We arrived in Budapest with just enough time to find our rented apartment across from the National Museum, get a traditional Hungarian meal and enjoy the walk through the city to the boat tour, booked in advance by my savvy friend, Andrea. The tour gave us a relaxing way to see both cities: “On the left side of the Danube river there is the Buda district, characterized by its 20 hills and its Castle. On the right bank of the river there is Pest, which is characterized by the majestic Parliament building. Buda is a residential district, while Pest is rich in commercial and industrial areas.” and to get familiar with our surroundings.
My travel buddies are usually up for ordering a variety of items to share so we can be adventurous and try more things without committing to an entire meal of unknown foods. This time around we both ordered goulash and shared the other dishes. Rhubarb soup was very refreshing but we agreed it was more like dessert than an appetizer. This version had raspberry sorbet in it which made it sweet and tangy. With no time to spare we continued our walk to the pier for a narrated river cruise down a section of the 28km portion of the Danube which separates these twin cities. The beautiful sunset compelled us to pause for photos but we managed to make our booked time and even found decent seats. My headphones for the guided tour were not functioning, but we didn’t feel too guilty about grabbing someone’s unattended set. In the chaos of getting settled and ordering drinks it seemed like the obvious thing to do. So I didn’t miss out on the interesting details… such as that the phone answering greeting of “hello” Hello comes from Hungarian! via Tivadar Puskás
We learned that it used to be 3 cities…Obuda, Pestbuda and lots of other historical tidbits. Much of the history is conflict-filled and sad but it was a good tour and excellent way to see a lot quickly
Given our proximity to the National Museum, one of the best museums in Hungary, we booked a guided tour and learned much more than we would have had we tried to see it on our own. Again, a pretty dark history, but we left with a better understanding of the entire region. Tip- a guided tour is a great way to skip the lines.
A couple stories from the National Art Gallery: one of the premier painters, who over the years became close with a fellow Hungarian artist, was so bothered by his talented friend’s lack of commercial success that he took it upon himself to add figures to many of his friend’s landscape paintings in order to help them sell better. The arrangement seemed to work and allowed this artist to maintain a living when landscapes were out of favor. Munkacsy also acknowledged the essential role his wife, Cecile Papier, played in his career and even painted her collaborating with him on his most important works.
We made the most of our 48 hours in Budapest! It was a nice mix of cultural and historical sites with frequent stops for snacks such as the Langos frybread or Gundel palacsinta. Though I greatly appreciate these aspects of travel, I’m beginning to tire of the insanity at every tourist spot. Almost everything needs to be booked in advance. All in all, and thanks to Andrea being a good planner, we managed the crowds well (one unpleasant bus ride tucked into the armpit of a tall man, while we all held on for dear life, trying to avoid contact) and were able to see a lot. Short and mostly Sweet!
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