Budapest. Go there. Now.

Budapest is going on my list of favorite places of all time. I went with my good friend and eternal travel buddy Lina. We tend to like the same things (namely good music and good food) which makes for a perfect travel partnership. We call ourselves the ”L.A. Factor” because we seriously happen upon the most unexpected, wonderful things without explicitly meaning to. 

The hotel

We decided to splurge and book a room at the five star Le Méridien (http://www.lemeridienbudapest.com/), and I am so glad we did. I’ve slept in a wide variety of hotels and hostels over the years, and this is one of the absolutely best places I’ve been to, if not the best. It was opulent but not over the top, decorated very tastefully in that ”old world” elegance I love so much. The service was so excellent and curteous, I almost felt like an imposter. Like here I am, a girl on a teacher’s salary pretending to be rich for a few days - they’re bound to see through my act at any moment. 

The view from our hotel room

Our sojourn here made me reflect over how much the living accommodations affect the overall outcome and satisfaction of a trip. I tend to pick hotels that are economical and allow me to spend money on other things, but after having stayed here, I’m going to have a hard time booking a hostel or even a three star hotel from now on. A nice place provides a wonderful, relaxing routine. I swam for 30 minutes each morning, after which we went down to breakfast, which was so delicious it warranted at least four courses. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed lingering over a meal so much. If ever you’re in Budapest, I urge you to splurge. This place is worth it. 

The music

Lina and I both love jazz, so we scanned the culture calendar for some sweet clubs to hit. We ended up going to Orfeum, an old fashioned cabaret in the basement of a five star hotel (http://www.orfeumclub.hu/en/). There we sat, sipping cocktails, listening to a girl and her band sing and play Hungarian cabaret tunes. It made me wish I’d lived during the roaring 20’s. What an era that must have been... 

Probably the biggest thing we did this entire trip was go see Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem. I thought nothing would be able to top the jazz festival we were at in Montreal this summer, but this came very close. Apparently they do it once a year on All Saints’ Day, and we just happened to be in town for it. Delight! The concert hall was completely packed, and somehow we landed front row seats! I am absolutely certain I did not book the front row when I purchased the tickets online, but there we were, literally three feet away from the orchestra. And oh my goodness. I was fighting tears after the first ten seconds. 

Another great thing we did was attend Sunday morning mass in St. Stephen’s Basilica.

Not only was it amazing to just sit in such beautiful surroundings; what put this experience on the I-will-remember-this-for-the-rest-of-my-life list was the choir that sang beautiful Gregorian chants and ancient hymns from the balcony. I was transported to heaven. 

The food

I am not a huge fan of Eastern European cuisine in general (it’s a bit too heavy for my taste), but I think we found some jewels: 

Noir et l’or (http://noiretlor.hu/) Lina and I both had the pink peppered pork with spinach and polenta. To. Die. For. 

Il Pastaio (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g274887-d4892170-Reviews-Il_Pastaio-Budapest_Central_Hungary.html) Some of the best Italian food I’ve ever eaten. Hands down. 

Trófea Grill (http://kiraly.trofeagrill.eu/en) An all you can eat and drink buffet for a fixed price. Great selection of food, attentive service, a hopping place. 

The sights

What I liked most about Budapest was that it wasn’t too much to take in. It has an historic depth, a fascinating culture and language, and jaw-dropping monuments. But it’s contained and ”graspable.” We saw and did a lot of things without feeling like worn out tourists at the end of the day. The highlights:

The Gellért baths (http://www.gellertbath.com/) were relaxing once we found where we were going. It’s so big and there are so many rooms that it’s easy to get lost with all the signs pointing in all directions. The water was warm and good for the joints. We treated ourselves to Thai massages as well. The lady hammered my muscles and it was painful, but I really did feel much more relaxed afterwards. Somehow Lina got the gentler massage... 

Free city walking tour (http://www.triptobudapest.hu/). I don’t know how we do it, but for the second time in a row we’ve just happened upon a free city walking tour right as it’s beginning. We joined the group and ended up having a marvelous time. Props go to the fantastic guide, Dóra, whose knowledge of the city and interest in its history was contagious and entertaining. We bought her coffee afterwards to say thank you.

Our little group of happy tourists. The tour guide is the one to the far left holding the sign.

Lina by the Buda Castle

St. Matthew’s Church was GORGEOUS. I love cathedrals and have been in a great many of them, but this one tops the list. At first I fell in love with the roof. 

Then we went inside. I have never been so in awe of a church’s interior. The style was different to anything else I’ve seen and the combination of patterns and colors on the walls was mesmerizing. I took way too many photos in an attempt to capture the depth and color, but it’s impossible. Here are three of them: 

Boat tour - inexpensive and worth the hour spent. We ended up going in the evening which is probably the best time as monuments such as the Buda Castle and the parliament building are spectacularly lit up. Of course I left my camera at the hotel. :-( 

Jewish synagogue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doh%C3%A1ny_Street_Synagogue). Theodor Herzl (the founder of political Zionism and in effect the founder of the State of Israel) was born in the house right next door to this synagogue. Also, the famous Swede Raoul Wallenberg is much revered here as he saved the lives of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Second World War. The synagogue’s interior was beautiful. 

Museum of fine art (http://www.szepmuveszeti.hu/main). I’ve been making my way through Art History for Dummies since August, and even though I remember very little in relation to the how much I’ve read, I do remember the name Caravaggio. The museum had a temporary exhibit of some of his biggest works, so we went to scope it out. Art museums in general can be pretty boring in my opinion, but there is still a reverence to them that I love. It’s hard to fully grasp just how insanely good these old masters were. 

The people

We met some interesting characters along the way. Among others was a white African from Namibia. Not yet 20, he’s been backpacking around Europe since August, sleeping on random people’s couches. I admire that kind of abandon, though I would never be brave enough to do the same. I like to have a plan and the logistics in place. 

At the airport on our way back I stood behind Paul the Hungarian guy. He started talking to me as we stood in the security check line, something about the water I was chugging before passing my bag through security. He continued talking all the way through the line and then followed us to the waiting area. I couldn’t get rid of him without being mean, so I humored him and listened while he told me all sorts of stories from his life, how he’d left Hungary at 15 and moved to the Philippines where he lived on the street and almost got shot by his girlfriend’s mob boss uncle. He waxed poetic about his devotion to his mother, his warrior ancestors, his own inherent goodness.... Seriously, this always happens to me. I seem to attract all the weirdos - but as my father likes to tell me, the hazard with being a bright light is that you attract a lot of flies. 

Once, just once, I would like a handsome and charming man to randomly (or intentionally) engage me in small talk. Is that really too much to ask?? I mean, my goodness. So please, if you are hot, single and in possession of moderately decent social skills, please talk to me the next time we find ourselves in the same security check line. It would give me a tremendous boost of self confidence. Thank you.