Budapest’s nickname “Pearl of the Danube” sounded to me like it was only for the tourists’ benefit. Why not say that of other towns along the Danube like Vienna or Bratislava ? But as I think back at our recent stay in Hungary’s capital, the pearl reference fits this city. Think of a pearl. It needs a water environment, grows within a shell, takes a long time to mature and requires polishing to remain beautiful.
Comme une huître, les deux côtés de la coquille “Danube” ont leur particularités physiques.. Côté Buda, c’est montagneux et côté Pest c’est plat. Buda et Pest se sont développées séparement pendant des siècles tout en subissant les ravages des invasions dont celles des Mongols et des Ottomans. Plus tard, elles se sont unies par un premier pont suspendu, le Pont aux chaînes, construit entre 1839 et 1849 pour que finalement l’union de Buda, Pest et Óbuda puisse être consolidée en 1873 pour devenir Budapest. Aujourd’hui, plus de ponts relient les deux rives et le transport en commun en métro, bus, tram et même des pistes de marche à pied se sont très bien intégrés dans le paysage.
Our stay in Budapest occurred during the winter break and even if the XMas markets were slimmed down due to the Covid restrictions, the major attractions were open. We just had to be mindful to plan our museums and food purchases as everything shuts down early on Christmas Eve and does not reopen before December 26th (at the earliest) in this traditional Roman Catholic country.
On the our first day, we walked on the Pest side along the Danube up to the UNESCO Heritage designated Andrássy Avenue where a impressive number of cafés, restaurants as well as cultural institutions like the Hungarian State Opera House are lined up to present an harmonious vista of architecture marvels. At the end of the avenue was our first museum, the Museum of Fine Arts.
Le jour suivant fut le tour du côté Buda et de la hauteur du Mont Gellért, on prend notre temps pour admirer le Danube et la vue de Pest, et explorer la sensationelle Galerie nationale de la Hongrie établie dans une partie de l’imposant Palais de Buda (Buda Castle) qui regorge de chefs d’oeuvres hongrois surtout la période d’art moderne entre 1896 et la 2ième guerre mondiale.
And of course, who cannot forget to go take a peak at the Fishermen’s Bastion close to the castle. This highly “decorative” tower was built in the late 19th century to enjoy for the best panoramic views in Budapest. A dream location for the Instagrammers.
The crowds don’t usually visit the close by “Hospital in the Rock”, a museum “beneath” the Buda Castle Hill. Fascinating stories and technical information were brought to light by our guide on how this labyrinth of natural caves and tunnels were first intended to be used as an air raid shelter and eventually turned into an hospital during World War II. It was again adapted during the Cold War, to include shelters from both potential nuclear and chemical attacks. No pictures taking was allowed inside but this article “Budapest’s secret underground hospital” should give you an idea 😉
Nos dernières journées étant proches de Noël, nos explorations de la ville se sont concentrées sur les visites de marchés de Noël, l’admiration de la ville du haut de la Basilique Saint-Étienne, la fréquentation de deux “ruin” bars et nos derniers achats de bouffe dans le plus grand et plus vieux marché de Budapest.
Set in abandoned buildings for decades after the second World War, the now hip “ruin” bars attracts party oriented crowds in their street art décor. But in a not so distant past, most of those bars were within the Jewish quarter where Budapest’s Grand Ghetto was established on November 29, 1944 after the Nazi occupation started in March of the same year. Only 70,000 of the original 200,000 Jews forced to go to the ghetto were still alive when the city was liberated on January 17, 1945. Within those 2 months, more than half had been sent to concentration camps. So that is the past environment of those drinking and eating venues making today’s Budapest a cool city. But having said that, the local museums and memorials telling the past history of fascism and communism are very well established for someone who is looking to know more: the Hungarian Jewish Museum, the House of Terror, the Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park and the Shoes on the Danube Bank.
La portion bouffe du voyage s’avéra une belle incursion dans la gastronomie hongroise avec notre gite très proche du Nagyvásárcsarnok (Great Market Hall) et la belle sélection de restaurants de qualité dans le centre de Budapest. Parmi les achats “souvenir” est la paprika hongroise. Généralement douce à cause du climat et de la saison de croissance qui dure sept mois, dont une partie pendant les mois les plus frais; la température relativement basse permet aux piments paprika de conserver leur sucre. On trouve aussi la paprika en versions plus épicée et fumée. Et le foie gras d’oie est aussi une spécialité! Sans oublier le fameux vin liquoreux Tokay pour arroser le tout. Leur “Food Network” national est justement appelé “TV Paprika” que je peux apprécier à Bucharest avec des sous-titres roumains.
So let’s see… what else can we do in Budapest? Experience their waters! Boating first. A cruise on the Danube. A small touristic cruise showing off their iconic buildings along the shores and great bridges while sipping on champagne.. why not.
And second, public bathing. The facilities were open for the tourists probably on Christmas Day. The steaming, mineral-rich thermal and simmering waters have been enjoyed by the locals for thousands of years. Our choice over the 7 thermal baths of the area landed on our very nearby and highly stylish Gellért Baths, in an art nouveau landmark from 1918. A very warm Christmas Day!
