scrabble?
Why hey there stranger, I’m home! Back from the land of goulash and my, did I have my fair share of it while I was there. I got back late last night, after only a slightly delayed flight, grrr, and went straight to bed (feigning jet-lag in an attempt to avoid unpacking) But anyway. Enough talk, how was Budapest?
Simply beautiful, in a post-communist sort of way. The buildings were spectacular, like something out of a fairytale, each one engraved in different ways, the roofs home to many hundreds of coloured mosaic tiles, which glinted invitingly in the sunshine, and it really did seem to be a city very much in love with statues…they were everywhere.
the beautiful architecture
Being a landlocked county, there is no beach, but instead the Danube impressively winds its way through the city from the north, separating the two halves Buda and Pest. Buda being the less populated of the two, being hilly it offers spectacular views and is full of more historic sights than residential districts. One place I fell in love with in Buda was the Fisherman’s Bastion, we went there at dusk as all the city’s night lights were coming alive, and from the top we could look down over Pest, in all its splendour, winking up at us.
great market hall, top floor
Pest is a lot more flat than Buda, terrain-wise, lying on the left flank of the Danube and most impressively boasts the House of Parliament (a giant, Hogwarts-esque building which dominates the whole panorama of the Pest side of the river). As this is the side where most of the city live and work, there is a range of cafes, shops and markets. Not to mention the Nagy Vásárcsarnok (Great Market Hall) which is grand to say the least. Three layers; the basement a supermarket, ground floor a food hall and the upper level housing more touristy souvenir stalls. My favourite, of course, was the ground floor! All sorts of different foodie goods could be bought here…meats, fruit (deliciously sweet and juicy apricots, a whole bag for less than a sterling pound!!), paprika products (for which Hungary is famous for, I am told) and, last but not least, the cake stalls…what mouthwateringly yummy selection of cakes, pastries and biscuits was on offer here…I was in heaven!
a hungarian delicacy?
I’ve certainly tried and tasted some new foods whilst I was away. I am an addict to Nockerl (noodle dumplings) which I discovered on my first evening there; the ultimate comfort food, a mix between pasta and traditional dumplings but a lot smaller, best served with cheese or for breakfast, egg! Mmmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! One very typical dish I also loved was fruit soup. Served cold, the most common flavour is Meggy Leves (sour cherry), but I opted for a safer option, a concoction of pears, redcurrents, strawberries and cherries. And man, was it tasty!! I shall definitely be attempting to recreate these at home, now that I’ve tried them I’m not sure I can live without!
tram ride, beats the tube anyday
We didn’t do anything particularly exciting whilst out there, just the usual pottering round, seeing the sights, eating lots of ice cream ‘to cool down’ and soaking up the culture. I can really recommend it, if ever you are passing through central Europe and fancy a hearty sausage or paprika chicken, or even just a jaunt round to see what Budapest has to offer. You’ll love it. I did.
Much love xox
