Hungary V: July 2000
The study was over and it was time to do the rounds and collect the computers. As H had school holidays and I had no idea if I’ll get the opportunity to go to Hungary again, we decided to go together. After describing what I had got up to in Hungary I to IV it was about time she could see the country as well. We flew to Budapest hired a car and drove to the Baliton. So within three hours from leaving home we were sitting on the banks looking across the lake. As we hadn’t told H’s parents we were travelling, as they get worried when we do, we rang them and told them were we were. That surprised them!
H thought she was in a dream; it was difficult to believe we got there so quickly. We drove on to Pecs. We didn’t need to go to Szombathely as Professor ‘I’ had packed and taken his computer to Pecs when visiting Doctor ‘I’. We arrived early evening at the clinic and packed both computers in the car. Doctor ‘I’ was kind enough to invited us for a meal. The night was in the same hotel as I had stayed in before. Next morning we drove back to Budapest, packed the third computer at the CRO and left the other two there for shipment back to Cologne with the Caret mentioned in Hungary IV.
Next stop was the Hilton up on the hill in the Buda castle district of Budapest. The hotel was next to the Matthais church and we were going to spend one night in Buda before flying back. [Ed: see picture. The hotel is middle right of the church just next door.]
Henni wanted to go and see the Church as it was the one were Sisi was crowned. A little to “Sisi” for anyone who doesn't know. She was born ‘Her Royal Highness Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie of Bavaria’ and known as ‘Sisi’ then and ever since, iconize through numerous Germanic language films, mainly due to her fairytale life, Hollywood or Disney couldn’t have done better with the script.
She married Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria at the age of 16 (Franz Joseph was only 23) in 1854 and became Empress of Austria. In 1867 Franz Joseph and Sisi were crowned King and Queen of Hungary. Both countries were a constitutional monarchic union at the time.
It was too late to have a look at the church so we decided to go in the morning. It was early evening and time for a meal after traveling all day. Not far from the hotel was a Hungarian restaurant, which was not that obvious even thro we were in Hungary. It was let’s say ‘quaint’, we were early and the place was almost empty. No matter we ordered and while we were waiting listened to ‘live’ Hungarian music, consisting of a trio with a violin, hammered dulcimer (Hackbrett) and guitar. It was mostly gipsy music. I wasn’t really expecting any Béla Bartók or Zoltán Kodály although excerpts from Concerto for Orchestra or Háry János would have been more in my taste.
The food took its time. I believe we had to first wait for the kitchen to heat up before cooking could begin. In the meantime the wine we had ordered was flowing and it didn’t take long on an empty stomach for it to take effect.
H was over the hill with the music and as the evening progressed (the food had eventually arrived) she was getting more and more involved. By this time the musicians saw the opportunity of getting free drinks and a bite to eat by latching on to us. H seemed to know quite a lot of gipsy music and threw request after request at the players even joining in now and then (singing). They became almost permanent fixtures at our table for the evening. H still talks about that evening so long ago.
Well the bill reflected the level of private entertainment we had brought on our touristic selves. I was well and truly ripped off that night, but it was well worth it to have seen the twinkle in her eyes on a nostalgic trip into a past which I hadn’t really associated with her. Maybe she had gipsy blood somewhere deep in her family.
The next morning we visited the church. The roof tile pattern is similar to that of St. Stephens in Vienna. The inside is quite impressive; there are also the crowning robes on display. No pictures here, was not allowed and anyway I hadn’t take our camera on the trip it was too bulky, no smart phones around at the time, shame.
We had time to spare, and went shopping for souvenirs. Up in the castle complex there were little in the way of shops, the area is cut off from the rest of Buda and we had to pass through a barrier to drive up to the hotel. We ended up in a food shop and looked for something typical Hungarian. On my trips driving through the country I had seen quite a lot of chilli paprika ‘hanging’ around. And as we like hot food, we though it would be nice idea to take home some local paprika chilly powder. We bought two cans of powder, we tried it a few times in curries, goulash and the like, but it’s not something one uses every day. Our flight was mid afternoon all went according to literary and we were home in the evening.
After a few years we rediscovered the paprika (both cans one still full) at the back of the cupboard, sell by date long gone, typical for us.
So here endth the 5th. and last (to date) Hungarian trip.
Viszontlátásra!
H thought she was in a dream; it was difficult to believe we got there so quickly. We drove on to Pecs. We didn’t need to go to Szombathely as Professor ‘I’ had packed and taken his computer to Pecs when visiting Doctor ‘I’. We arrived early evening at the clinic and packed both computers in the car. Doctor ‘I’ was kind enough to invited us for a meal. The night was in the same hotel as I had stayed in before. Next morning we drove back to Budapest, packed the third computer at the CRO and left the other two there for shipment back to Cologne with the Caret mentioned in Hungary IV.
Next stop was the Hilton up on the hill in the Buda castle district of Budapest. The hotel was next to the Matthais church and we were going to spend one night in Buda before flying back. [Ed: see picture. The hotel is middle right of the church just next door.]Henni wanted to go and see the Church as it was the one were Sisi was crowned. A little to “Sisi” for anyone who doesn't know. She was born ‘Her Royal Highness Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie of Bavaria’ and known as ‘Sisi’ then and ever since, iconize through numerous Germanic language films, mainly due to her fairytale life, Hollywood or Disney couldn’t have done better with the script.
She married Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria at the age of 16 (Franz Joseph was only 23) in 1854 and became Empress of Austria. In 1867 Franz Joseph and Sisi were crowned King and Queen of Hungary. Both countries were a constitutional monarchic union at the time.
It was too late to have a look at the church so we decided to go in the morning. It was early evening and time for a meal after traveling all day. Not far from the hotel was a Hungarian restaurant, which was not that obvious even thro we were in Hungary. It was let’s say ‘quaint’, we were early and the place was almost empty. No matter we ordered and while we were waiting listened to ‘live’ Hungarian music, consisting of a trio with a violin, hammered dulcimer (Hackbrett) and guitar. It was mostly gipsy music. I wasn’t really expecting any Béla Bartók or Zoltán Kodály although excerpts from Concerto for Orchestra or Háry János would have been more in my taste.
The food took its time. I believe we had to first wait for the kitchen to heat up before cooking could begin. In the meantime the wine we had ordered was flowing and it didn’t take long on an empty stomach for it to take effect.
H was over the hill with the music and as the evening progressed (the food had eventually arrived) she was getting more and more involved. By this time the musicians saw the opportunity of getting free drinks and a bite to eat by latching on to us. H seemed to know quite a lot of gipsy music and threw request after request at the players even joining in now and then (singing). They became almost permanent fixtures at our table for the evening. H still talks about that evening so long ago.
Well the bill reflected the level of private entertainment we had brought on our touristic selves. I was well and truly ripped off that night, but it was well worth it to have seen the twinkle in her eyes on a nostalgic trip into a past which I hadn’t really associated with her. Maybe she had gipsy blood somewhere deep in her family.
The next morning we visited the church. The roof tile pattern is similar to that of St. Stephens in Vienna. The inside is quite impressive; there are also the crowning robes on display. No pictures here, was not allowed and anyway I hadn’t take our camera on the trip it was too bulky, no smart phones around at the time, shame.
We had time to spare, and went shopping for souvenirs. Up in the castle complex there were little in the way of shops, the area is cut off from the rest of Buda and we had to pass through a barrier to drive up to the hotel. We ended up in a food shop and looked for something typical Hungarian. On my trips driving through the country I had seen quite a lot of chilli paprika ‘hanging’ around. And as we like hot food, we though it would be nice idea to take home some local paprika chilly powder. We bought two cans of powder, we tried it a few times in curries, goulash and the like, but it’s not something one uses every day. Our flight was mid afternoon all went according to literary and we were home in the evening.After a few years we rediscovered the paprika (both cans one still full) at the back of the cupboard, sell by date long gone, typical for us.
So here endth the 5th. and last (to date) Hungarian trip.
Viszontlátásra!
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