Cruising Europe: Budapest Day 1

The flight from Helsinki to Budapest was a continuation of the gracious accommodation that we have experienced since leaving home. Arriving at the airport we made our way to the “magic telephone” that had been pointed out to us the day before. A friendly voice on the other end of the line began by apologizing that it would take about 10 minutes for them to get to us with a wheelchair, but not to worry since they would see us through security and bring us directly to the plane! Before the 10 minutes had passed, not one but two attendants with wheelchairs arrived to guide us past line-ups of people waiting to pass through airport security directly to a officer and stayed to help us get Mom and Dad through security and delivered us directly through to the gate. This time our flight was on a much more spacious Airbus. It was also the first time we had ever been on a flight fitted with a cockpit camera! We watched the take off from our TV monitors on the screen in front of us, from the pilot’s perspective! It was like a really cool virtual reality ride! After a quick 2 hour flight we were once again greeted at the door of the plane, this time by two medical attendants! They brought us to the baggage claim, helped with the luggage and delivered us directly to the Avalon agent who was waiting with a van and driver to deliver us to the InterContinential on the Pest side of the Danube.

The hotel is beautiful but, more importantly, beautifully situated on the bank of the Danube River, right in front of the Chain Bridge connecting Buda and Pest. The local Avalon representative met us on arrival and immediately won Mom and Dad over by greeting them by name as they came through the door of the hotel. She won me over with the information she provided following our check in! Mom and Dad were in need of a rest so David and I headed out to explore the city.

Budapest is a very easy city to navigate. The Danube divides the city. The Buda side is quite steep and so landmarks are clearly visible from just about anywhere. The Pest side has roads that form a spider web in the downtown section near the river. Each side has a river walk and both sides are connected by a series of ornate bridges, each quite distinctive and themselves serve as landmarks to allow you to get your bearings from anywhere is the city.

Transit is also quite accessible and the Metro Lines (Budapest subway) is designed very much like our familiar TTC. Busses are frequent, an electric streetcar runs along the river and a funicular (originally designed to carry the servants up to Buda castle) now provides tourists with a scenic ride up the hill. Budapest however is a compact city easily navigated on foot as long as you watch the crazy traffic at intersections and can navigate the ancient cobblestones.

In one short afternoon we managed to walk across the Chain Bridge to get our bearings on landmarks on both sides of the river. We found a pub to enjoy Saproni, the local brew (no surprise there!), explored St. Stephen’s Basilica, indulged in a decorative gelato in a local cafe, and walked, and walked, and walked!

St. Stephen was the first King of Hungary and the glorious basilica was erected in his honour. The architecture is breathtaking and the ornamentation is magnificent. The side chapels, to the Black Madonna for example, are beautiful and interesting. It is the chapel dedicated to St. Stephen though that caused me pause. His hand has been preserved, as a relic in the side chapel, and remains on display for the faithful and tourists willing to pay 200 HUF or 1 Euro to activate the light so they can take a picture. I understand, theoretically, the importance of relics in the Catholic faith. I just can’t help but stir uncomfortably at the fine line we cross between adoration and circus style amazement that borders on indignity when we charge a buck to have throngs of curious onlookers snap photos of a human hand! I have rarely struggled with my faith, but I have frequently struggled with my Church! To be honest, even a charge to enter a Catholic Church causes some discontent in me. The practical me admits that scores of tourists parading thought a building comes at a cost that may be only fairly shared. At any rate, the additional charge to ride the lift to the top copula offered magnificent views of Budapest as we traversed the round edifice to catch sights from north, south, east and west.

Following our basilica visit, we stopped again on the promenade outside to allow a gelato to help ease the afternoon heat. This cool little shop that we found not only served the delicious frozen treat but also sculpted it into a rose as they placed it in your cone!

After a much needed shower and a change for dinner we strolled down the river toward Duna Corso, a little restaurant that had also been recommended by the local Avalon representative. The food was local fair – Goulash (pronounced goo-yaush by the way), paprika stew dishes and an assortment of local delicacies that almost all include some part of a goose! Dinner was delicious, the atmosphere along the Danube, as the day faded to a warm summer evening, divine, and the entertainment created one of those serendipitous moments that always seem to happen on our vacations! We began the meal with complementary Pálinka. Pálinka is a local drink brew under very specific requirements. It must only be produced from fermented substances through distillation. No artificial flavours or potable alcohol may be used, just 100% fruit. The kicker though is that it must be at least 37.5 proof spirits! Man does that stuff have kick...but it’s delicious so I happily drank Mom’s too. That may or may not have had a significant impact on the remainder of the evening. There was a live local trio – a bassist, a violinist and a fellow playing a Hungarian instrument called a cimbalom. Now a cimbalomis essentially a piano without keys. The artist sits at the open case striking the strings with felt hammers that he controls much like drum sticks. They were extremely gifted musicians and also quite talented at getting the party started! I suspect, as my friend Tara accuses, I was making eye contact and before long I was being serenaded at the table and convinced to provide vocal accompaniment for the cafe! Many of you know just how fond I am of Kareoke –NOT! Yet, here I was on the side of the Danube belting out tunes for all! At one point the obvious leader of the group asked what request I had for their next song. Struck as an imbecile at the question, he then asked where I was from. I told him I was from Canada as which point he, with rather grand flourish, announced, “Celine Dion then!” My next number was the theme song from the Titanic, amusing as we prepare to board a vessel in a few days! For anyone who may ever find themselves in Budapest, watch out for the Pálinka!

We returned Mom and Dad to the hotel following dinner and David and I set out to explore the Danube and take pictures after dark. The pictures were beautiful and strolling along the river past the cafes and restaurants listening to the music drift toward us in the dark was magical. A perfect way to end a perfect day!