Budapest Towards Home

Woke up lateish (for me) and decided on the hotel breakfast which was an excellent choice. FaceTime with twins and Lindy before hitting the road made my day complete already.

Bought my two day hop-on hop-off pass and with the first bus being full walked the ten minutes to the Great Synagogue. I tend to visit most grand synagogues in cities where are is one but I must say this one (also known as Dohany) was one of the most beautiful. Built in a record four years in the mid 1800's it's Moorish Style is amazing. I also visited the museum and the hall of artefacts and war memorial as well as the memorial garden. All in all an amazing 90 minutes.

I actually hop on a bus and spend the next four hours cross crossing the city on the three different lines green blue and purple but not red, that's another company as I found out. I get off at the castle and cross the chain bridge but don't participate in too much else. Other attractions I may do tomorrow include the Citadel, Heroes Square and I certainly plan on a bath - I'd did bring my bathers.

I think I have fallen in love with Budapest it amazingly coexists as an olde world city in a modern era.  On the odd occasion that I wander off the main streets I can see some forgotten buildings and see some homeless people but all in all it is a city that tantalises my love of architecture.

I get back to the hotel around 16:30 and take an hour power nap and consciously get up before I settle in for the night which would be bad as I have made a dinner reservation at what sounds like a great restaurant. After two weeks of almost unabated "kafeteria" food I need a fix.

A cab ride across the Danube to Buda to the Halaszbastya (http://eng.halaszbastya.eu/restaurant/) restaurant. This restaurant is set in what is best described as a medieval series of rooms with lovely views to the Danube and City skyline. Playing gently in the background was a violinist and cimbalom but not the gypsy music that I like but very pleasant. It would be easy to imagine dining here two hundred years ago.

Started with goose liver pate, mushroom garlic soup and fried duck livers with chive mash. All very delicious and quit inexpensive for a fine dining restaurant in an amazing venue and location.  Back to the hotel for some much needed rest after stopping at a bar near the hotel for a quick drink - yes Baileys & Ice.

Tuesday morning also a late start around 10:30 without breakfast. I catch the bus to the Jewish quarter where I repeat yesterday's cappuccino as it sprinkles with light rain. 

After an hour it stops so I spend the next hour walking around the Jewish quarter think kosher restaurants and Judaica shops. Did a bit more hop-on hop-off stuff - Parliament House and such. I tried getting a tram following instructions I received from a vague sounding transport worker and wound up in nowheresville a place where there are no cabs. I backtrack on the tram to somewhere and manage to find a cab to the hotel only to find that it is already 17:00.

An hour catching up on emails work and things and off to the Kempinski Hotel for my dinner at Nobu. The restaurant is normal Nobu style but after the edamame the first course was disappointing - salmon tartar heavily over-seasoned with soy sauce to the point where the salmon was not even a taste. Oh well better to come I hope. The popcorn shrimp was good but the creamy snow crab had a massive amount of crab but buried in an even larger amount of creamy sauce - not great. Being my eighth Nobu maybe its run its course in my life. 

Wednesday morning decided I needed a very long walk - probably result of food overdose. Spent three hours just walking down the main street on which my hotel sits. Just randomly I end up in a huge modern food market (ground floor) and gift market (mezzanine). Lovely selection of fruit, vegetables, salamis, caviar, paprika and lots more.

Got back to the hotel around 15:00 feeling a bit tired but decided to try the baths as it appears in every guide to Budapest. Spent about an hour in pools of sulfuric thermal waters temperatures ranging from 30-42 degrees. Felt quite good afterwards but of course didn't last long.

Decided on restaurant Araz in the Continental Hotel for some traditional Hungarian fare but they also had French and a Zsido menu....

Mushroom truffle soup (wonder if truffles were part of Hungarian Cuisine), an excellent schnitzel with potatos and a rosewater scented rice mousse.

Well this is probably a good time to sign off. I believe the weather in Sydney has been horrible but is forecast to improve for my return on Saturday.

Best to all....

XD