Budapest 14-20th November 2018

Thirty years later - almost!! 

I was last in Budapest in December 1988, having spent X-mas in Vienna with friends. They kindly took care of our boys while we spent a few days in Budapest. The Iron Curtain had  not yet collapsed and there was no indication that it was about to happen yet less than a year later, in the Autumn of 1989, all was to change. 

We arrived at 18.15, a little late as we had a technical aircraft problem in Dublin!! The 100 bus, outside the airport exit door took us directly to the city. The only glitch was that the bus did  not stop at the appointed stop nor did the driver mention the stop. We alighted at the next stop and took a tram  back to our hotel - a 3 minute walk from the tram stop. 

Our hotel Bohem Art Hotel is a funky hotel with beautifully appointed rooms if a little small in area. 

It was now 20.00 so we set out to visit an Italian restaurant nearby. En route we noticed Cafe Chef, a Hungarian restaurant that looked interesting. We perused the menu and commenced with a medley starter of a trio of foods, comprising a cabbage, red potato with sausage and a chicken and sausage. It was delicious. This was followed by pork  fillet in a perfect  filous pastry for CC and a chicken in a spicy tomatoe sauce for moi accompanied by what appeared to me a cross between gnocchi and rice. Desert was an apple strudel and two indifferent Americanos completed  what was  otherwise an excellent meal. The portions were very large - we shared the starter and desert and should have also shared a main!! 

Our fellow dinners were a sole Frenchman, who had booked into our hotel earlier, three German woman  and what I assume was their driver. The bill caused consternation and the waiter had to split it as each wanted to pay precisely for what they ate !!! The other group of four were from Scandinavia and the final couple of indeterminate origin. 

We took a stroll around the block to the river (Danube)       The view was one which was not available 30 years ago. The old buildings some dating from the era when it was part of the Habsburg empire, were lit up displaying their splendor - including a newer addition the Liberty bridge 

A view of the Royal Palace across the river in Buda. Budapest is situated on two sides of the Danube -  Buda the old medieval city and Pest the commercial hub. 

An early night - we’ll walk the city tomorrow !