Mini Trip Report - 3 Nights in Budapest

After nesting and a short nap we made our way to the recommended "Dunacorso Etterem" restaurant for dinner on a riverfront terrace. We enjoyed the waiter recommended beef cheek stew and weiner schnitzel. A view of Buda lighting up at sunset was magical. Dueling Hungarian orchestras on either side - hammer dulcimer, violins, clarinet, bass, etc.

As we are 65 all transportation is free (just keep your drivers license or age proof on you - we were never asked - must be all our wrinkles lol), so getting back to our hotel was easy peasy. And we felt entirely safe after dark.

Next day we opted for breakfast at Stika Gastropub. Had to have the recommended spike Palink lemonade :). Delicious food also.
Took the bus to check out the Central Market Hall. Seemed very touristy, but as I needed a restroom, we ventured to the basement floor, where the "real" residents must shop. Lots of meat counters etc. Got ripped off for the bathroom, but that's on us for not having small euros (they wouldn't give change). Bought some smoked and sweet paprika to bring home.

After returning to the hotel, we ventured out for our 7 PM reservation at the Opus Jazz Club (we had booked tickets before we traveled). Music began after dinner. My musician husband was enthralled. His words: "Sounds I have never heard before, largely unfamiliar middle Eastern rhythms, played on box drums, and other hand percussion, thumb pianos (one was 3 feet wide!). A 10 string lute played with a bow, a glissando clarinet type instrument, plus two saxes, and guest trumpet/flugelhorn rounded out the band. What a night!"

Next day we had booked a "free tour" (tips only) guided tour of Pest. Our guide said she was the only one of 18 guides working for the company who was born and raised in Budapest. She was wonderful, relating her personal experience at age 15 of the uprising against Russian rule. Took us to Liberty memorial (with the shoes, pictures, statues of Reagan and Bush). Very moving.

Lunch at Szek. Expensive for Budapest, but on the main drag just blocks from out hotel.

We had booked tickets for the Opera that night. Booked actual seats on the balcony first row for only $30 each. Worth every penny to dress up and see the inside of that beautiful institution. The opera was "Giaconda" - complete with a huge orchestra, elaborate set (water simulating a Venice canal on the stage!), and subtitled in English and Hungarian cast on the ceiling. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman - this story was great, the performers magnificent. Very moving.

Time for a late nightcap at a nearby cafe (Cork & Breakfast, weird name but good food and service) Perfect ending. Back to the Oktogon for a late night street party with closed off street in front of the hotel, complete with heavy metal music. Closing our terrace door made for complete silence and another great nights sleep.

Woke up, checked out of the Oktogon, and took the easy tram to our ship (AMA Waterways Amamora, highly recommend!). Grabbed a chimney cake - no ice cream lol - delicious, hot, and fresh. (think cinnamon sugar donut).

We both loved Budapest, and we want to go back! Thanks again to all who helped!

An interesting report, thanks. My first thought about the tour guide who was 15 when Budapest rose against the Russians was, you had an 84 year old tour guide? But on second thought, you’re referring to the 1989 fall of the Communist government (and Berlin Wall, etc) rather than the 1956 uprising?

Joan, thanks for the report! I will be heading to Budapest in early October for five nights. This will be helpful to read. It sounds wonderful! Although I agree that having a mirrored bathroom in the center of your room is a little bizarre, lol! Did you ask them why they did that?

Joan, be careful there are a few on the forum that just keep coming back and coming back and coming back. I suspect one will have a flat here in the not too distant future.

Slate, what the guide said was first hand cultural perspective not book history. The first free elections held after Russian occupation were May of 1990. Someone could quibble over the elections immediately after the end of the world war but they were a bit contrived. The last Russian occupation troops left Hungary in June of 1991. I woud guess at the guides age, but its not polite to speculate on the age of a woman. Here is some of the history of the first free election in case you are interested: https://bbj.hu/budapest/culture/history/30-years-of-freedom-the-1st-free-elections-and-the-formation-of-the-antal-government/

Joan, what a great 3 days! I will be at the Oktagon in October and ready to be back in Budapest! (But hoping by not having a suite, there’s no mirrored bathroom in the middle of the room.) There’s so much great music of all kinds there and I bet your musician husband was in heaven. Ha! I am hitting a Romeo and Juliet ballet at the Opera House this time, but I would have loved the choice of that opera. Thanks!

Mardee, no I did not ask. They have many different room configurations, and we knew this is the only one that we'd get an exterior balcony. As a matter of fact, being OCD like I am, I emailed the hotel (I had booked dirrectly), to ensure an outside balcony. The manager got my room class wrong, and resisted. But when I corrected her with a screen shot of my booking, she apologized profusely and fixed it. But as for the room, we joked about chasing each other around the mirrored cube. Bed was comfortable, maid service was immaculate, and they left us wine and macarons.

Texas Travel Mom, enjoy your stay! Romeo and Juliet will be great, and if you go around the corner to Cork and Breakfast, their food was good also.

Slate and Mr E, our guide told us she was 50. She had a serious type of personality, and explained that when she was growing up, she was admonished by her mother to not share personal feelings - even to family members - because everyone was encouraged to report anything subversive to the Soviet rule, resulting in serious consequences. She explained that this is why Hungarians rarely are jovial, and seem negative and guarded. She did say that the "young people" are much less so, and she was happy for that.

There are two interesting books. One by Endre Marton called “The Forbidden Sky: Inside the Hungarian Revolution” and the second by Kati Maron called “Enemies of the People: My Family's Journey to America”. Father and daughter. The father’s an autobiography of the the time of the end of WWII and Russian Occupation. The daughters the result of research in the records opened up when the Russian occupation troops left. So two views on the same period of time. One striking description that fits with what you said above is that every day before the maid left Endre would sit down with her and help her write the report that she would have to turn into the secret police.

Because he and his wife worked for a US news agency and had US friends they ended up in prison in Budapest and were tortured. Their daughter ended up working in the Bush administration. Both daughter and father prolific writers.

When I first come here in 2001 it was as you described. Most often the question was, “why are you here?” I remember my first operetta experience. At intermission the “good” seats got a private parlor experience but had to share a table with the box next to them. “Why are you in Budpaest?” was the question. The answer “the people are nice”, to which the locals said, “what Budapest have you been to?” Over the years things have softened quite a bit. My first tour guide missed communism because he didn’t have to work. LOL.

One of the reasons I got some comfortable here so fast was the attitude, values, ethics or how ever you want to describe it was more like 1975 USA than it was 2020 USA. I am a creation of the 70’s so that’s where my comfort zone is. I was instantly at home here. Now its progressed to 1990, but its still good.

Interesting, Joan. :-) The opera sounds wonderful! I've booked a ticket for Turandot, which is playing when I am there, and can't wait to see it. It's not one of my favorite operas, but even so, I love just about any opera. And seeing it in that venue will be marvelous, I'm sure!

It begins at 7, so rather than an early dinner, I was thinking of stopping at Művész Cafe, which is nearby, and having a light snack. It looks like you ate afterwards?

But when I corrected her with a screen shot of my booking, she apologized profusely and fixed it.

Taking a screenshot is a good idea!