From Buda to Pest

I like to look for the magic in places and things. There can be alchemy when you least expect it......around the corner, behind a door, in a taste, with a combination of certain people or just over a bridge. In the airline business we are almost always working with different people and going to different places. Some people and places we know, some we don't. Each trip is anew and open to the magic. Crossing from Pest to Buda over the Chain Bridge during a warm spring day felt like undoing the first ribbon of a bow from a present.A funicular is in sight that takes you up to Castle Hill. The innovative funicular was first opened in 1870 and was sadly destroyed in the second World War. It was rebuilt and opened again in 1986, and still has its original appearance. It almost seems a ride in history as you take the short trip up the hill. Walking around Castle Hill there is beauty everywhere....man made and natural. And the view over to Pest is stunning. Buda has a much different feel from Pest. When the cities combined into one, they became more than the sum of their parts. Another depth was created. Buda has old world charm with its colorful architecture and new world dining. My friends and I decided to stop at Café Pierrot for appetizers, and thought we'd sit outside along the street. Instead we were ushered inside to a courtyard filled with stone walls covered with vines, while the sounds of chirping birds filled the air. After a full day, the the lights of the city appeared in the gloaming of the evening. Not many cities transform as beautifully in the fall of sunset as Budapest. The funicular entry looked like a jewel box in the night. We decided to walk down the steps instead of taking the funicular. Along the precarious descent, the view of the Chain Bridge looking over to Pest takes your breath away.St. Stephen's Basilica is lit with a golden glow just beyond the bridge. You almost don't want the night to end but, of course, it does.

A new day begins, and does a day begin much better than with handmade sour cherry strudel that is warm out of the oven. I think not. The Elsö Pesti Strudel House makes their own strudel while you watch. I was curious about all of the flavors and asked about the cabbage strudel. I was told it goes well with beer, Hungarian beer. Then we were given one to try...minus the beer! It is a good thing this is so far away from my home in Massachusetts, I think I could easily make their strudel a habit.

Pest has its share of places and grand architecture, too. The Four Seasons Hotel is a palace that was built for the Gresham Insurance Company in 1906. They felt it was a safer place to invest their money than the stock market. Very wise. It is a fine example of Art Nouveau in the Vienna Secessionist manner. At first impression the modern glass chandelier in the lobby looks like a Dale Chihuly work of art, but the artist was Hungarian. Ironwork with peacocks adorns the windows throughout the hotel. There is a quiet elegance here. Several blocks away is St. Stephen's Basilica which looks very different in the daytime. It was named after Stephen, Hungary's first King (c 975-1038). His mummified fist is housed in the reliquary. Around the corner approaching the square, things become lively. A group of young men had their own choreography as they jumped for joy in front of the basilica. No mummified fists here.I sat with them and they jumped while I snapped a few pics and I was glad they didn't ask me to return the favor. Inside the basilica belied the activity going on outside. The quietness was stilling. At the top of the basilica steps you can see over the river to Buda. A short walk away is Gerbeaud, a coffeehouse located along the Vaci utca pedestrian street. It is hard to decide what you might want among the many pastries and confections. I bought a little surprise for my daughter for when she comes home this summer (yes, it will last.) You can dine inside the grand building or outside on the plaza where there is sometimes a little music being played. Before the weather gets warm, many of the cafés offer coverlets that are draped over the chairs outside. Very civil. Walking further down Vaci utca and over a few blocks from the touristy fray is a restaurant, Bor la Bor Restaurant and Wine Bar. It is downstairs with a wine cellar decor. The chandelier is cleverly made from glass wine making containers. A seltzer bottle sits on the table and the food is purely Hungarian with a home cooked flavor. Naturally, the wine menu is extensive. For dinner I had a veal stew with gnocchi. It was interesting to compare Hungarian gnocchi with the Italian gnocchi my son and I make. It was more like sptäzle, which is smaller and shaped differently. If I had had a Hungarian grandmother, I know she would have made something similar and just as divine. We were with a native Hungarian friend who said he uses a special pan to make his gnocchi. And like the final unwrapping of the present, he ran up to his apartment and gave one of his pans to me to take home. Magic.

Great Market Hall and Dinner in Budapest

The weather forecast for Budapest was 68 degrees F, partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. There was no mention of wind. I was feeling positive and had my light jacket on and didn't bring an umbrella. You'd think I'd know better by now. Deciding to explore the pedestrian street of Váci utca, my friends and fellow crew walked toward the Great Market Hall. The market of each country has its own distinctive flavor. Even though I knew the market would mainly have fruits, vegetables, sausages and spices along with some local handicrafts, I wanted to see it, and hear the sounds and smell the aromas. Váci utca is lined with shops and restaurants mainly appealing to the tourist. Its liveliness is enhanced by the beautiful architecture of other eras. I couldn't help but notice that even the manholes are works of art, like bronze mats dotting the walkways. The Great Market Hall opened its large tile roofed building in 1897 and is the largest indoor market in Budapest. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

We were there on a Tuesday and I understand that Saturday mornings are the best time to see the most action of the vendors. There were fruits and vegetables. And of course, peppers and paprika. Some of the crafts were in the center of the first floor, but most were on the second floor of the massive building. You could get sausages of every kind and eggs already blown out and ready to decorate. There were gingerbread houses and houses made out of wood for games. I didn't get any of the Hungarian wine like Tokaji, but there was plenty to be had. I just got a few bags of paprika and saffron to experiment with in recipes back home. It doesn't take much to make me hungry, and we were all ready to sit and have a cappuccino and pastry after the market. We stopped at a sidewalk cafe overlooking Liberty Bridge and onto Buda. There were a few choices of pastry and I chose a half moon shaped one that had a nut mixture inside. I needed a little protein ;-) Just as we were finishing, a chilly wind whipped through bringing rain drops. We went inside as the waitress gathered up the cushions. I think the outside service was done! So were our plans to walk across the bridge to take a look at the Gellért Baths and walk up the Buda side of the Danube. Begrudgingly, back to the hotel we walked while bracing against the elements. I got a warmer jacket and my umbrella as we re-grouped to talk about dinner plans. We decided to try a restaurant that a friend had vaguely described. She couldn't remember the name and so described the location. We found what fit her description and weren't sure if it was the one she went to, but it looked good. The name was Sercli, which the waiter later explained is a slang word for the crusty heel of bread. They had an extensive local menu (click on the photo to enlarge) that seemed reasonably priced. With a modern artsy atmosphere, it was inviting. The walls had fun, simple drawings etched into them that were subtly placed throughout. The five of us sat and took a look at the specials as a carafe of house wine was brought. One taste of the wine and you knew it was Hungarian. The flavor was smooth and bold with more than a hint of cherries. And I love cherries! We saw so many things on the menu that we wanted try. To lessen the decisions, my friend Lenny and I decided to share a few. To our amazement, the kitchen split the servings for the soup and paté for us. Very accommodating....and plentiful. We started with a potato soup with bacon slices on top and fois gras served with onion jam and toasts. We were in Hungarian Heaven and started to forget about the chilly rain and wind. Then we had a daily special, of pork tenderloin rounds wrapped in bacon and topped with goat cheese served with roasted potatoes and a sour cream dip. The other choice was a lamb ragout with rosemary served with rice. How do you say yum in Hungarian?! I kept thinking I should distract Lenny so I could get my fork onto his plate of lamb ragout, but didn't get the chance. I loved the pork, but I know what I'm ordering next time. Without any room left for dessert, we asked for our bill. Figuring it out was no easy task. Mix jet lag with a currency that has a lot of zeroes at the end and well, one could work up an appetite by the time all was said and done. And in this restaurant, that is not a bad thing.

Budapest

I had never been to Budapest before this month. With its history as complex and spicy as a pot of Hungarian Goulash, I wasn't entirely sure of what to expect. In a country of just over 9 million in population, Budapest is the home to 1 million. I read and studied the guide books which show the grand architecture, tell of the layers of history and suggest hotels and restaurants, but you still need to be in a place to feel the vibe of it. I was glad I was there.

Historically, during the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, Budapest underwent an unprecedented civic development that is still seen today. The grand palaces, castles, churches and official buildings are awe inspiring. Geographically, Budapest is divided by the Danube River and became one city from the 3 cities, Buda, Pest and Obuda after the Compromise of 1867. It sits on hot mineral springs and the name Pest, comes from the Slavic word, oven. I can't wait to go to the thermal baths that are one of the main attractions of the city, and confirm that translation :-) There are many thermal baths scattered around the city with one of the more opulent being at the Gellert Hotel. Politically, Hungary shed its communist ruling in 1989, which in historical context is very recent. Then during the economic buildup of Budapest, the recent worldwide downturn put a big hiccup into the growth process. My airline is the only airline to once again begin flying into Budapest from New York year round. This should be a big economic shot in the arm to the city and the country. When we arrived on our first trip to bring the inaugural flight back to New York, we were met with excitement and respect. Our hotel sweetened the pot with trays of pastries and coffee to welcome us. We then decided to take a bus tour of the city, getting off at certain spots to acquaint us to the lay of the land. It was the first bus tour I've ever taken of a city, but it was a wise decision. As we drove around, we passed by diverse architecture and stopped at certain landmarks. We couldn't stop and get out at Heroe's Square that day because they were preparing for visiting dignitaries and rolling out the red carpet. It was a windy spring day as we made our way to Castle Hill in Buda. Buda is very hilly versus the flat landscape of Pest. It was also the more affluent of the cities. From Castle Hill there are sweeping views of Pest across the Danube. A café sits at the edge overlooking the magnificent city. There is a Hilton Hotel on the castle grounds that appears so out of place. We were told that when Zsa Zsa Gabor was married to Conrad Hilton, she insisted on having a Hilton Hotel in her native city. Remnants of a monastery curiously abut the modern edifice of the hotel. The golden light of the castle reflects in the hotel's stark windows. After exploring the castle, we were coming near the end of our 3 hour tour. We resisted any souvenirs, and actually the vendors are few and far between. After this long day we were getting hungry and had been dreaming about Hungarian food and its spicy reward. Since we had only arrived earlier in the day, we weren't sure where to have dinner. We knew it wouldn't be the English Pub or the Sinatra Bar. We were looking for pure Hungarian food in this city that is eager to please the western palate. Being the first crew of our airline to layover in Budapest, we were at the mercy of our hotel for recommendations that evening. They suggested dinner at Tigris Restaurant. The atmosphere was bistro-like and the staff spoke English. We found that many people in the city speak English, which we were grateful for. Give me a French menu any day and I'll know what to order, but my Hungarian is nonexistent....I'll try, but don't bank on any fluency! Even with an English speaking waiter, I ended up with a chalkboard special of Stuffed Pepper which wasn't what I thought I ordered at all. Before our meal, we were brought an amuse-bouche of a celery mousse topped with diced duck, which was delightful. My friends ordered Beef Cheek Stew with Sour Cream Noodles that I was eyeing. They graciously let me taste it and I wished I had followed the group and made that choice, too. Ah, I will look for this again! I think next time I'll be searching for a little less refinement and a lot more local flair. I want to taste it all, because it's not just about the palaces and castles. I want to dig in and feel the pulse and heartbeat of this city through its struggles and not just the accomplishments. Although, walking along the Danube at night it was hard to not be dazzled by the majesty of the accomplishments. I'm glad I'll be back.