I Brake for Budapest

From the window of my room at the elegant Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, I look out onto the Elizabeth Park and one of the most beautiful cities in the world: Budapest, Hungary. With an abundance of tree-lined streets and parks, including the lush Margaret Island that lies between Buda and Pest, Budapest offers travelers a peaceful setting for its eclectic, yet cohesive, blend of architecture.

But as beautiful as Budapest is by day, it's the night skyline of Budapest that makes you feel as if you are in a fairy-tale world. Walk hand in hand along the Danube and fall in love or fall in love again, as you experience the magic of lights that not only illuminate but showcase architectural treasures such as the Matthias Church and the Fishermen’s Bastion, and the graceful swaging curves of the Chain Bridge.

To truly enjoy Budapest's incomparable views, at day and at night, take a cruise on the Danube. Here you'll enjoy not only one view of this romantic city, but many. I challenge you to find just one spot that you think is best. I know that I could never pick one, but I certainly would like to keep trying.

Quick Tips:

Budapest offers a diverse array of sights and activities for everyone.

Shoppers: If you are a shopper, head for Váci Street and enjoy the vast expanse of shops in the around Mihály Vörösmarty Square. (Take a well-deserved break at the Gerbeaud pâtisserie.)

Spa Goers: The Gellért Hotel and Baths Complex dates from the early 1900’s, but Budapest offers many calming, soothing spa facilities.

Music Lovers: Don’t miss the State Opera House, where the opulent architecture is as much a part of the experience as the world-class music.

Nature: Treat yourself to at least a couple of hours at Margaret Island, in the middle of the Danube. It’s a restful retreat in the middle of an already beautiful city.

Art: If you’re an art lover, you’ll be in heaven at the Hungarian National Gallery, as you explore the vast artistic treasures represented here that span the ages.

Museum Goers: The past comes alive at Budapest’s many museums. In addition to the Ethnographical Museum, the Museum of Commerce and Catering is one of my favorites.

Architectural Buffs: If I were a Professor of Architecture, I’d bring my students to Budapest. Look around and you’ll find one architectural treasure after another.

Best Way To Get Around:

While it’s large enough to offer an array of activities to appeal to a variety of interests, Budapest is small enough so you feel comfortable exploring the city on your own.

Divided, for the most part, into modern day Pest on the east side of the mighty Danube and Old-world Buda on the west, it’s easy to navigate, especially if you use the Danube as your reference point. Threading itself through the city, the Danube is a dramatic background for an on-going ballet of birds, boats and breathtaking views. Whether you are on the Buda or the Pest Side of the Danube, you'll enjoy a continuous feast for the eyes in Budapest.

Be certain to take the Metro, where you’ll get to see the real every-day working world of Budapest. All three Metro lines intersect at the Deák tér station. It’s best to buy a book of tickets so you have the greatest flexibility, but don’t forget to have one stamped as you enter.

Warning, as you make your way up the escalator at many of Budapest’s Metro stops, you’ll have to have Super Hero willpower to resist the tantalizing aroma of pastries that emanate from the various bakeries.

The Kempinski Hotel Corvinus..where you sleep on a cloud

The employees of Malev airlines did all they could to make the flight from New York''s JFK airport to Budapest as comfortable as possible. But, despite their efforts, I still arrived in beautiful Budapest with jet lag. The most courteous driver who met me at the airport, relatively easy traffic, and the excitement of searing this dramatic city, helped to temporarily alleviate my jet lag. But when I walked into my room at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus and saw the fluffy duvet and on the bed, jet lag—and an overwhelming desire to sleep—resurfaced.

When traveling from west to east, it''s always a difficult decision to know how to beat this time trap that saps travelers of their energy. Usually, I just fight it and instantly try to get in sync with the local time, but I knew that my itinerary called for some late-night events, so I split the difference and rested a little. Actually, in this town so well known for its thermal baths, I took what I now refer to as the Kempinski Corvinus Cure to get me over my jet leg and into a productive work mode. A light snack, a hot, steamy shower in a bathroom suite designed to pamper, and having my tired body completely enveloped by a cloud-like downy-soft duvet for two hours made a new woman out of me. I was ready to go.

Actually, the minute you walk into the modern elegant setting of the Kepinski Corvinus, in the heart of the business district, the jet lag cure starts. Friendly employees are there to see that your needs are taken care of, whether it’s their job or not. No wonder that, for the fourth year in a row, readers of Business Traveller have voted the 5-star Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest as one of the top 3 Best Business Hotels in Eastern Europe. This year, they were in second place.

The breakfast buffet, included in the cost of the rooms, is a bountiful feast where making decisions (and trying not to overeat) is a challenge. Should you have an omelet made to order or perhaps enjoy freshly baked rolls and pastries and an assortment of farm-fresh cheeses? The smoked salmon always found it’s way to my plate, as did the fresh fruit.

The service at breakfast was particularly impressive. It was fun to sit there and watch as everyone went about his or her job, frequently helping a fellow employee.

While the Business Center employees (particularly Katalin Dombo at World Wings Travel Agency) were very helpful, I really enjoyed the convenience of the Kempinski’s Internet Corner, just off the lobby. It was fast, efficient and very handy. And, after I finished my Internet work, I could relax in the lobby and enjoy live music. After all, this is Hungary, whose musical contributions to the world are legendary.

Budapest's Central Market Hall -- a cultural and historic treasure

When visiting a new city, it's always interesting to see its churches and castles, its palaces and palatial estates, but, to a foodie, these popular sites are just the beginning. While we enjoy knowing about a country’s past, it's today that we are interested in and the ingredients a nation uses to feed itself.

So, when visiting, the romantic city of Budapest, Hungary, it was important for me to make a pilgrimage to the Central Market Hall (Nagycsarnok) in Budapest, the largest of a network of food markets. Hungarians have been shopping in this massive hall since 1897.

Come here (especially Saturday morning) to the Pest side of Szabadsag (Liberty) Bridge, and you will be among the locals as you watch them fill their wicker baskets with farm- fresh eggs, eggplant, chicken, and potatoes. Massive displays of home-style breads tumble down toward the edge of the display table, urging you to pick them up and take them with you. An overwhelming array of Hungarian cheeses, dairy products, fresh produce and meats such as salami, and sausage make you wish that you could fill your basket to the brim, take your cornucopia home and start cooking. You're on vacation, though, so you pass by those tempting displays and settle for some tins of paprika and perhaps a packet or two of pasta that you can safely transport back home.

But, wait, if your group makes reservations with Bridge Tours (bridge-tours@bridge-tours.hu website: www.bridge-tours.hu,you can actively participate in the Central Market action in a variety of ways. Their "Taste the good things in Budapest’s pantry," lets you see the products the stallholders offer, note the shopping habits of Hungarian cooks, and, best of all, taste the Hungarian dishes that are cooked at home. Other programs for cooks include wine tastings and a hands-on cooking course. Best of all is the morning feast, a buffet breakfast program where you "have breakfast like a king." I was able to feast on such Hungarian favorites as peasant omelet, lecso (a savory blend of tomatoes, onions and peppers) with sausage, a selection of mixed cold meats, such as spare ribs, ham and sausage, mixed breads and an abundance of pastries from jam buns to cocoa scrolls.

For me, a visit to Budapest isn’t complete without a visit to the Central Hall Market, and a visit to the Central Market Hall isn’t complete without a visit to their Wooden Spoon Restaurant. Here, as you look out over the vast array of bountiful ingredients for sale below, you can savor the taste of Hungarian specialties and make some delicious memories.

Travel, if done correctly, can be a rewarding, enriching experience. But, in order to make your journeys a positive interlude in your life, many times you have to go with the flow and not automatically reject something that, at first glance, may not particularly appeal to you.

On a recent trip to Budapest, for example, I was planning to concentrate on research activities that related directly to food and wine. But, then I was presented with the opportunity to tour the historic Dohány Utca, the Dohány Street Synagogue. It would have been easy to say "I'm not Jewish," or "I don't know anything about synagogues," but, instead, I welcomed the opportunity to become familiar with this, Europe's largest synagogue and, regardless of its size, an outstanding architectural treasure. As a result, my trip to Budapest was even more fascinating.

This historic synagogue dates from the 18th century, even though it was difficult for Jews to get there because they were persecuted. If you’re Jewish, you’ll enjoy this rich part of your cultural past, but, even if you are not Jewish, you will marvel at its exotic and rich architecture. Towering onion-shaped domes, with gold-plated ornamentation, ancient frescoes, rich mosaics, massive chandeliers and, throughout, an ornate Moorish Eastern luxurious richness adds a mystical quality about it that transcends time.

Just as fascinating is the adjacent Jewish Museum, with its rich collection of artistic items used in religious services, as well as the dramatic Holocaust Weeping Willow, by Imre Varga, in memory of the estimated Hungarian 600,000 Jews who were killed by the Nazis during World War II. Each leaf is engraved with the name of a victim. If you have heard of actor Tony Curtis, you’ll be interested to know that he helped fund this memorial.

Particularly touching is the memorial to Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish Diplomat who came to Hungary to save Jews and lost his life as a result of it—and the stones that people have laid on this memorial to honor him.

This was the first time I have been in a synagogue and, it inspired me to learn more about the Jewish religion and the history of the Jewish people. When you’re in Budapest, don’t miss the opportunity to see this rich architectural treasure.

I’m here in Budapest at the time of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers and, in my own backyard, the Pentagon. It’s disconcerting to be away from home (and unable to return), but it’s also refreshing to be here in Hungary, a country that has gone through so many invasions and upheavals and see how it has survived.

To escape from the tension I feel about the attack, I escape to Margaret Island. Here, half way between Buda and Pest, with gentle breezes from the Danube, I am able to escape the tragedy and temporarily find peace in the quiet surrounding of nature. This one-time religious retreat (named after Princess Margit, daughter of King Bela IV), is now a treasure-trove of natural beauty and the perfect place to jog, walk, or just picnic on the lush lawns and admire the profusion of flowers in season. It takes about two hours to walk around the whole island, but there’s also bus transportation available if you get tired.

Camera in hand, I soon succumbed to the natural beauty of this Island and temporarily forgot about the tragedies back home. But my visit to this lush island offered me more than a momentary respite. The longer I stay in this natural oasis amid majestic Sycamores, the laughter of children, and the antics of dogs playing, I realized that I have found more than temporary peace. The enduring beauty of nature on Margaret Island is proof to me that, despite the terror and trauma, life does go on. Painful though it may be, we will heal.

Young lovers will still kiss in a grove of Oak trees, old people will still sit on a park bench and hold hands. Birds will still build nests, and flowers will continue bloom. Our hearts bleed, but, like the enduring nature of Margaret Island, and Hungary itself, which has been through so much upheval, we will go on.

The ongoing beauty and the life that continues on Margaret Island—and Hungary itself—offers hope for the United States as a nation. We, too, will endure.

As a travel writer and photographer who journeys the world, I have experienced an incredible array of hospitality from a homey bed and breakfast in Michigan to a rustic rain forest lodge in Sabah, Malaysia; from a modest hotel in the Sonoma, California, to ultra modern accommodations in Berlin, Germany. But, although I have been graciously welcomed at all of these destinations, I have never considered any—other than visits to my relatives— my "home away from home."

But, now, after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D. C., I feel as if I truly have a home away from home: Budapest, Hungary. Let me share this feeling with you so you can consider Hungary as a travel destination yourself.

I came here as a photojournalist eager to photograph the Hungarian countryside, learn more about the country’s diverse cuisine, and become more familiar with its burgeoning wine industry. It has been ten years since Hungary has made the transition from communism, and the progress the country has made, particularly in the wine industry, has been incredible. Yet "progress" has not taken a toll as it has done in many other locations, stripping it of its real identity. Hungary is an unspoiled travel destination, where you can still enjoy the richness of its cultural heritage.

I spent an enjoyable and most productive seven days here, becoming more familiar with not only the foods and wines, but with the country itself, as well as the people of Hungary. I discovered that this small country, located in the heart of Europe, offers travelers an incredible array of activities—from sophisticated cultural events, to horseback riding in the countryside; from historical treasures to the lively action of casinos.

I was ready to return to the United States when U.S. air space was closed because of the tragedies of September 11. I could not even fly to Canada and drive home to Virginia because the U.S. border was closed. That's when I really found out about Hungary's generous hospitality and how warm and welcoming its people are. Whether it was Nadin Kenderesy at the Hungarian National Tourist Office, Assistant Executive Manager Gerhard Bosse and his caring staff at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, travel agent Katalin Dombo, or the others I didn’t know by name, countless people not only expressed their deep sorry, but actively came to my aid.

Through the next days, countless Hungarians offered me their condolences. Beata at MALEV airlines shared my joy that my husband, who frequently consults at the Pentagon, was all right. I was especially touched when I received a call from Gabriella, my guide on the first day. She just heard of my indefinite extended stay in Hungary and, although she had to work the following day, she said that her daughter, a high school student whom I had not even met, would like to take me to visit some Hungarian museums in the afternoon. As it turned out, I wasn’t able to accept this kind offer because I had made other plans. But perhaps I should have expected such warmth as the Hungarians always capitalized the word You when they corresponded with me.

Even before my extended stay, I found Budapest a dynamic destination, which reflects its own national character. By day it is a city rich in culture, shopping opportunities, and nature, as well as historic and architectural treasures. At night, especially along the Danube, it is a twinkling fairy tale of lights. But, the more I stayed in Budapest, I learned to really feel at home. I navigated my way around the city by foot, used public bus and metro transportation, asked questions at the post office and shopped at the local grocery store—all with a limited Hungarian vocabulary of köszönöm szépen, or thank you.

From the downy soft duvet in my room at the Kempinski to the warm welcome of its people, Budapest has become my home away from home. So köszönöm szépen to all of you who have been so kind to me. I feel that I have not just traveled to Hungary, but made many friends there. I look forward to returning the favor when they come to the U.S.

And, for those of you who have not visited Hungary, I urge you to make it a part of your travel plans. Get to know Hungary and its people and don’t be surprised if you feel at home here as well.

ITS Tours of College Station Texas (800-533-8688) offers a variety of outstanding tours of Hungary including: an 8-day "Scenic Hungary" escorted tour; a 7-day independent self-drive Mansion Houses & Estates in Hungay tour; several escorted and independent tours covering various countries of Central Europe with a 2-3 day visit to Hungary, and many variations on independent city stays in Budapest, including a music package, Jewish Heritage package, and VIP package, etc. ITS President Dr. Michal Barszap, an expert in Hungarian travel, also puts together many special-interest tours to suite any client's desires.

"I don’t know about this Hungarian food," I heard one very uninformed tourist remark to another, "the menu said they added ‘Bull’s Blood’ to one dish. That doesn’t sound appetizing to me!"

Fortunately, before I had a chance, another tourist on the same trip quickly refuted this culinary myth.

"Bull’s Blood is the name for their famous red wine," she quickly reassured her traveling companion. It is definitely not real bull’s blood."

As I listened to this conversation, I wondered just how many others who visit Hungary don’t have someone to set them straight, quickly jump to the same conclusions and, as a result, wind up in a McDonald’s. The McDonald’s in Budapest is an architectural beauty compared to most, but, the food just doesn’t deliver the same satisfaction as the hearty Hungarian cuisine. Besides, one of the major joys of traveling is to sample the cuisine—and, if you drink—the wines of other nations.

"Bull’s Blood" wine is produced from a blend of red grapes (mainly Kékfrankos) and is, indeed, a deep ruby red color. Egri Bikavér comes from the Eger Wine region in northeast Hungary, and Szekszárdi Bikavér from Szekszárd in the south central Hungary.

It received its nickname, according to Hungarian wine authority Stephen Kirkland, in one of two ways. One was because Hungarians drank red wine to fortify themselves during a month long battle. When the Ottoman Turks saw the red stains on the Hungarian’s beards, they fled in panic because they thought it was bull’s blood. The other, he notes, was because a Turkish official had a romantic interest in a slave. To prevent this, the girl’s mother persuaded the official’s cook to prepare a sumptuous meal laced with red wine. The official fell asleep, and the girl got away. When the official accused the cook, she said it was not wine, but just bull’s blood.

Whichever story is true, it is just that, a story. But the wine is rich and robust and an excellent accompaniment to a tantalizing array of Hungarian food. So when you visit Hungary or dine in a Hungarian restaurant, give recipes which contain "Bull’s Blood" a chance. Or sip this robust wine itself (and kindly reassure your table mates) that this is indeed 100 percent delicious wine. But, of course, that would mean less for you. It’s your decision.

The Bikavér blends are just one of the many outstanding Hungarian wines. You can discover more by making plans to attend the 11th annual Budapest International Wine Festival in September of 2002. Here, in one location, you’ll be able to take a wine tour of Hungary as wine producers set up booths and offer samples of their products. In addition, there’s plenty of live entertainment—and mouth-watering foods such as lecso, a typical Hungarian dish with peppers, onions and tomatoes, as well as the perennial favorite, delicious goulash (gulyás), Hungary’s national dish. In addition, there are parades, ceremonies, workshops to let you learn more about wine—and even entertainment for children. It’s a perfect excuse to take a trip to Budapest. But, who needs an excuse.

Dr. Michal Barszap, president of ITS Tours of College Station, Texas (800-533-8688) offers excellent tours to Hungary. They include an 8-day "Scenic Hungary" escorted tour; a 7-day independent self-drive Mansion Houses & Estates tour; as well as several escorted and independent tours of various Central European countries that include a 2-3 day visit to Hungary.

For more information about Hungary, Budapest and the International Wine Festival, visit www.gotohungary.com and www.winefestival.hu