It Was A Hot Night In Budapest

Another comfortable train journey took us to Budapest.  The city is impressive, with many grand buildings lining wide boulevards, many of which have been restored to their former art nouveau glory. 




 


There is still much restoration work needed however, you do get the feeling that it is a city improving daily.

The centre of Hungary for measurements

The weather is very hot for us at around 35 degrees, which saps our energy quickly.  I really don’t know how Michael and I will cope with the heat when we finally return to Australia - we have become such wimps!  Once again I researched where the best coffee could be found and we discovered a café called Little Melbourne and we knew that with a name like that it must be good.  The coffee was great and we sat along the sidewalk watching all the Hungarian hipsters pass by. 

The Danube runs through the centre of the city, separating Buda from Pest.  It is very picturesque walking along the banks and seeing the grand buildings lining the water’s edge.  It is a working river with many barges, ferries and cruise vessels constantly in motion.  Michael and I crossed the chain bridge and the view from there was magnificent.

We took a stroll through the Great Market Hall, which is the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest.  Built in 1897, it was completely destroyed in both world wars and restoration works were undertaken in the 1990s.  The market is spread over three floors and offers produce, meats, pastries, candies, spices and spirits.  Paprika is everywhere, with huge strands of threaded peppers hanging in many of the stores. 

Michael continued what has now become a tradition of having his beard shaved in interesting places.  Once more he emerged from his bushy beard looking youthful although his eyes were stinging from the fumes of the pungent aftershave, which was liberally splashed on his raw skin.

Art nouveau is the main architectural highlight of the city and we had a coffee in a wonderful art nouveau museum, which was filled with the rich furnishings of the period.  Grand cafes are something of a tradition, with many Hungarians partaking of coffee coupled with enormous, rich cakes.

We have seen many memorials in our travels, however the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial is one of the most moving we have seen to date.  Sixty pairs of iron shoes line the embankment to honour the Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen during World War II.  They were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away.  Just another sobering reminder of the many atrocities perpetuated throughout Hungary during the war.

The food in Budapest has been very good with Michael particularly enjoying the hearty stews on offer.  My favourite dish has been the Paprika Chicken, which is very tasty indeed.  When I was in first form in high school, each person in the geography class was allocated a country to research and make a presentation to the class along with a traditional meal.  I was allocated Hungary and I prepared Paprika Chicken, which went down really well as I recall.  I doubt though that it was as good as I have eaten here.  I think this anecdote goes into the file of pointless things I can remember from years ago.

Ruin Pubs are interesting places to relax and have a drink.  Derelict buildings and unused outdoor spaces have been transformed into bars, decorated with mismatched furniture and kitsch art.  They are lively and full of people of all ages and some of the larger bars have outdoor areas where you can enjoy the summer evenings.

A very hot day dawned and in our wisdom we decided to visit Buda Castle.  There is a funicular, which takes you to the top of the hill, which is listed as one of the top 10, must do activities in Budapest.  Not for us to do the normal thing – no, we have to climb up the 51 metres of near vertical steps in the 34 degree heat without a smidgeon of shade.  We did it, but it rather took the shine off of the magnificent views from the top as I was left gasping.  I can walk long distances but don’t ever ask me to climb hills or stairs!  We had a look at some of the fine art on display in one of the museums there, which was a welcome respite from the heat.  The art was good however none of it was very memorable.  The Fisherman’s Bastion was a lovely terrace to walk around and we also saw Matthias Church, which was named for King Matthias.

We took a dinner cruise on the Danube, where we were able to achieve some respite from the heat.  A Romanian folk band was the entertainment for the evening and we set sail to the obligatory rendition of the Blue Danube (which isn’t actually blue, but a rather strange green colour).  We had a lovely time cruising past the famous buildings and seeing the magnificent Parliament from the water.  The only sour note of the evening was when one uncouth English gentleman became cross when the waiter couldn’t understand English, so he loudly complained that all of the waiting staff on the ship should be able to speak English, otherwise what were they doing there?  I tend to take the attitude that if people can speak English to us, then it is a bonus, however I certainly don’t expect them to.  Michael always carries his trusty phrase book with him and we usually can muddle through and people are invariably friendly when they see that you are making an effort.

One of the things that Budapest is famous for is the many spas and hot springs.  Michael and I headed out to the Lukacs Thermal Bath, which is a historic indoor and outdoor thermal bath spa, which is heated naturally by hot springs.  We made our way through the labyrinthine corridors until we found the four thermal baths, which range in temperatures from 26 degrees to 104 degrees.  Michael spent time in the hottest bath and sauna whilst I found myself a nice spot in one of the cooler baths.  Once you got used to the egg smell it was very relaxing.  I particularly felt good, as I was one of the smallest ladies there (and there are not many places where I can say that).  It was a perfect way to spend the morning.

Hotel Transylvania

 We had a very early start with a sprint to the station to catch the 6.00am train to Cluj-Napoca.  It was an interesting journey watching the ever-changing scenery as we passed through Hungary to Romania.  The train stopped at the border of Hungary and immigration officials boarded to check and stamp our passports.  The train then travelled a short distance over the border into Romania and the procedure was repeated. 

We arrived at Cluj-Napoca to discover that major road works were underway with both sides of the street completely dug up.  That made for an interesting time dragging our bags through the rubble to our hotel.

The city is the second most populous in Romania after Bucharest and used to be the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania.  It is now a university town and it was a pleasant place to break our journey.  Michael had paid an extra $4 to upgrade our hotel room to a suite and we were given a massive apartment with a huge lounge, bedroom and bathroom.  The hotel must have been palatial in its glory days.

Dracula Was Doing His Stuff

It was a long train journey of 8 hours from Cluj-Napoca to Brasov. We travelled first class however Romanian first class is not as flash as it sounds.  Michael actually felt that the second-class carriages were better than ours.  We have noticed the difference between train-travel in the different countries.  The train journey in France was aboard an immaculate train staffed by exquisitely groomed (if surly) personnel.  The German train was spotless and staffed by friendly and efficient stewards.  The Hungarian train was clean but the staff dishevelled.  Romania – well, they mean well!  Luckily we had packed our lunch because they had forgotten to attach the dining car.

The main purpose of our trip was to visit Bran Castle.  When Michael and I first arrived in Ireland, we decided to read some novels by Irish authors, one of whom was Bram Stoker.  I was particularly taken with Dracula and I researched the castle where some of the action takes place.  Nobody knows for certain, but it was thought that Bram Stoker took his inspiration from Bran Castle so that was a good enough reason for us to head to Transylvania. 

Our journey to Bran Castle was almost as memorable as Jonathan Harker’s journey to Castle Dracula.  Michael had researched how to get there by public transport and it sounded easy enough.  We caught the bus to the main bus depot (a feat in itself) and then tried to explain to the ticket seller where we wanted to go. We thought we had made ourselves understood and waited where we had been told.  We waited about 40 minutes when a gentleman worked out that we looked lost and through much gesticulating, pigeon Romanian and even sketches he managed to tell us we were waiting in the wrong place and directed to us where we should be.  Off we went to stand at another bus stop and after a while, a plain white van pulls up and the driver says “Bran”.  On we hopped and whilst we were sitting there, I couldn’t help thinking that I would be so cross if I found out that the boys had climbed into an unmarked van driving to goodness knows where.  We pulled up at the base of the castle about 40 minutes later.

Bran Castle was every bit as dramatic and impressive as I had imagined.  The climb up the steps gives you the opportunity to see the surrounding countryside and mountains and appreciate just how high up you are.  The castle is full of secret passages and staircases wind there way up to ever dizzying heights.  The displays told the history of the royal family, Vlad the Impaler and of course the story of Dracula.  I had thought that perhaps it would all be rather tacky with vampire souvenirs and such like, but the emphasis was on the history and the souvenirs for sale were traditional Romanian folk art.  It was all very wonderful.

We caught a normal bus back to Brasov, listening to the English songs playing over the speakers.  Michael and I were laughing when the old Smokey song, Living Next Door to Alice, came on.  We were singing along quietly until the chorus when the words “Alice, who the f@#$ is Alice, were suddenly heard.  This was actually played over the speakers, and as no one reacted, we could only presume that no one could understand English.  We had noticed a lot of t-shirts worn by young people, which have swearing or obscene phrases emblazoned across them.  Michael thinks that the young people understand what they say but they get away with wearing them because their parents don’t speak English.

Brasov is a beautiful mediaeval city fringed by the Carpathian Mountains.  The legendary Pied Piper led the children of Hamlin here and the cobble-stoned streets are lined with red-roofed merchant houses.  Mount Tampa looms above the city and we caught the cable car to the top of the mountain.  I swear that the cable car looks as though it is powered by a fraying elastic band however it took us to the top safely enough.  The view from the top of the mountain is breathtaking and we walked along until we were behind the large sign set into the mountain that says Brasov.  It is just like the Hollywood sign and is visible for miles.

I couldn’t help noticing the abundance of funeral parlours in Brasov.  We passed three between the station and our hotel, complete with satin lined display caskets in the window, which was a creepy reminder that we had arrived in Transylvania.

We dined at the large underground restaurant Sergiana, specialising in Romanian food.  We left the selection of our meals to the very friendly waiter and we were not disappointed.  Michael had an enormous meat platter, whilst I had a tasty beef stew topped with pastry.  The meal was fantastic, however dessert was really special.  The waiter suggested papanasi, fried pastry resembling a small sphere and filled with soft cheese and sour jam.  It was absolutely delicious.