This week actually started last Thursday when we got up to catch the bus at 4:15 in the @(*&%^*! morning. Why would we do such a crazy thing? We wanted to visit my friend in Budapest, and that’s the only way we could make the train connection in Novi Sad.
When we got to Budapest and met up with Edina, she took us to a pastry shop first thing. We got pastries filled with cherry, apple, and chestnut (bet you can’t eat just one!). She was clearly playing to my weaknesses, and within five minutes I was convinced that I should live there.
Thursday night we went to a bar called Old Man’s Pub. I went there with some reservations as it is listed in Let’s Go Eastern Europe. I always have the sneaking suspicion that places listed in guidebooks aren’t really authentic. The décor of the restaurant didn’t help – the walls were covered in instruments and costumes of bands I had never heard of, giving the whole thing a knock-off Hard Rock Café feel. The people around us were speaking English, and the menu was listed in Hungarian, English & German.
But I really should have had more faith in Edina. The food was good, and the band ROCKED. As Dan put it, the Takáts Tamás Dirty Blues Band had their mojo going. The classic American blues songs sounded just like they should, gritty and intense. So it was surprising every time the lead singer started speaking Hungarian between songs. To hear a clip of the band, go to the Old Man’s Pub website, scroll down to “Old Man’s CD” and click on Takáts Tamás Dirty Blues Band. You won’t regret it.
Friday was a crash day after the loooong travel day – we rested, had a short walk, and went to dinner with some of Edina’s friends. Before dinner we had coffee at Gerbeauds. I stood and drooled in front of the chocolate display cases while I waited for our coffees to be served. Aside from the spectacular chocolates and cakes, the café itself is complete eye candy. This is what the website has to say:
The plans for the interior decoration of the café were completed by the artisan Henrik Darilek in the years after 1910. Fine woods, marble and bronze were used. The ceilings were decorated with rococo plaster work in Louis XIV style; the chandeliers and wall lamps were created in Maria Theresa Style. Gerbeaud had secessionist style tables sent from the Paris World Fair so that the elegant ambiance would be perfect.
I felt like I was in another age as we sat there sipping cappuccinos. The ambiance is perfect, I just needed to be in an evening gown instead of dungarees.
Saturday we went up and saw Buda castle and the panorama of the city. In the evening we went to a concert starring a Cuban jazz singer accompanied by Hungarian musicians. We saw the pianist (a famous Hungarian musician) afterwards on the tram and Edina was too shy to give him her compliments. So Dan leaned over and asked him if he spoke English (which he did) and expressed our appreciation. I believe Edina was embarrassed and delighted.
You’d think that after a concert we would maybe have a glass of wine then turn in for the evening. Instead we went to see Sin City at the local art house theater. Both the movie and the theater were fantastic.
Sunday we visited St. Stephen’s Basilica so we could see his mummified hand (only 100 forints to light up the display case). After an early dinner we saw a photo exhibition put on by World Press Photo. The photos are the winners of the annual competition of the best photo journalism of the year. It was a great reminder of what happened last year. Remember the Olympics? How about the Russian school that was overrun by Chechnyan militants? It was a mix of the delightful, surprising, shocking, and downright depressing, but definitely worth seeing and discussing.
Monday we journeyed home after fortifying ourselves with Edina’s scrumptious home-made goulash. We arrived back in K at 1:30 AM (stupid train connections) with plenty of time to spare before Dan’s first class at 8:30. I’d just like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Edina for putting us up, cooking tasty things for us, and showing us around the city. You are super!
Stay tuned for more stories from our hectic week…
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