Saturday, we breakfasted at the Matinee Coffeeshop on our way to Rath Gyorgy Applied Arts Museum, which was much larger than I expected. So many gorgeous art nouveau works of art. We did not allow enough time there, as we had tickets for an English tour of the ResoArt Villa, which I was lucky to get. I had to keep checking their website because they don’t load calendar dates far in advance. What a masterpiece, inside and out. The collection of Zsolnay porcelain was amazing. Highly recommend both of these sites. We attempted to go to Paprika Vendeglo for lunch, but it was booked up. We saw a man with a nice looking sandwich walking down the street, and started looking around to see where he came from. A wonderful Italian bistro: Gastronomia Da Nandin. Excellent choice! We walked across to the City Park and walked on the ceiling of the Ethnography Museum. We didn’t have time to go in. We then toured the Miksa Roth Memorial House and Collection, which was smaller than I expected, we only spent about a half hour there. Then back to our apartment to do another load of laundry. We met friends at Café Liszt Ferenc Ter (perfect for our needs) before attending the Hungarian Dance Day performance at the Liszt Academy of Music. We hadn’t realized this was not a dance performance, but just music. The Liszt website did not load detailed info until the day or two before. So, we were somewhat disappointed. However, it was my only opportunity to see the marvelous building, since they didn’t have any tours scheduled during our week there. After the music, we gathered again at Cork with some of our friends who had gone to the Opera.
Sunday was designated for tours on the Buda side with our friends. We started with a 40 minute tour of the Buda Caste Caves. We all enjoyed it—very interesting. Then lunch at Jamie’s Italian (yes, I know, but that’s what the group decided), which was good. Then we had hired a private guide to give us a tour around the castle area, and we hit the usual spots, as well as walking along the neighborhood. Of course, Matthias Church was a highlight for me, as the artwork is stunning. We then toured the Hospital in the Rock, which was extremely interesting. We finished with some drinks and a gorgeous view at eh White Raven Skybar at the Hilton. I would definitely had liked another day on the Buda side to visit the National Gallery and catch my breath!
Monday was departure day, but we had until 3:00 to board the ship. We breakfasted at Reggeli, which was terrific. We visited St. Stephen’s to see his right hand and enjoy the mosaics. Mass was being conducted, and the singing gave additional beauty to the church. Then we toured the Opera House, or partially toured it. I found it entirely too crowded, with guides talking over each other, and frankly the building aesthetic wasn’t to my taste. So, we left early. A good enough reason to check out more Art Nouveau -- the wonderful Philanthia, Parisi Udvar and stop at Gerbeaud for cake and tea. Now that is a proper café, gorgeously decorated and excellent cake and service. I shopped a bit and then we zipped into the Great Market Hall on our way to boarding the ship.
Again, many thanks to this forum for your help and insights. If I could repay anyone with my Art Nouveau google map and spreadsheet, which also includes other sites as well, let me know. I need to come back again to do everything I didn't get to!