Memories of Budapest

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 ~ 4 comments so far

On reflection I don’t really have the words to describe just how stunningly gorgeous the city of Budapest is, we ran out of superlatives very early on and the sheer number of photos I took (even when you discount several retakes) of random buildings and parks, statues and memorials, should provide some indication of how much beauty is crammed into the centre of the city.

However it is a strange juxtaposition of ancient ornamental buildings alongside communist era concrete monstrosities and modern steel and glass constructions. Some of the older and more important buildings have been cleaned up, but throughout the city you can still see remnants of the 1956 revolution (and beyond), with bullet-marked buildings dotted around the sidestreets.

For someone of both my generation and my nationality, seeing bullet craters peppered across a building is an odd and unsettling sight. It makes the history so much more vivid, and I am genuinely glad that our Hungarian host was so forthcoming with the details of his the turbulent life of his country. On that note, perhaps we should be teaching Scottish history here in our schools, as I certainly couldn’t have gone into the level of detail he did.

He also made sure we got to try some real Hungarian treats, and so we found ourselves spending an evening grilling large lumps of bacon fat over an open flame, catching the dripping on thick wedges of fresh bread, and eating the crispy bits. And then we got to taste some Tokaji, a sweet Hungarian dessert wine that is about as close to alcoholic nectar as you can imagine, and all that was before the wine tour, the trip to the Széchenyi baths which was quite wonderful as the three different pools are all at different temperatures, and a dinner cruise on the Danube.

I had planned to write a lot more about this trip but the more I think about the more I realise that I don’t want it to be something that I try and capture, there are somethings you just can’t digitise.

It was a trip of delight, laughter, and genuine awe and wonder. We had entertaining company, gracious hosts, delicious food and drink, and even a 10 minute deluge couldn’t dampen our spirits. It is a wonderful city, full of friendly people, with an excellent transport system. A city which embraces the future whilst honouring the past, with an emerging cosmopolitan feel. If you do get a chance, go!

Snapshots of Budapest

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 ~ 3 comments so far

It’s taken a while but I’ve managed to whittle the number of photos down to a manageable amount. There is a lot ‘missing’ and a lot of detail I’m still trying to recall (thankfully someone else was paying more attention).

(click the photo to view the set)

And before anyone complains, think yourself lucky, my family had to sit through twice the number I have posted to Flickr.

Update: Our travelling companion has posted some of her photos as well.

Food and Friendship in Budapest

Monday, May 5, 2008 ~ 2 comments so far

I’m still downloading and sorting through the.. ahem.. 1568 photos I took whilst wandering round Budapest (and two videos), and thought I’d take a moment to try and capture my thoughts about our trip.

We were staying with friends in Solymár, which lies north-west of Budapest, right on the edge of the fantastic public transportation system, and you couldn’t find two more accomodating, generous and gracious hosts. A public thank you to them both, and of course to our intrepid travelling companion (herself a source of great merriment and generosity).

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Budapest, or indeed from Hungary in general. Remnants of Communist rule was the obvious theme in my mind but the truth was so far removed that I am almost ashamed that I didn’t do a little more reading before setting off. The region we were staying in was a little like a sunny Scotland, rolling hills of lush green vegetation, forests and flowers abound.

I also wasn’t quite sure what the Hungarian people would be like, having had quite a time of it historically (their geography makes them ripe for invasion) and I despite my incoherent stutterings of Hungarian (Yes, No, and Thank You), I saw little but smiling faces. It was, of course, slightly different in Budapest with the predominant accent being American (tourists), but we had the advantage as we were touring with a native Hungarian.

And then there was the food. I don’t think I’ve eaten as much meat in such a short space of time before, and unfortunately it was ALL delicious (even including the meal mainly consisting of bacon fat!).

But more on that, and the city of Budapest itself, later. Tales of Tokaj, Baclava-toting security guards and the many mustachioed men of Hungary will be forthcoming.

That and a few photos.