Travel at Hungary’s gem
Hungary’s gem
With its very palatable mix of the modern and the ancient, Budapest in Hungary can please both the lone traveller and also the family entourage, writes SHIRANI TISDALE.
IF you’re planning on visiting Hungary, a good map and an even better guidebook are a must. I’m not a linguist by any means, but with my smattering of French, German, and English, I could get by in most of the capital cities in the European Union.
Not so in Hungary. Magyar, as the Hungarians call their language, is one of the few modern languages that has no relationship to the more common indo-European Tongues. In tacit, it is considered one of the hardest languages for English-
speaking people to learn.
The characters and the pronunciations were totally foreign to me. So much so, that by the end of my family’s four-day stay, the only word that I knew was pronouncing correctly was Budapest Hungarians say it with a “h” between the final “s” and “t’,
Travelling to Budanest felt more exotic than many of the places we have previously visited. The adventure began with the airline that flew us them.
While it has a limited number of destinations. Wizz Air is still one of your best bets in budgst flights to Eastern Europe. Some bright entrepreneur selected a colour scheme for the airline that is unusual, to say the least. Both nianes end all the flight attendants, male as well as female were docked out in bright purple and hut pink.
We had to take a circuitous route from the airport to our hotel because we had, by accident, arrived during European Mobility Week. This event, held once a year, promotes Doblic transonrtation and the use of envirenmentally-friendly vehicles.
Now in its sixth year, the celebration’s biggest day is when all the major roads in town are cordoned off and people stroll down them: Later in the day, we took advantage of the occasion to march down the middle of the main thoroughfare – an experience that was somewhat disorientating but very entertaining for my children.
One of my faveurite guidebook authors, Rick Steves, says that Budapest is one of the three cities in competition to secome the “next Prague”- a delightful mix of old and new, an amhitoctural .ewel just opening up to the West with a wide range of activities to suit every taste.(The other two competitors are Dubrovnic in Croatia and Ljubljena in Slovenia.)
Built on opposite banks of the Danube River, Budapest is actually two cities combined, Buda and Pest.The parliament building, Market Hall end most of the large shopping districts are on the Pest side of the river. On the Buds side rises Castle Hill.
Hungary’s rich history reveals many mveslons and occupations. Budapest has seen the Romans, Huns, Magyar’s, Turks and Hapeburgs in control at various points.
Perched at the top of Castle Hill is the Royal Palace. You can reach it by crossing the beautiful Chain Bridge with its massive stone lions and take a snort cable car ride.
From the palace, stroll to Matthias Church, a stunning example of Gothic architecture, and Fisherman’s Bastion The latter is a set of ramparts overlooking the city, and the site of a former fish market. While we were there, some beep,s were dancing to polka music on e lower terrace.
In the middle of the sauare is a large monument to St Istven.
Istvan, or Stephen, was Hungary’s first Magyar king who struggled to unite me country, converting the population to Christianity. His methods were violent, to say the least, and lead to some rather grisly tales.
On the Pest side of the river, we indulged in shopping and eating. The impressive Central Market Hall is a must for shoppers, The building is well lit and airy inside and you can find all sorts of fresh local produce.
The second floor boasts Hungarian handicraft as well as a variety of other goods. We stocked up on fruit, bread, meat and
cheese, to take back to our hotel apartment, and it was also the perfect place to try langos, delicious Hungarian fried bread covered in a creamy garlic sauce and sprinkled liberally with cheese.
If you’re looking for the perfect souvenir for your trip, there is a large selection of colourfully embroidered clothing and eggs decorated in folk art style, as well as Hungarian soccer jerseys.
At the Oppesite end Of the street from Market Hall is a charming old- world cafe called Central Kavehaz. Sipping an espresso here, you can imagine what Hungarian upper crust society must have been like when Hungary was part of the Hapsburg
Empire and Budapest was the second Vienna.
At the other end of the scale, we did have a meal at Burger King. You can enjoy a filling and budgetfriendly dinner here. It is only the second Burger King to open behind what used to be the Iron Curtain.
Our children enjoyed a night exploring the underground maze below Capitol Hill. The tunnels were created by underground springs. The displays in the maze are rather tacky, but at night, they turn off all the lights and you can explore the tunnels with your own lantern.
There is even a grotto with a bubbling wine fountain in the middle. I wouldn’t recommand the wine.
On another day, we heeded Out of the city to experience the Children’s Railway. While driven by adults, it is the Only narrow gauge railway in the world staffed by children. Children aged 10 to 14 check the tickets and operate the switches and signals, doing all the other tasks, There are several stops where you can get off and take hikes. We opted to climb to the lookout tower at Janos-Hegy, which at 529m is the highest point in Budapest, and on a clear day, allows a great view of the city. We decided a visit to Budapest would not be complete without a family spa experience. Skipping the more luxurious Gellert Baths, we visited the Szechenyi Thermal Spa and Baths. Set in a beautiful, pale yellow
Baroque building; the baths offer a large variety of options. You can dip in fresh water or mineral water pools, move between indoor and outdoor locations and experience a varitey of temperatures.
Our favoerite was the huge balmy outdoor pools shere people can play chess while soaking! Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed.
There are many more things to be seen in Budapest and you can fill your days with ease.
Try a visit to Heroes Square, constructed in 1896 for the city’s 1,000th anniversary. Or visit the Dohany Synagogue, the second largest in the world.
In its courtyard is the Holocaust Memorial, a beautiful silver willow tree with each leaf inscribed with the name of one of the Hungarians who lost their lives in the Holocaust.
The city abounds with museums and unexpected discoveries, like the Roman ruins contained within the lobby of a hotel on Castle hill-history encased in a modern shell.
Airlines: http://Wizzair.com/
Hotel Search Engine: http://www.venere.com/home/ (we stayed at the Radion Inn.)
Children’s Railway: http://www.gyermekvasut.hu/english.html