Budapeshhhhhhhht

MARCH 1 TO 4, 2015

Though my first trip to Europe was at the ripe age of 6 years old when the dollar was strong and I flew for free thanks to having a pilot as a mother, there are still many parts of the continent I haven't seen. Traveling to me is like a contagious flu that I can't get a shot for and so while studying abroad in Barcelona, I have been tempted by my roommates and fellow exchange students, mostly haling from US business schools, to add a few new countries to my list.

Outside Matthias Church

Jenn and Ari, my roommates who attend Kellogg at Northwestern University near Chicago have been on the typical “Eurotour” common among American exchange students covering a different country every opportunity they have a break in classes. For me, having lived in London for a year and a half, my need (and funding) for such travel has been at arms with my desire to explore Barcelona and other parts of Spain I've yet to see. However, when the three of us realized that we all had four days free over Ari’s birthday, the obvious decision was to find a place none of us had ever been, book a cheap (and horrible) flight on Ryanair and head east (Eastern Europe, that is).

Hungarian Parliament from across the Danube River

In class last week, one of my professors lecture on three types of knowledge: things you know you know, things you know you don't know, and things you don't know you don't know. I'd place my knowledge of Hungary somewhere between things I knew I didn't know and things I didn't know I didn't know. Like, for example, did you know that Hungarians came from Mongolia? Or that the largest synagogue in Europe is in Budapest, only second in size compared to the rest of the globe to the one in New York – and that it survived the Holocaust despite the fact that 80% of the Jewish population did not? I definitely did not.

In the garden at the Jewish Synagogue - these are the graves of all the fallen Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust who have been named

Another part of the beautiful Jewish synagogue in Budapest

Our trip began with a late Sunday night arrival just in time to eat dinner at a delicious eatery near St. stephen’s basilica called Menzies . This meal was a great introduction to Hungarian cuisine. We dined on lagyos—a savory fried bread topped with sour cream and grated cheese—followed by goulash, spaetzel and chicken stuffed with feta and sundried tomatoes. AirBNB was a savior once again in terms of lodging choices as the apartment we stayed in was very centrally located on the Pest side of the Danube within walking distance to many sights and restaurants. Judit, the agent, was also extremely helpful proving us with guides to the city, a map and some local recommendations. On Monday morning, we decided on a free walking tour to get the lay of the land. 

In front of St. Stephen's Basilica

 The tour introduced us to St. Stephen’s Basilica which we returned to later in the day, the Chain Bridge, quite a bit of history about Hungarian inventors and Nobel prize winners, Castle Hill and ended at the gorgeous Matthias Church with a great view from Budapest of the Pest skyline across  the Danube. 

Jenn, fully satisfied, in front of Ruszwurm

After the tour, we visited Ruszwurm, the oldest confectionary in Hungary for our first taste of sour cherry strudel. We enjoyed another hearty Hungarian lunch at Hungarian Bisstro   before heading to Mandala Spa for world class pampering. After all that detox, we ate a light sushi dinner at Tokio before celebrating Ari’s birthday with champagne and watching a bootleg copy of Fifty Shades of Grey before calling it a night.

Hot and steamy Szechenyi Baths

Tuesday, we satisfied our curiosity about the reknowned Turkish baths Budapest is known for by visiting the Szechenyi Baths, but not before another goulash meal of course. We toured the Central Market, enjoyed some folk music, paroused the stalls filled with meat, fruit, hand embroidery and lace items, and filled our bellies with more rich food. Obviously, everyone wants to go bathe with a bunch of strangers after fried catfish, sauerkraut and dumplings, right? To say the least, the baths were an experience. To say a bit more, I'm glad I did it to see what the hype is all about, but I don't really need to repeat the experience again. The building was pretty, the water was stinky, and really, whose idea was it to put a giant pool outside in 45 degree (F) weather? Getting in feels great, but getting out is like slowly pulling a scab off. You just hope you can run inside before your really scar yourself by slipping on the wet marble stairs leading into the warmer pools indoors.

Ari blowing out the candles (on no less than our fourth desert)

No vacation is complete without a Michelin star, am I right? Probably not, but since it was Ari’s birthday and the week’s theme seemed to be “treat yourself” we dined at Onyx, an amazing 6 course tasting menu that did not fail to impress.

Shoes on the Danube

For our last day, we scratched the history itch by exploring the synagogue and the Hungarian National Museum along with a stroll along the Danube by the Hungarian Parliament building and the Shoes on the Danube, a monument to the Jews who were shot into the river in 1944 after Germany occupied their allied nation. We were then off to the airport back to Barcelona, but not before one more Hungarian treat – chimney cake, or Kürtőskalács at Molnar's Bakery . One thing I can say about Budapest, it will not leave you hungry!

View of St. Stephen's and the Chain Bridge from the top of Castle Hill