal. I went to see Brigit's room on the 5th floor of the hostel (we braved the lift this time!) and saw a lovely view of the lighted city.
I should mention that Frank and I were taking Melatonin for jet lag and it really helped us to sleep and wake at the right times!
Friday, September 19.
After the usual coffee and breakfast, we took a little walk around the neighborhood, which was the Josefov sector with narrow, winding cobblestone streets to see St Agnes Convent.We needed a camera shop because Frank had misloaded his camera with Alison's print film but he shoots slides. After the film was rewound into the canister, the leader needed to be extracted so it could be loaded again into Alison's camera. We tried three shops before finding one, which could extract the film. Ready then, we walked around, found a bookstore on Celetna Street for Brigit to buy a replacement copy of the Lonely Planet guide for Prague (which was very useful to us). The town was very busy with tourists. We bought tickets for a marionette show of the opera Don Giovanni for the next week and, in passing, saw the astronomical clock in action again. We looked into St Nicholas' church on the Square which had concerts advertised but we didn't attend one there.
We ate lunch at Mike's place that served Czech food and was fairly good. More smokers out on the patio! I had a cheese platter, which was interesting. The cheese tended to be salty and was cut in to tiny squares. Brigit had vegetarian broccoli and cheese.
After lunch, we wandered down to a street market, which was very busy, there were lots of souvenirs as well as vegetables and fruit. We browsed through the paintings, the decorated eggs and other items but didn't buy anything.
Frank went home for a nap while Brigit and I went on walking to find the Municipal Building, Obecni Dum. It is just wonderful, an art Nouveau style with Mucha's art work in the hallways, also, restaurants with fabulous chandeliers, woodwork, etc., etc. - quite striking. We didn't eat there but went back to the neighborhood supermarket for important supplies like ice cream (The weather was quite warm!).
After a nap, we left for dinner and the Dvorak concert (which was part of the Untour package). We took public transportation, of course, as well as quite a long walk and arrived in time for the pre-concert dinner. We joined the others of our Untour group and had a good meal in the JB Club that is below street level. I made the mistake of ordering garlic soup - very garlicky!!
Our concert was in the Villa Amerika also known as the Dvorak museum; it is a lovely mansion. The concert was held in a rather small salon, beautifully decorated with frescoes over the walls and ceiling. The ensemble consisted of three singers, a pianist and violinist and, naturally, they played Dvorak's music. Unfortunately, the singers were just too overpowering for that small room, but the instrumentalists were excellent and did not overwhelm us with volume. (A and I argued over which of us the young violinist was smiling at. Maybe it was Frank!) (I thought it was I. He appeared to be a little stressed, so I smiled him on.) The concert was over at 9.30 p.m. and we had a nice walk back home. We felt quite safe out in the city at night, which was a comforting feeling.
Saturday, 20th,
was our day for the Castle and it was a hot one! We rode a tram across the bridge and up the hill, then walked down hill into the Castle area arriving in time for the Changing of the Guards at noon. There were many people there, including street musicians. The Changing of the Guard is a big event at noon with a brass ensemble playing from inside the building through an open window and soldiers marching in and out of the courtyard.After this show, we were able to go inside the gate and get our first sight of
St Vitus' Cathedral - breathtakingly beautiful. Disappointingly though, as the castle area has added buildings over the centuries, the church is now so close to a courtyard wall that it is impossible to get a whole view of it. We went inside, saw the free part, and then decided it was time for lunch, which we had brought with us. We made our way to the Gardens where we could have a peaceful time sitting under the chestnut trees - falling chestnuts notwithstanding!
After lunch, we returned to the Cathedral and paid admission to see the rest of it inside. It is wonderful - especially the Mucha glass window that is painted glass, mainly of rich blues. We also went into the Palace with the huge vaulted hall and coats of arms of clerks. (In the past, horse-riding tournaments were held in the Hall).
We went on to Golden Lane, where Kafka lived; bought a CD and a poster and resisted all the other commercial stores vying for our Czech korunas. B: I spoke to a lovely young girl about the pictures of the Dalai Lama in her pottery shop. He had come and during his visit put his hands in some clay. The girl was so friendly and gentle, and all the young women in shops were really beautiful and gracious. They all had very smooth hair, swept back from their faces, and dealt with us very kindly and charmingly.
We enjoyed the view of the city from the walls of the castle and took the many steps down to the tram and home.
Dinner was at Chez Marcel - a French restaurant in our neighborhood we had scouted out. The food was good, especially the crème bruleéé. The patrons were mostly French. More smokers!
Frank and I walked over to Old Town Square and photographed the Tyn [teen] Church at night. The Square was busy as could be because the Marathon was planned for the next day - people setting up barriers and booths, etc. Their idea of a marathon is 10k for men and 5k for women.
Sunday, 21st
dawned early for us because the Roxy Club around the corner had kept all of us awake until the wee hours with their loud music. Brigit was especially distressed as, in addition, drunken British youths had come into the hostel for the second night in a row making a ruckus, so she checked out and came to stay with us, sleeping on the third bed in the living room.We were able to catch most of a free organ concert in nearby St James church at 10:30 a.m. The church itself is very Rococo and I found the decorations distracted attention from listening, but the concert was very good. (Alison calls these kinds of churches 'hideous kinky'!)
After the concert, we went into the Tyn Church, which is very interesting. Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), the Danish astronomer and leading figure in medieval science, is buried here. Also, there is a shop where all the concerts are listed and tickets are available. There is no advantage to buying them at the theater door - the price is usually the same. CD's are also sold here.
We walked to the Mucha Museum - it is quite small, but has some good examples of Mucha's artwork and has a good gift shop. Brigit and I browsed the museum; Frank surveyed the neighborhood. B: He discovered a very good tea and coffee shop and I bought some of my favourite vanilla-flavoured rooibos. Didn't really get enough as got in rather a muddle with the money. Never mind - it's gorgeous!
Later that day, we walked along the river and crossed over on two bridges. One of them, the Charles Bridge, is pedestrian-only. There was a lot of activity going on - artists and musicians and tourists - and the river looked lovely. B: Two women were singing folk songs to the guitar and collected quite an audience. They were quite middle-aged and not pretty, one might have been blind, but their voices were so pure and they sang really beautifully. On the way home, we walked on to a riverside café by the Rudolfinium and had pastry and coffee and wrote our postcards in the sun. Tonight's dinner was a goulash in a neighborhood café. The ambiance was local - we sat at a sidewalk table and watched the locals going by, but the food wasn't too good - the dumplings were very heavy and indigestible and there were no vegetables, although the gravy was tasty and the meat was tender.
Monday, 22nd
was sunny and warm and off we went across the bridge to Mala Strana and the Wallenstein gardens, which are formal and quiet with statues, hedges and an enormous wall of lava-like concrete, called dripstone, making a sort of grotto. Using your imagination, there are faces and animals in the gray dripstone. It's unique, but does not really fit in with the rest of the architecture.Next, was the large St Nicholas Church that is in Malostranske Namesti (Square). It is huge and ornate. There is a second floor gallery from which one can view over the church interior, its dome and frescos.
Frank needed a new watch, as he had dropped and broken his on the cobblestones. We asked our lunch waiter at Jo's Bar and Garaz where we could find a watch shop. He sent us across town by tram to a watch store, which was excellent, and we bought a not bad looking cheap replacement. B: It was quite fun going somewhere not so touristy. Streets were still wide but the shops were more ordinary. Trams busy careering around in all directions. Saw a woman selling beautiful flowers at a pavement stall.
Then, we tried to visit the National Museum that was close. Unfortunately, that day had been chosen to fumigate their exhibits and the museum was closed. From the Museum's high front steps, we did have a good view of Wencelas Square and its activity, as well as seeing the emotionally moving statue of Jan Palac who had immolated himself on those steps in the 1968 uprising. B: Flowers were lying on the wooden sculpted grave (made in sort of wave-like shape) set into the pavement. It's very moving how they leave flowers at these places still. There were some in a shrine to Resistance fighters, too.
We rode the Metro Blue line- fun - and went home to rest before our marionette opera in the evening. This was really a good show and has been long running. It was in a small, plain theater. The opera was Don Giovanni with excellent music audio and stage production. (Mozart's opera had been premiered in Prague in 1787.) They did put a little bit of a humorous spin on the tale, which was different, and they omitted my favorite aria (which was fine!) but it was entertaining and fun.
Tuesday, 23rd
was a little cooler and we went to the National Technological Museum on the other side of the river. We crossed over and all walked up to The Metronome - quite a sight close up. It is electrically powered and moves quite slowly and hypnotically. It replaces a huge statue of Stalin that was blown up in 1962, when the Russians withdrew. There is a big park up there with a pavilion and great views of the city. F: While Alison and Brigit went on to the pavilion, I walked more around The Metronome area. The machine looks large from across the river, but it towered over me when I stood beside it. I estimate the metronome arm rose about 40-50 feet. The arm swung slowly back and forth at about 10-15 seconds per beat. It sat in an area about 100x100 feet square. This square of rubble is all that marks that tribute to Stalin and his buddies. The Metronome is a tribute to the healing of Time.From up here, all the hundreds of spires and domes, and the many bridges across the Vltava all harmonise together to make a very striking sight. The cloudy sky gave it quite a different feel from the golden sunshine of the previous few days. We had a very nice wander in the park, among the yellow leafy trees, saying hello to various dog owners. People are certainly very friendly, especially when Alison says 'Nice dog!'
The Technological museum is very interesting, in a very Communist-era style building, i.e., a gray block. We saw old transportation displays: motor cycles, bicycles, ships and planes; an excellent display of clocks and time, as well as a special exhibit of Keppler and astronomy.
We ate a brief, greasy meal in the snack bar and then Brigit and I left for home. The sky was darkening and raindrops were falling as we walked down the hill and over the bridge. Frank stayed at the museum a little longer and came home in the rain, too. (Alison did sudden sprint across this dual carriageway to get a picture!). F: I had stayed at the museum to spend time in their acoustics exhibits. Rain was pouring when I came out. Without an umbrella, it being safely back at the apartment, I waited 15-20 minutes for a lull, then hurried straight home in light rain. We wanted to get tickets for an organ concert, so Brigit and I went to Tyn Church box office for them. The rain was pouring down, but we stopped in a wonderful patisserie for goodies for dinner and went home.
The concert was excellent. The church, St Jilji, has massive baroque decorations and we sat on hard pews listening to a short program of cello, violin and organ music. The players were up behind us in the choir loft so we could not see them, but they were excellent. When they finished, they came to the loft rail to smile down at the enthusiastic audience.
That evening we packed ready for the next morning early departures: Brigit to England, Frank and I to Budapest.
B: I had a lovely flight home, sitting next to this warm, gracious young Polish woman who told me all about her Italian boyfriend, the virgin forest in Poland that she can't live without, her studies of English and her four elderly, but still naughty, horses. When we parted, she squeezed my hand in farewell. A lovely encounter ended a wonderful holiday.
Week 2 - Budapest
Wednesday September 24th,
we are up earlier than usual for breakfast and final packing. The taxi came early and, in a hurry, we locked up our apartment with Frank's bag, with Minolta camera and lenses, sitting on the floor unnoticed by him. We were upset by this omission and it cast a pall on all our departure group.The flight was very good though, and lasted about 50 minutes. We landed in the rain in Budapest and were met by the vivacious Susan. We all got Hungarian currency (Forints) from an ATM and were on our way to the apartments in a minivan.
Our apartment had been changed from the Buda side to the Pest side and later we were happy about this because the Pest side is actually the closest to all the activities. We were in the Semmelweiss apartment on the 4th floor (4th for us, 3rd for them) with an elevator that worked most of the time. The rooms had very high (14-ft) ceilings and hardwood floors, so speech tended to echo. Furniture was sparse but adequate and the small bedroom had twin beds together. In the living room is an enormous eight-foot tall, green, ceramic, old wood-burning furnace (not working), similar to those we had seen in the Prague palace. There was a functioning washing machine which we were happy to use right away, as in Prague we had been told not to use the machines (Someone had once done their laundry and the cycle hadn't finished when they were due to leave for the airport!).
We had our orientation at 3 p.m. that day in a hotel within walking distance for us. It was raining quite hard still, but this time we had our umbrellas, so we dodged puddles and met up with everyone. We had a good orientation, as usual, and then made it home. I popped into St Francis' church on the way back and it was interesting. We picked up some groceries at a grocery store where no one spoke English, so we had a challenge and some surprises! I bought Tejfol thinking it was yogurt, but it is sour cream! We ate at home and had an early night, as we were quite tired.
Thursday, 25th
was clear but cool. After our breakfast, we walked up Andrassy Ut to get concert tickets. The ones we wanted were only available at the Music Academy on Ferenc Liszt tér. We went there and bought the last two tickets for the concert of the Budapest Music Festival on Saturday evening. The building was beautiful and decorated everywhere. There were music students hanging around and we heard music coming from the concert hall. We stuck our heads around the door and saw a rehearsal was in progress! So, we went to the balcony and had seats there for an hour, listening to and watching a rehearsal of Bartok's Hungarian folk songs. It was most interesting to watch the chorus and soloists together with the orchestra.After that we walked further up Andrassy ut to Hösök tér or Heroes' Square; a very impressive large open plaza with an enormous column with Archangel Gabriel on top, surrounded, in a semi-circle, by statues of kings and early Magyar tribal leaders. There is also a tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Behind the Square is City Park with a lake and some restaurants. The lake was in the process of being drained in parts, so it did not look its best. We had lunch at a lakeside restaurant recommended by Susan, our Untour hostess, called Robinson's. It has a lovely setting with ducks swimming around (good) and a fair amount of algae on the water (not so good)! We had a lovely, relaxed lunch - delicious soup and salad and coffee. (but it was not cheap) After lunch, we took the Metro Yellow line back towards town center and stopped on the way to see the Basilica of St. Steven. The Basilica is huge, beautiful and very light and airy. There are 150 different kinds of marble used in the construction and it is quite wonderful. This was the first Metro line and is not so deep underground as the next two lines. It was very fast though and we felt safe all the times we rode it. After this, it was home for a nap.
While Frank snoozed, I took a walk down Vaci utca to explore the pedestrian area, which had some lovely buildings, cafés, antique shops, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. At the end is the covered Market - a wonderful building built by Eiffel. The tiled roof hides 2 stories of stalls selling everything you could want in the way of fruit, vegetables meats and sausages on the ground floor, and souvenirs on the top floor. I walked on, over the Liberty Bridge and had my first view of the Danube. There many boats in the fast moving water, the Buda hills and lots of automobile traffic!
Dinner was at Fatal that evening - a restaurant recommended in a travel magazine and by Susan. It is off Vaci utca. The non-smoking section is in the basement, extremely busy with tables very close together. The food was served on wooden platters and the serving sizes were vast! It was not allowed to share a plate there, so we did our best with the mountain of food. I had carp, potatoes, onions and beer and Frank had an enormous dumpling, several kinds of sausage with cabbage. This was quite cheap, even with the beer.
On the way home, we stopped in at City Hall, which is on Vaci utca and is a wonderfully ornate building. Some people were working late and we had a brief glimpse of the interior before we were ejected!
We had a nice evening walk along the Danube (Duna), admiring the buildings on both sides of the river. The Buda side was quite spectacular with illuminated buildings. The Marriott Hotel, by the river on the Pest side is an ugly building, but the Vigado is just gorgeous. The Vigado is an operetta house, quite incredibly decorated. We walked into the lobby, but couldn't see much as there was a performance in progress.
Friday, 26th
was a sunny day and we went to the Buda castle area by bus from Deak tér, which is close to our apartment. We got off the bus at Disz tér so we could walk up the hill to the Mathias Church. We walked around the Fisherman's Bastion and admired the high view of the river and Pest. We bought tickets to enter the church, which is well worth the visit. It has very unusual Byzantine decorations inside as well as museum of old religious items. There were busloads of tourists here, speaking many different languages.We had a nice wander around narrow streets of Buda, found the Toth Arpady Setany - a lovely promenade overlooking the Buda hills, and shaded by chestnut trees that were changing color and dropping their chestnuts. We had brought our lunch so we sat on a bench and people watched while we ate. There is a San Juan Capistrano Square near there, which made us feel quite at home! The castle area is full of interesting buildings: the National Archives building has a colorful diamond shaped tile roof like the Mathias Church, near is the plain Lutheran Church and the remaining tower of the demolished church of St Mary Magdalene that has bells which still toll. The Hilton hotel is very large and it incorporates an ancient Dominican tower and convent foundation. We went in to see these from the back; they are quite well displayed to the lobby.
We walked back down hill towards the Palace, which is spread out over a large area. There are areas, bombed to rubble during WW II, which are still being excavated as archeological digs for restoration. There are many statues, flowers, and many lovely views of the Danu (Danube). We did not go into any of the museums because of time constraints. Instead we took the funicular down the hill and had a restorative ice cream at the bottom. We walked back to Pest across the Chain Bridge to Roosevelt tér and saw the lovely glittering Grisham building that is being turned into a hotel. Another interesting spot was the Vösösmarty tér with Gerbaud's pastry restaurant and a large marble statue of the 19th century poet and dramatist Mihály Vörösmarty. By now, our feet were aching, so it was rest time.
Dinner was planned to be at the Karpathian Restaurant, but there was a private party in progress, so we were turned away. We did have a chance to see the interior, though, quite spectacular decorations on the walls and ceilings. As a second choice, we headed for a French restaurant, called Papageno, we'd seen very close to the apartment. It is quite small but serves excellent foods - huge mushrooms and duck for me; lamb chops and pumpkin for Frank. We highly recommended it. Most yummy!
Saturday Sept. 27th
was also a sunny day and we left after breakfast for a tour of Parliament. We rode the Metro Red line and arrived before 10 a.m., joining the crowds who were lining up to buy tickets. The guard didn't speak English, but there were others who explained the ticket system. We joined the English speaking tour at 10:30 a.m. There was quite a large group of us and we had a vivacious young woman guide who led us through some security and then the tour. The building is quite magnificent inside and out, as well as being interesting historically. We saw the changing of the guards for the Crown Jewels and saw the chambers of the Parliament. The tour lasted about an hour.We ate our lunch on the banks of the Danube quite close to the Margit Hid (Margaret Bridge). We wished later that we had postponed lunch until we got to Margaret Island, but... We walked onto the island, which is very lovely, and being Saturday, full of local people enjoying the weather and the surroundings. There are some formal gardens and an interesting Artists' Walk with statues of Hungarian artists along the way (e.g., Bela Bartok). At the north end is the Danubius Hotel that I checked out for baths but it was a bit too up-scale for me. Instead, we watched a Flora festival of dancing and games sponsored by Flora margarine. We went home by bus and rested a bit before our evening concert at the Academy.
We rode the Metro Yellow line again that evening and got off at Octagon stop for the concert hall. The concert was part of the Budapesti Fesztivalzenekar, with Ivan Fischer conducting. We sat in the choir seats behind the orchestra; the last sold seats. To get to these seats, we passed backstage through the musicians tuning up and chatting. From our seats, we could look down on the music that the bass players were reading and had a good view of the conductor and the out front audience. The flute soloist was Emmanuel Pahud who played, excellently, a piece by Carl Reinecke. The orchestra also played Scheherezade with great gusto. The concertmistress was an attractive young woman who played the violin solos in Scheherezade beautifully. After a normal applause, the audience shifted to slow-clapped in unison (an extra salute to the orchestra), so the orchestra played a Strauss waltz as an encore. (Big surprise! We could see that they had the music already in place!) It was so nice to be able to ride the Yellow line a short distance, walk a bit and be home.
Sunday September 28
started earlier than usual and was sunny again. We rode the Metro Yellow line to Heroes' Square to go to the Fine Arts Museum. On the train, we noticed people wearing running shorts and numbers, and when we arrived at the Square there were hundreds of them - it was Marathon day! A drumming ensemble was beating vigorously and loudly while throngs of runners and watchers were milling around. Traffic was cordoned off and the races began with a firework display right near us. The debris rained down on us, and then that mass of humanity started bobbing off.We watched for a while, then went across to the Fine Arts Museum, which is a wonderful building with enormous halls, frescoes and stairways. It was not crowded with visitors and we had a good morning looking at the collection of Italian, French, Dutch and Spanish art, as well as Greek vases, an Egyptian exhibition and some modern art. We had coffee in the snack bar there, and then went over to City Park for our lunch that we had brought. The Park was lovely - trees were turning color and leaves were falling. We met some US exchange students doing their algebra homework so we chatted with them.
We had also brought our swimsuits as we planned to try the Fürdo, or baths, in the park. The Szechenyi baths are in an enormous bright yellow complex; we found the entrance and could see into the open-air pool area. It looked too crowded for Frank's taste, but I was determined to have this experience, so I bought my ticket and stood in line with several other women. While waiting, I saw the flautist from the previous evening coming in with a friend! I refrained from greeting him! There was a large, blonde woman in charge who spoke some English, but she put me in my place when I spoke to a young woman ahead of me to ask the procedure. When there were some vacant lockers , we went into the changing room, where I was given a locker and a tag on a string to keep with me. After changing, I followed the others out to the pools. It was mixed bathing and everyone was clothed. I tried several pools including the large lap pool that was a bit cooler than the others were, but I did several laps. I had brought my cap and goggles so felt comfortable. My sandals were also useful. One pool indoors had a strong current that pulled me around. There were smaller pools; in addition, a sauna that I did not use as it was too crowded. Because this was a Sunday, it was quite busy place. People were playing chess in the pool and one man brought his newspaper to read! They seemed to be mostly locals although I did see a young Japanese couple. I had paid for 2 hours so I didn't linger too long - especially as Frank was waiting outside. I had not brought a towel, so that cost me 500 HUF ($2.20). It was a thin towel - like a tea towel, but it did the job and I got dressed.
F: While Alison was experiencing the Baths, I walked around much of the park. I followed my ear towards sounds of recorders playing; I discovered a popular area with people standing watching the musicians and then a group of street dancers. In this area was replica of a provincial church and the Department of Agriculture built like a medieval castle. I shot some photos and returned to meet Alison at the Baths.
I took her to see the area where I'd been.
After this refreshing experience, I met Frank outside and we walked around the park some more. We saw the Castle -Vajdahunyad- another ornate building and the little Catholic chapel -Jak Chapel which has a beautiful reconstructed Romanesque portal. A group of children were performing Renaissance dances on the steps of the castle.
As we walked back to Heroes' Square, the Marathon was still going, the finishers were coming past the statues in the Square. The drummers, after six hours, where still banging with vigor. They must have been exhausted and deaf the next day.
We went home and rested before dinner, which we had at Central Kafehaz near Ferenc tér, within walking distance of the apartment. Some young Americans we had met had recommended it. It has a non-smoking section, good food and good people-watching opportunities. We ate there several times, enjoying the meat crepe (palacsintas) and goulash soup.
After dinner we walked along the Vaci utca and heard organ music coming from St Michael's church, so we stepped inside and found ourselves listening to Bach and Liszt! An unexpected free concert! The church is restoring the frescoes, so we gave a donation. Afterwards, the organist was outside chatting with his students and the audience seemed to be mostly residents of the city, young and old, rich and poor.
We continued our walk and saw the city lit up - Buda, the bridges and the activity along the river.
Monday September 29
began cloudy with rain developing later.We visited the Great Synagogue that was close by the apartment. The building has been restored following war damage. It is a very large, dramatic, Byzantine - Moorish building with interesting decoration. There was a long line outside for security checks and we chatted with some visitors from Israel. Inside is very beautiful and ornate. Behind the Synagogue is a courtyard with a metal weeping willow tree with hundreds of little metal leaves bearing the names of Holocaust victims. The gray day seemed appropriate.
We had lunch at the Central Market, sitting on a bench eating our usual sandwiches and watching the people shopping for their meats and veggies. It was fun to guess who was local and who was tourist!
Frank returned home to rest his sore neck; I went over the Liberty Bridge to climb Gellert Hill. It was a steep climb in the drizzle. On the way, I stopped at a little chapel of St Paul in the rock. The chapel is deep in the hillside and very interesting. Also, there is a memorial to Maximillian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan theologian who gave his life in Auschwitz for another prisoner. He was killed in August 1941. I continued climbing up the trail and saw a little flock of white birds - the only interesting birds I had seen (mostly there are pigeons everywhere). Finally, I made it to the top (460 feet) and saw close up the huge statue we had seen so often from below. It is the Liberation monument, which was erected by the Russians (in typical Soviet heroic style), to commemorate their lost soldiers who were "liberating" the Hungarians from the Germans. (Our guide had said that removing the Nazis was fine, but then the Russians stayed 50 years too long.) In clear weather, there would have been a fabulous view of the city from here, but as it was raining, I could see only a little distance. I didn't go into the Citadel, but left for the long walk back down hill. The park quite deserted and it was raining quite hard but I made it safely back home via the Elizabeth Bridge, which had a bad traffic accident in the middle. Traffic was backed up for a long way.
That evening we had Untour tickets for the Folk Dance troupe. We walked there after dinner in the pouring rain and got a bit lost en route. We met a lovely young Russian journalist with whom I shared my umbrella; however, she didn't know where our theater was either! We arrived just in time to the venue, another lovely building, beautifully decorated and quite intimate. It was fun to meet up with our other Untourists and compare notes. The dancers were young and very energetic. They put on a great show of singing and dancing, with foot stomping and hand clapping. Their folk costumes were lovely and the accompanying instruments were interesting to see and hear, especially a sort of 15 inch whistle which, appeared to be played by moving only one finger over a bottom opening. We did not see any other finger holes. A puzzlement. We walked home in the rain on deserted streets.
Tuesday September 30
dawned clear and sunny, very lucky, as today was our Danube Bend trip in a minibus with Susan. We boarded outside the Meridien Hotel and drove north. We saw the Roman ruins at Aquincum from the bus en route to our first stop, the Open Air Village Museum. This Village was very interesting and, surprisingly, not busy at all. We saw peasant houses, noble houses and farmhouses moved from a particular area of eastern Hungarian farm country. They are all correctly furnished and very well kept, some with gardens, too. There is a lovely old church with primitive artwork on the walls; the caretaker had dribbled water over the dirt floor making an interesting design for us. The graveyard had distinctively carved tall wooden posts to delineate male or female deceased, with smaller ones for children.We drove on to Szentendre (or St Andrew) which is a picturesque village with cobblestone streets right on the Danube. (I noticed here and other sites, the Danube is lined with dikes like I've seen along the Mississippi - flood control no doubt.) The town is a bit of a tourist trap, but worth the visit to see the Greek Orthodox Serbian church and the museum of Margit Kovacs. Kovacs was a ceramicist who lived from 1907 to 1977. She made tiles, statues and art work depicting Hungarian life and women's lives. Her work has become more famous posthumously and the museum has a very large collection of her very distinctive work. The village was crowded and there are many souvenir shops.
However, we had to go on! We had lunch reservations at a Renaissance restaurant up the river where the waiters and waitresses dress in period costume. The food was delicious; the venison ragout soup was different and very good. The main meal was a bit heavy on the carbohydrates, but tasty.
After lunch, we went up the hill to the Visegrad castle, which is in a high, strategic location overlooking a narrow bend in the Danube. The views of the river and hills beyond were wonderful. We all managed to walk to the top, with Susan's encouragement, and saw the reconstruction of the citadel, damaged mostly through neglect.
We returned to Budapest through the tree-covered hills, enjoying the colors and chatting .We were back in town by 4:30 p.m. which gave us time to pack, eat and change our Forints to dollars.
Wednesday October 1st
- up early for our departure day. The taxi came at 6:30 a.m. As we drove to the airport, we watched the sun rise over shallow fog. Our young taxi driver was an interesting, moonlighting meteorological post-graduate student, who had done fieldwork at the Weather Bureau in Washington, D.C. Check-in went easily, and we had breakfast in the airport before boarding our British Airways plane for the return trip to Heathrow, and from there home to Los Angeles and Rancho Palos Verdes. A long flight, but pleasant enough when going home.Post Script
We seem to have been so busy seeing all we could, but there is plenty left for future trips. My regret is not having gone to Terezin in the Czech Republic and not exploring the countryside in both counties. Next time!!!In addition, we were very happy to receive Frank's camera intact a few weeks later, thanks to Alena in Prague. Not only was the camera in good shape, but the film in it was unharmed and we have another 36 slides to enjoy. Thank you very much!
Viszontlátásra
Good Bye [Hungarian]