Prater at night

A couple nights ago I went to the Prater amusement park to ride the giant ferris wheel (oldest in Europe).  The view was nice but not great (not a super lit up city like NYC) but I definitely remembered my fear of heights as the wooden car creaked and swayed.  The ride was maybe 10min but cost 9 euros. I think it might be nicer during the day.  Here are some pics from my late night in the amusement park.  There were a surprising number of people there despite being a Monday evening.

Flying out of Vienna

The Vienna airport gets points for the fast security lines, free wifi and nice loungey areas. However, there's an amazing number of lines to go through. After security there's the registration line for us/Canada/China/India. Then there was yet another line at the gate before boarding. Of course, this could be a US entry-specific problem and the lines weren't too long so I can't complain much. Overall, the airport environment is very nice.  

The cheapest way to get to the airport is to take the S-bahn (S7) which supposedly costs about 4 euros but if you have an unlimited metro card you can just pay a 2 euro supplement (which I didn't end up paying because I couldn't figure out how to pay on the machines and no one came to collect. Overall, very few people come around to check tickets and such - I only saw it once in my 2 weeks here where 2 people got fined (I don't know how much) for not having tickets on the tram. This is in contrast to Budapest where my ticket got checked about 45% of the time.

I had a really nice stay in Vienna.  I love the beautiful buildings all around, even in the non-touristy area.  It was clearly the center of a very wealthy empire and likely still house many wealthy people today.  From a tourist's perspective, it's a really nice city to visit. In addition to being beautiful and clean, there's a lot of tourist attractions (churches, palaces) within easy walking distance in the center of the city.  There is clearly no shortage of cafes or delicious treats at these cafes. I wish I could have tried all the awesome looking cakes.  

I think living in Vienna is also really great.  The transportation system is really good, fast, clean, and has great coverage over  the city.  The city is very clean and safe.  I also like the fact that it's relatively easy to buy things here. Unlike living in France or Italy where all the shops close early, for lunch, and/or are closed on weekends, Vienna makes things pretty easy for those of us used to things being available all the time. I was able to grab groceries on my way home on most days (there was a supermarket less than a block from where I lived that was open until 7:30). In a pinch, there are always stores open in the big metro stations or in the city center. There's also a lot of great green space throughout the city. In addition to all the gardens the one belonged to the palaces (which are great free places to walk, run, or just relax and enjoy the view) there are parks by the Prater, the canal, and the Danube river areas.  Another thing I really loved about living in Vienna were the plentiful markets.  Yes, there's Naschmarkt which is a permanent market of many foods and spices. However, I really love the little ones that take you by surprise - like the one at Freyung and larger one next to it.  They have just little wine stands, beer, snacks and whatever else they peddle.  They're just fantastic!

I also really enjoyed Budapest city layout.  The city was easy to walk around and having the Danube between Buda and Pest really gives the city beautiful riversides to walk and eat along and bridges to walk across.  Unlike Vienna, there's isn't as much old world charm as much of the city had to be rebuilt after the devastation during the world wars and the Soviet take over but the benefit is that the rebuilt stuff is brand spanking new :)  

Being in Vienna makes me think of opulence. Being in Budapest makes me think of a fresh new city rebuilding and regaining its charm after years of darkness (under Nazis and Soviets).  

I hear that people in Vienna are more racist than those in Hungary.  That goes with the opulence vs rebuilding theme.  I, however, never felt racism since I can't understand German or Hungarian.  

Food in Budapest

As I mentioned earlier, "you don't go hungry in Hungary".  I have to say I had great food there.  My only regret is that I didn't get to try the Hungarian fish soup.

My first meal was at the Great Hall where I had Langos (pronounced Langosh) with sour cream and cheese which is apparently how the locals like it.  It had too much cheese for my taste but it as yummilicious.  They also had many sweet varieties of Langos but I'm thinking that's to satisfy those of us who are more familiar with fried dough.

As if the Langos wasn't enough, I proceeded to a strudel stand and tried the sour cherry strudel which was perfect - a little warm, not too sweet, yum.

For dinner, I went to Menza which was recommended by my Rick Steves Budapest guide book and showed up prominently on my google maps.  The meal was great and quite a good value. I had the Hungarian goulash and a Hungarian version of ratatouille with some Hungarian white wine.  Even the bread was quite yummy.  The food was quite salty (like in Vienna) but very flavorful.

For dessert, I had cottage cheese dumplings in sour cream with a raspberry sauce.  This was ridiculously decadent. I swear this is enough for 3 people.  It was super delicious but I could have done with smaller dumplings.

For lunch today, I went to Kantin which I just happened to be checking out when it started pouring out so I stayed.  It seemed quite touristy but maybe it was the time of day I went.  It had  fabulous prix fixe.

strawberry cream soup

Rose duck breast with salad

Meringue dessert that was fantastic

I understand Hungary used to have great wines but the vineyards suffered under communism but are making a come-back. I like the wines I tried but wish I had tried more.

There are still plenty of foods I'd love to go back and try - next time I'm in Budapest - when I'll be visiting the baths again :)

A wonderful weekend in Budapest

 I went to Budapest for the weekend (Saturday morning to Sunday evening) and had a great time. I took the Railjet trail to Budapest and have to say that they have a great rail system - super fast and quiet! I stayed at Mamaison Andrassy Hotel which was a great place that allowed me to check in at 10:30 even though official checkin was at 2pm.

My first stop was the Great Market where I visited a delicious Langos stand - I got the Langos with sour cream and cheese. Hungarian fried dough - how can you not love that?!?

This is the first McDonald's in Eastern Europe

 

Budapest is divided into Buda and Pest by the Danube River.  Across the river are a series of bridges which provide great views day and night.

Chain Bridge

I crossed over to Buda to check out Castle Hill with its palaces and churches from the Austro-Hungarian empire. Most of this area was reconstructed after being devastated during the World Wars I and II.

Panorama of Pest from Castle Hill

Fisherman Bastion

View of the super elaborate Parliament - built with the London Parliament building as a model

Matthias Church (they charge for admission in Hungary - didn't go in)

Royal Palace

Turin - symbol of the Hungarians

After my tour of the Royal palace, I found myself in an outdoor concert with food stands galore.  It's true what they say - you won't go hungry in Hungary.

Parliament - really impressive

Statue of Imre Nagy - he tried to lead the Hungarian uprising against the Soviets in 1956 but the rebellion was crushed by the USSR and he was killed and buried face down in an unmarked grave

I happened to attend a wedding at St. Istvan Basilica (and didn't have to pay to enter :)

opera house

I know they say Vienna is the city of music but I was really impressed by all the public music throughout Budapest.  I must have passed by more than 5 different musical events just walking around town.

Dinner was fabulous - there will be a post to follow with pictures of food.

After dinner, I went for a walk along the Danube.  The views were spectacular.

Day 2 - I knew it would rain so I planned non-rainoutable events - stop #1 - Szechenyi baths.  Hungary has a long tradition of baths because of the 100+ hot springs that course underground.  The baths range from 26-40 C with some cold plunges at 20C.  The experience was fantastic!  It was so relaxing.  Highlights were  an outdoor pool with a current pool where you can just allow the water to carry you around the outside of the pool and (my very favorite) a peppermint steam room at 45C - this was so refreshing. I think all steam rooms should be infused with peppermint! After soaking in the many pools including some medicinal ones, I had a 40min massage - very thorough but not as deep tissue as the Chinese massage parlors in NYC.

Szechenyi baths

Hero's Square with moments commemorating the great of Hungarian history

My next stop was the House of Terror - a museum commemorating the atrocities committed by the Nazis and Soviets in this house of torture and imprisonment.  The visit was very sobering.  Hungary suffered a lot during those years and so quickly in succession from one police state to another.  The Jews suffered doubly also.  Both the Nazis and Soviets used intimidation, torture, prisons and work camps.  The unlucky who found themselves in work camps under both regimes said that conditions were even worse during Soviet rule.

the iron curtain

outside the Museum of Terror

I tried to end my day by visiting the Great Synagogue - 2nd largest synagogue in the world (the first being in NYC). However, they didn't accept credit cards and I didn't have enough Florints to pay so I just took some pictures from outside. 

Great Synagogue

    

the tree of life commemorating those who died in the Holocaust - before Nazi occupation 5% of Hungary and 25% of Budapest was Jewish, now it's about 1% of Hungary mostly in Budapest

Holocaust memorial along the Danube where Jews were shot into the Danube