5 days in Budapest

Hotel Baross Panzio, in the Pest part of Budapest, was located across the square from one of the two main train stations in Budapest. Located at Boross Ter 15, it was easy to find because it was above the distinctive Pizza Hut. We had a small but adequate room, with cable TV, small refrigerator with smaller freezer, and private bathroom. Our room faced the courtyard and was very quiet. Across the hall, we could look out the window at the parliament buildings and the river, both lit up at night.

The free breakfast usually included eggs, sausages, bread or toast, coffee, cereal, and yogurt. The staff directed us to a fabulous and cheap authentic Hungarian restaurant down the road, where all of the staff eats. We had liters of beer, soup, salad, and Hungarian goulash, which for two people, with the tip, came to about $17. I've thought of that meal many times, it was SO good.

If you are interested in a Hungarian meal as the Hungarians eat, this is the place to go. It was highly recommended by our hotel, which was a few blocks down the street. We asked the waiter what meals he recommended, and he suggested the (Hungarian) Goulash, and veal paprikash, served on your choice of gnocci, rice, or noodles. Everything was fabulous.

We started with an incredible greek salad and big glasses of beer. There was more than we could possibly eat, and the bill was $18, including tip - which you paid directly to the waiter separately from the bill, and the amount is at your discretion. This amount directly reflects how you feel about the waiter's services, and we were thrilled with him and the food.

There was one other group of English speakers there, but everyone else was Hungarian. Fortunately the waiter spoke English!

Budapest is only 13 years out of Communism, so parts of downtown Budapest were less than beautiful. On our walk home we could see bullet holes that were left from the Budapest uprising in l956. Although we felt safe, it was a reminder of Budapest's communist past, and its difficult struggle to become a "First World" nation.

Budapest has wonderful markets catering to the shopping tourist. The area from Deak Ter to Elizabeth Bridge has many open-air market stands featuring many handcrafted gifts, jewelry, leather work, amber and garnet jewelry, etc. You'll find it a wonderful place to stroll around, and get a feel for the city and the people.

On Kossuth (Road), leading up to Elizabeth Bridge, you will find shops selling beautiful oriental rugs at great prices, pharmacies selling herbal medications, and lots of jewelry shops. As you walk around the Deak Ter neighborhood, you can find McDonalds, if you are desperate for a hamburger. But I'd suggest the sidewalk cafes, or shops where you can buy bread and cheese, a salad or yogurt and a beverage, and then eat it sitting on a bench or on the monument at the square, and watch the people. Listen to the hum of their voices and the music of the language.

But definitely go to Gerbeauds' coffee shop, which has an international reputation. You will also find many of the major museums in this area.

Budapest is actually two cities combined--Buda, the hilly side of the Danube River, and Pest, the lowlands on the east. Castle Hill is obviously in Buda. You will find the castle here, as well as many lovely shops and an open-air market. From “Fisherman’s Bastion,” you can look down on a marvelous panorama of Pest, including the Parliament, which is beautiful. We took a bus from the Deak Ter area up to Castle Hill, but the extremely fit or the young can walk up the steps to Fisherman’s Bastion. This is a must-see. And to cool off, there is an outdoor cafe at the Hilton, right by Fisherman's Bastion. Ask for the special dessert and you won't be disappointed.

Just getting around the city was quite an adventure! WARNING: buy your transportation tickets by the 10's, rather than single tickets. (You can purchase them at the hotel.) We hadn't realized the delicacy of the ticket situation, and tried to buy a ticket from the machines at the bus stop. They took our money, but we got no ticket. People waved us (few people speak English) to go down into the subway to buy a ticket. The next machine also took our money, and gave us no ticket. An old gentleman came up and kicked the machine a few times and put his own money in -- and lost it. As we went further and further into the subway, we found no ticket offices.

At last, we saw a woman in a police uniform motioning to us. She told us to step across the yellow line. We obliged. She then asked for our ticket. We motioned to her that we had been trying to purchase a ticket. She said, in the only English words she knew, "You cross the line, you have problem." She then showed us the subway map on the wall, and the notice that there was a $10 fine for using the subway without a ticket. I walked my fingers across my hands, showing her that we had walked, not taken the subway. She became very insisant that we must pay her the fine!

She called another police woman who knew the same English words: "You have problem." We tried explaining in English, German and French. They only responded with "You have problem," or a flood of Hungarian. There was nothing but steel in their eyes. No "innocent before proven guilty" here. My husband was getting mad, and I was getting scared. Peter put his hands behind his back so that he could not be interpreted as ready to strike, as I'm sure he felt.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of 5 more policemen -- city police, state police, transportation police. He motioned to the women that he wanted to speak with the other police. The women refused. Peter broke away and went to the other police and explained the situation in German and English and French. The other police laughed, and pointed to a ticket window that was in the other corner of the great hall!! Shaken to the core, we bought 20 tickets!

This was just a glimpse of what life must have been like 13 years ago when Hungary was still a Communist State! When your neighbors might tell the secret police on you. I thanked God for the freedom of movement that we have every day here in the US, and for "innocent until proven guilty.