Tag Archives: Budapest

Palinka – Special Hungarian Juice!

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Mexico has tequila, Italy has grappa…Hungary’s nectar of the Gods is Palinka.

A traditional fruit brandy, it dates back as far as the fourteenth century and is made from plums, apricots, apples, pears, peaches, or cherries (or as a Hungarian saying goes, anything that jelly can be made from).  Created via a double distillation process, the alcohol content can be as high as 86%. 

Hell, this stuff is so powerful, it even has its own patron saint, Saint Nicholas.  A traditional Hungarian greeting is “Pálinkás jó reggelt!” which means “Good morning with pálinka!”

While I didn’t hear that greeting, I felt it!  On a couple of occasions I had the pleasure of partaking – all in the name of research, right?!  Pear, plum, and cherry, but at some point along the way, after two or three or four, can you really taste the difference?

Budapest is known for its nightlife and whether your weakness is wine, beer, or palinka, there’s plenty to offer!

Egészségedre! (CHEERS!)

Badascony Balaton Wine Tasting, Henna Tattoos, Zsirokenyer, and Drunk Hungarians!

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While visiting the Hungarian region of Lake Balaton, my friends Viktor and Aniko took me to the west side of the lake for a day of wine tasting.  We took the double hulled ferry from Fenyod to Badascony (I think!).  The ferry was packed with Hungarians having one of their last holiday weekends, as the weather will soon change and children are now back in school.

Badascony is a well known wine area with a picturesque volcanic mountain.  As you leave the ferry, food and drink purveyors abound, as well as the trinkets you would expect in a tourist area.  As you meander up the mountain, you leave the trinkets behind and local wineries and vineyards pop up on every turn.

The wineries are lovely, rustic, and authentic – no Napa snobbery here.  The views up and down the mountain, as well as across the lake are breathtaking and the wines are exceptional.  I lost count of how many places we stopped at, each with its own charm.  Since I was with Viktor and Aniko, I didn’t have to figure things out for myself but each stop did have a list of wines and prices (not much English!) and they asked if I wanted red or white, dry or sweet.  This seemed to do the trick, so perhaps this is a good starting point if you don’t speak Hungarian.

Bread with Fat - Zsirokenyer

Now to the food part….If you’re drinking this much wine, you must have something in your belly to cushion it (and boy does this make a cushiony belly).  Many people, including us, love a Hungarian traditional snack called Zsirokenyer (bread and fat).  Yes, I said FAT.  The bread is thick, soft, and chewy.  On top, a room temperature pork or goose fat is spread (think along the lines of a more flavorful butter), sprinkled with chopped purple onions, and dusted with Hungarian paprika and salt.  Words cannot describe how utterly divine my first experience with this was.  Perhaps if I could remember my first time eating bread with butter it would be similar.  Throw in the towel, forget your diet, and go for this without thinking twice.  You won’t regret it!

Henna Tattoos!!! Promise it's henna, Mom!

Toasted and full of zsirokenyer, we headed back down the mountain to catch the last ferry home.  With a few minutes to kill, Aniko and I decided to get matching henna tattoos.  With the sun setting over the water as we crossed the lake, we were not the only ones filled with merriment and cheer.  A big group of Hungarians began singing traditional songs, dancing in a circle, and started what I’ll call a congo line! 

All in all this was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a day.  Badascony – I hope I get to see you again!

For information on the ferry, click here:
http://www.balatonship.eu/nw/main.php?id=15&lang=en

Shoes on the Danube Promenade, Budapest, Hungary

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Shoes on the Danube

Shoes on the Danube

Among the many sights and sounds I’ve experienced in Budapest, the most compelling thus far has been the Shoes on the Danube installation.  A sculptural permanent art exhibit, it consists of iron shoes scattered along the river wall.  From afar, it simply looks as if people have left their shoes behind.  As you get closer, you begin to realize something much more poignant is afoot.

In fact, it is  a memorial created by Gyula Pauer and Can Togay to the Jews who lost their lives when the Danube ran red. It is located on the Pest side of the Danube Promenade, about 300 m south of the Hungarian Parliament and near the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

If this doesn't cause a lump in your throat, nothing will.

“The composition entitled Shoes on the Danube Bank gives remembrance to the people shot into the Danube during the time of the Arrow Cross terror. The sculptor created sixty pairs of period-appropriate shoes out of iron. The shoes are attached to the stone embankment, and behind them lies a 40 meter long, 70 cm high stone bench. At three points are cast iron signs, with the following text in Hungarian, English, and Hebrew:  “To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-45. Erected 16 April 2005” (source: MTI, Saturday, April 16, 2005.)

Child's Shoes

This is the site where many Jewish men, women, and children lost their lives. They were shot and thrown into the icy winter waters as a means of extermination only after they removed their shoes, which were quite valuable in those days.  I found the children’s shoes particularly difficult to see.
While many did lose their lives here, there was one story of Hungarian perserverance and determination along the river.  According to Wikipedia and other accounts, “During World War II, Raoul Wallenberg and 250 coworkers were working around the clock to save the Jewish population from being sent to Nazi concentration camps; this figure later rose to approximately 400.  On the night of January 8, 1945, all of the inhabitants of the building on Üllöi Street were rounded up and dragged away to the banks of the Danube by an Arrow Cross execution brigade. At midnight, Karoly Szabo and 20 policemen with drawn bayonets broke into the Arrow Cross house and rescued everyone there.”
Even when on holiday it is good to take time to pause, reflect, give reverence, and be thankful for all we have.
PS
I’ve since put two and two together and realized this sculpture is dedicated to Mr. Wallenberg’s efforts:

Metallic Weeping Willow Memorial

Rudas Baths – A Must Visit While in Budapest

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Rudas Baths

Hungary is one of the few countries in the world with an excess of water resources. Having been invaded and occupied many times throughout the centuries, each group of conquerers added something unique to the culture of Hungary. The Turks brought their tradition of baths and the natural mineral waters here went hand in hand.

Main Thermal Bath - Rudas, Budapest

The city is dotted with bath houses, many of them along the Danu (Danube) where there is a natural thermal fault.  Built by the Turks in 1550, the Rudas (pronounced Rudash) Baths are quite famous. I recommend going but warn that it may be a bit complicated as the culture of service isn’t as helpful as one might imagine and very little English is spoken at this facility. It took me a bit to figure things out and then I had to help three different women as I was leaving.

The baths contain a thermal pool area and a larger, more traditional pool.  I went on ladies day and used the thermal pool (traditional pool is open on the weekend for both sexes).  The thermal baths themselves are beautiful, with one large pool in the center situated under an arched dome sparkling in the dim light with colored glass and beautiful mosaic tiles. The saunas (wet and dry options) are sublime and by the time I got out of them (I couldn’t handle more than a couple of minutes) I was like a rag doll, utterly relaxed.  There are also five smaller pools of varying temperatures, from very cold to very hot.  As usual, I found it most effective to go from very hot to very cold, which relaxes the major muscles in a way nothing else does.

Rudas Pool - On Coed Days

If you decide to go, here’s a tourists guide:-

WHEN TO GO:  
– Tuesday is ladies day while weekends are mixed and the remainder of days are reserved for men, in the tradition of Turkish baths.

TO GET THERE 
– It is located below Gellert Hill right by the Danube, close to Elisabeth Bridge (Erzsébet híd), on the Buda side of Budapest.
– Address: Rudas Gyógyfürdő és Uszoda, H-1013 Budapest, Döbrentei tér 9.
Phone number: 0036-1-3561322
– Take the 86 bus along the Buda (west) side of the river, which stops right in front of the building.
– When you hop off the bus, don’t be too alarmed that the exterior and lobby look a little worse for wear, the baths themselves are very clean and architecturally/historically beautiful.

PRICES (200 HUF ~$1)
– Morning swimming pool tickets cost 1350 HUF, all day tickets cost between 1800-2000 HUF.
– Steam room tickets cost between 2100-3000 HUF.

– The night-bath ticket is 3500 HUF
– Massage prices vary from 2900 to 4800 HUF for 20-40 minute treatments.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE
– Upon entering, ask for thermal bath ticket. They’ll provide you with a plastic device which you will put on like a watch and wear during your entire bath visit.  
– Scan the ‘watch’ at the turnstile to get in, and proceed to your right where you will pick up a sheet (to be used as a towel) and a thin apron like cloth.  Turn to your left to go into the locker room and scan your watch at the white device on the wall (you may have to hold it there for a few seconds). The machine will flash a number, this is the dressing room that has been assigned to you.
– Find the dressing room with the number and scan your watch again to open the door. You can disrobe in the dressing room and leave your things here, it will lock as you close the door again. To get back in your dressing room, simply scan your watch at the door.

HINTS AND NOTES
– On single sex days, go nude….when in Rome after all!  For my fellow American women, there is no need to be shy, there will be bathing beauties yes, but many more will be women whose breasts have long been laying atop of their rounded bellies. There is nothing to be shy about!
– You can, of course, wear your bathing suit, but there is no need. Do wear your flip flops, though, and bring your sheet along as well as the small apron like sheet (which I found useful to sit on in the sauna as it protected my girlie bits!).
– I think it is best to visit in the afternoon as you’ll likely leave quite wet. Their hairdryers may be okay for very short hair but after two full cycles, mine was still dripping.
– Also bring water with you as you’ll need to hydrate often. If you don’t bring it, buy it before entering the dressing room (in the entry hall) as you cannot reenter later.
– Finally, be prepared for a bit of a mineral smell. This is what makes the waters so therapeutic so don’t be alarmed.

Drinking Waters

Relax, enjoy, and soak in this extraordinary bit of Hungarian culture.  It’s unlike any other experience I’ve ever had and well worth it!

**Note, I had to borrow pix off the web, it would have been terribly uncouth to take pictures whilst ladies were bathing au natural!

http://www.rudasbaths.com/

Rudas Thermal Baths

Margitsziget Island A Wonderful Welcome to Budapest

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Day one of my latest adventure. I love the start of a new trip, especially when it is to somewhere I’ve never been. There’s a certain electric charge and anticipation that creates an excitement like no other.

I arrived in Budapest early in the morning and headed straight to my hotel, the Danubius Grand Hotel and Spa on Margaret (Margitsziget) Island. The island is in the middle of the Danube (Duna), smack in the center of Budapest, an oasis of nature and relaxation in the midst of big city chaos swirling all around it.

Since my trip to Indonesia a few years ago I’ve instituted a tradition of starting my holidays with utter relaxation. Usually this means decompressing from work insanity, recuperating from many hours on a plane, and the unknotting of muscles tightened with the weight of schlepping bags across the pond. So off to spa I headed.

Hungary is known for it’s therapeutic waters, ancient baths, and health remedies at spas. The spa at my hotel had a massive menu of options in addition to general areas which included pools of varying temperatures, a cold water stone foot walk, sauna, and sun terrace. I opted for the salt cave (a first!), a therapeutic aromatic bath, and a short massage.

It’s been interesting visiting spas around the world, experiencing different etiquette and standards. In Hungary the typical USA standards of a quiet, serene environment and lack of nudity are not the same. In the salt cave, I found myself with three older Russian couples who chatted the whole time and during both the bath and massage the male therapists asked me to undress and lay down (insert joke about how many drinks it usually takes me to do this!). I think of myself as pretty liberal and well traveled, but I must admit it was a reminder how uptight we Americans are about our bodies.

The salt cave experience as I mentioned was new. Think of a room with sand on the floor like a beach, lounge chairs that tilt even farther back than your grandads barkalounger, ocean soundtrack, darkened lighting with intermittent colored lights, whilst cocooned in blankets. At first I wasn’t sure what it did for me but later I did feel a strange but not unpleasant coating down my throat.

With every ounce of tension released, I headed out for a stroll around Margitsziget, and found a beer and schnitzel to complete a wonderful first day. I’ll post more on it later but the island really is something special.