Goulash, Kalacs and Mulled Wine

2013 Thanksgiving Weekend

Budapest

Wow!

This city is much bigger than I'd originally thought, it's a lot cleaner than (ahem) our current locale*, and the Hungarian people are friendlier than our already-high expectations. The town is in the midst of a major face lift, and yet still manages to seem amenable to tourism. Many of the old, gothic, communist structures are getting the freedom makeover, and at every turn it seems you stumble on a fascinating emblem of a former Easter Bloc nation now free, and actively moving to improve itself.

Weather was cold and windy, but for two of our four days there it was nice and clear.  Rainy one afternoon, but overall good walking weather.  And there's plenty of walking to do in Budapest.  Our first day included a guided tour, and for the last couple days we made use of the Hop-on, Hop-off bus deal, but we also got a lot of foot mileage in on this one.

Near the Fisherman's Bastion

Clearly one of the highlights of this trip was the Hungarian cuisine... though we did make exceptions for the HRC (mostly a disappointment, for its shortage of memorabilia), and an indulgence of "Hun Dogs" (standard hot dogs with dried onions—like these—and shaved pork or chicken, instead of relish or sauerkraut) offered during our ride down the Danube. 

Hun-dogs and Dreher along the Danube, just as Jules Verne described.  

One important culinary lesson: goulash is not the thick, beans-and-noodle stuff we 'muricans like to call Hungarian Goulash. Oh, it's plenty hearty, but it's more like beef and vegetable soup, or beef stew... with a few extra spices. Not ay-caramba-my-tongue-is-on-fire spices. More like wow,-that's-a-complex-and-interesting-combination-of-flavors spices. And the simple presence of the word "goulash" on a menu does not mean you're ordering the stew/soup stuff. On one occasion, thinking we'd ordered a couple bowls of soup, we each got HUGE plates of beef and... barley (a lot like hominy).

Budapest's "Ice Bar" is nothing more than a meat locker-cum-tourist trap.  
But it's fun!  And as always, we couldn't convince you-know-who to try an adult beverage.

Quartet whose name, I think, was Hungarian for The Happy Ham Bones

Though it was cold, and thus normally perfect for dark/heavy brews, we stuck with Dreher.  It just fit perfectly with the goulashes, virsli, bean soups, and other hardy dishes we enjoyed. On the other hand, with sweets (mostly kalacs) we'd have mulled wine. Being already Christmas season in Budapest, that stuff was everywhere

Budapest is, by far, much more naturally photogenic than Europe's more popular capital-city destinations.  The western bank of the Danube, dramatically rising a few feet from shore, combined with no shortage of colossal & dramatic architecture on both sides, make for a photographer's dream. 

A few minutes' bus ride, and you can get to the Citadel, the Fisherman's Bastion, or the Buda castle, and catch an endless supply of "money shots." As you can see, even in cold, oft-overcast weather, any amateur photog can bring home smalltown prize-winning images from this marvelous city.

The city is safe to walk around after dark, even more so than most other large European cities (all of which, for the most part, are far better than any big town in the States, I'm sad to say). Most nights we trekked back to the river, explored both banks, and in general snooped around all the Christmas festivals the town had started that week.

Kedves egészségére!

 * Province of Caserta, Campania, Italy