The Bridge (Budapest)

Good morning dear reader. I apologise for a swiftly concluded post yesterday, I hit the wall, as they say. However, a good night's sleep has replenished my energy - Prince Planet style. No? Google it.

Last night we walked all of three minutes to the Pest-Buda Restaurant for some authentic, local cuisine and wine. We were kindly offered a choice of inside or al fresco dining. The restaurant was small and it was extremely close inside. Close enough for me to hit the misbehaving, screaming brat strapped into his stroller at the next table. Jayne thought it better at that point to enjoy the fresh air of a Buda evening. She is so wise.

Pest-Buda Restaurant

The bistro itself claims to be the oldest, blah, blah, and the reverse name of the capital reflects a time, many years ago when Pest was dominant over Buda. Curious and cheeky in a restaurant located on the Buda side.

Onto the pavement table outside, we discussed the menu and wine list with the waiter.  We selected a 6 year old white wine of Hungarian origin. It was reasonably dry with a slight honey finish. I have no idea what the grape was because my Magyar is non-existent. Jayne opted for a classic paprika chicken and noodle dish and I had chicken cordon blue and the crumb was just magic.

We were soon joined by a British family and their two children. I'm pleased to report that both parents and children were well behaved. That was a novelty given some of the antics we've seen from younger Brits. Someone should inform them that Europe is not the scene of some trashy reality program they've been watching. 

Behind us sat four Americans who talked and laughed all through their dinner. I had my back to them but Jayne could see them clearly and believed they were related and travelling together. After their dinner, maybe an hour after we had arrived, they stood to go. To our astonishment, the couples then introduced themselves to the other, said good night, and disappeared in opposite directions, presumably never to see each other again. This is not an uncommon scene and was replicated at breakfast this morning with people conducting conversations across tables. So loud. So unnecessary. We just don't understand this behaviour. We haven't heard any Australian accents yet, but even if we had, the chance is we would not acknowledge the speakers. Unless we knew them.

Quoth the raven nevermore

Buda's Castle District, where we are staying, is locked off from the remainder of the population by a series of boom gates. We can only assume this is in response to the fact that Buda is home to both the Hungarian President and the Prime Minister. Yesterday we witnessed a people moving van turned back because ... well, we don't know. Perhaps they were undesirables from Pest, over the bridge, or OTB as we say at home. Buda is like the Northern Beaches or the Shire to south of Sydney or even Bondi (the trainline stops at Bondi Junction to keep the riff raff away from the golden sands and beautiful people of Bondi). The northern and southern peninsulas each have bridges to be crossed before you can enter their communities. Bondi wishes it had one. Buda has several at its disposal and makes doubly sure with the boom gates. It's not like we don't understand, we do. We don't trust people from OTB either.

You shall not pass

Unfortunately my sleep patterns are still not in sync with this part of the world and I was wide awake before sunrise. Rather than waste the early morning, I decided to take advantage of the quiet hours to access, free of charge and tour groups, the very popular vantage points around the Fisherman's Bastion to take some photos. Surprisingly at 5:30am I was not alone. There were others out to beat the crowds and the cost as well. 

Another statue

They even carve them into the walls

Alora, as an Italian friend is want to say. At breakfast today, Jayne scared one of the wait staff. It's always interesting to see what eventuates when we are asked would we like a coffee. Yes please, a double shot espresso. The response, regardless of what part of the world you are in, is usually the same. Disbelief. Did I hear that correctly? Then we have the repetitive routine, an espresso with two shots? Yes, please. Off she wanders, shell shocked. Could this be true? There is consultation at the door. She returns, some time later, with one cup of coffee. It looks good. Jayne then repeats the same order for me. Still struggling with our request she moves away. Shortly after Jayne takes her first sip, the Maitre'd arrives at the table and looks quizzically at Jayne's coffee and asks if everything is OK. Absolutely. The coffee was gooood.

Post breakfast, we had planned local morning excursions around the Castle area. Buda has the view and looks over the River Danube and Pest, but it just lacks a genuine soul. You can feign superiority in splendid isolation but, once you cross the bridge, all pretence is over and you enter reality.

I'm looking down on you

And so to the Castle we walked. At least that was the plan, but someone insisted on using the map on the phone to direct us in our walk. Despite many previous failures with this app, I put the destination in and requested directions. Off we set. Down towards the gate at the Fisherman's Bastion, down the stairs, until the little female inside my phone began issuing contradictory orders. Like "turn right" into a stone wall. After several attempts and wasting data, I turned the phone off and followed the road. Magic. We arrived at the Castle after walking past some more major renovations. This country should enter the TV show The Block. They would nail it. In all seriousness, the scale of what they are attempting is astounding and to see it all completed would be breathtaking. For that reason alone, we will be back.

These guys appeared from nowhere

The Castle is not open to the extent it used to be because, as previously mentioned, the President and Prime Minister have their official residences close by. We saw the guards doing their thing; not as impressive as those at Buckingham Palace, but I'd back the Hungarian guys chasing down and catching their quarry because they don't have to wear those stupid big furry hats. We joined the throng of tourists that walked the perimeter of the Castle and did not go inside the multitude of museums. There were, apparently, other themed attractions but we couldn't find a way in. The only place that appeared to be able to offer information, the souvenir shop, was "closing" at 10:10am and wouldn't be re-opening for "half an hour or more". Given the number of tourists and guided tours it didn't seem to make a lot of sense. The Castle is an attraction that can be seen from wherever you are staying in Pest.

The mythical bird overlooking Pest from Buda Castle

It was back to check off some of the other 'must see' things in Buda, only to find we had inadvertently ticked those boxes. That could only mean one thing. It was Zöe time! A quick change of clothes, a few messages exchanged and we were, eventually, in a taxi bound for the Great Synagogue. Not the Good Synagogue or the OK Synagogue but the Great ... yeah, you get the idea.

You may be wondering what the Great Synagogue has to do with our arrangement to meet Zöe for lunch. Our intended meeting place was a restaurant in the Jewish Quarter and as we were going to be very early (because Buda Castle was a dud), we decided to visit the Great Synagogue prior to lunch. So we met there and paid the exorbitant entry fee ($30 AUD) to inspect the opulent inside of the building. Given the number of visitors I imagine that this one temple could fund the Jewish religion across the globe. 

Like any quality establishment, there were dress regulations. Apparently Yahweh is offended by the sight of feminine knees and shoulders. One woman tried to storm the citadel, shoulders bare for all to see and the wizened little man on the door almost had a stroke trying to prevent her ingress. That was amusing. God remains unoffended. Although the 'deluxe' cover-all supplied was see-through and god is supposed to be everywhere, all the time and see everything, so I don't get the fuss. But then it's religious thing and they all have some very strange concepts.

I am not going to try to describe the inside of the synagogue. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Although apparently a purchased place on a pew was, in its day, extremely valuable real estate and was actually listed on the Stock Exchange. God cares about weird stuff. Or so we're told.

And then, it was a stroll to the restaurant Mazel Tov for lunch and a wonderful afternoon with the fabulous Zöe. We couldn't book because they had no remaining tables, so we joined the queue of walk-ins. Maybe 30 minutes, we were told. Yeah right. Maybe 10 minutes and they weren't fully subscribed. The food was excellent (think Ottolenghi style) and the company even better. I love a long lunch and we meandered out just shy of 4:30pm to Bolt home to finish this blog. Zöe is off on more exciting adventures and hopefully we'll get to see her at Jane Austen Book Club in Australia sometime early next year.

Mazel Tov

There is no need for dinner after such a filling lunch and processing the day's photos will see my day at an end.

Tomorrow we are, amongst other things, doing a Food and Wine walking tour around the Great Market Hall in Pest.

Oh, I almost forgot, today's title, The Bridge by Elton John (2006). It relates to the bridges real and imagined between Buda and Pest and the insular peninsulas in Sydney.

Until then.