Wednesday April 6, 2005

A bath and banquet, courtesy of a queen

April 3, 2005
The Sun-Herald
Chess in a thermal pool. Photo: Karin Riikonen

Chess in a thermal pool. Photo: Karin Riikonen

From its market to its thermal pools, the Hungarian capital offers a host of activities, writes Andrew Marshall.

A grand metropolis of architectural delights, ornate bath houses, gourmet restaurants and classic coffee houses, Hungary's idiosyncratic capital Budapest has much to offer the cultural traveller.

It's early morning and the Queen of the Danube is beginning to stir. Newspaper kiosks are opening, people are busy getting their espresso fixes in the cafes and an old lady is selling flowers outside the iron gates of the Great Market Hall.

A bright yellow tram trundles over Independence Bridge, a criss-cross of green iron girders that spans the Danube and links Pest with Buda, then turns a corner past the distinctive domes of the Gellert Hotel and Baths.

Taking the waters

Budapest is well known for its thermal spas, and swimming and bathing are a national institution. Inside the city's most celebrated bath house, Gellert regular Cserjes Laszi prepares for his morning ritual. People come and socialise every day and it's the perfect start to your morning, says Laszi stepping into the men's thermal pool exquisitely decorated with fountains and ornate details of Art Nouveau architecture.

Locals in flesh-coloured aprons mix with visitors wearing more conventional swimming attire. Three elderly bathers float serenely on their backs next to a group engaged in heated discussion. Soaking in these pools that maintain a constant temperature of 38 degrees is wonderful therapy for aching muscles and other ailments. All types of treatments are on offer from water suspensions and mud packs to massage and pedicures.

Other bath houses worth checking out include Kiraly, a genuine Turkish bath erected in 1570 which has a wonderful skylit central dome and Szechenyi one of the largest in Europe with its variety of 15 pools. Here, it's common to see men playing chess in the warm waters surrounded by a veil of rising steam.

Shop like the locals

Back on the Pest side people are busy shopping inside the wonderfully restored Great Market Hall at Nagycsarnok. Although fruit and vegetables are available, the market certainly doesn't have the vegetarian in mind, with an emphasis on meat products such as sausages, salamis, bacon, goose liver, goose breast and goose crackling.

Above one stall, mixed in with the garlands of paprika, is a proudly displayed black and white photograph of Margaret Thatcher, who called into the market during a visit in the 1980s. Other stalls are stacked with typical Hungarian drinks such as unicum (a traditional herb liqueur), palinka (a powerful brandy distilled from fruit such as pears, apricots or plums) and Tokaji Aszu wines, which King Louis XIV famously called the wine of kings and the king of wines.

Another great shopping experience is the Ecseri Piac, one of the biggest and best flea markets in Central Europe. In the Communist era it was a black market where people came to buy contraband goods that weren't available in the regular stores. Favourite items were Marlboro cigarettes, Johnnie Walker whisky, Levi jeans, magazines such as Playboy and recordings from bands such as the Rolling Stones.

Today, it's fascinating to wander through the labyrinth of passageways and stalls selling everything from 1940s Leica cameras, antique jewellery and Soviet army watches to old gramophone players.

Cafe culture

It won't take you long to realise that Budapesters are keen coffee drinkers, with tiny glasses of strong black espresso consumed throughout the day with alarming frequency. Cafe life was an essential part of the social scene in Budapest long before it made an appearance in Paris or Vienna, and while many of the late 19th-century coffee houses in the city are long gone, some still uphold the fine tradition, retaining much of their period charm and elegance.

Take for example, Gerbeaud which, since 1870, has been a fashionable meeting place for the city's elite, on the west side of Pest's busiest square. Another is the Cafe Central, once the regular hangout of poets and writers who lingered there over cups of coffee, writing, reciting and discussing their work. Three of the most influential Hungarian literary periodicals were founded there, The Week, The West and The New Moon.

Ruswurm (established in 1827) is the oldest cafe in Budapest and the perfect place for coffee and mouthwatering pastries when visiting the medieval Castle District. All the produce is made on site and its specialties include famous cakes such as Dobos tortes, Eszterhazy and Goosleg.

Explore the streets

Budapest is a city made for exploring on foot and there are sights around every corner from a decorative facade to a brightly tiled gem of an Art Nouveau building. What the city may lack in medieval buildings it more than makes up for with baroque, neoclassical, eclectic and Art Nouveau architecture.

Keep your eyes open, look up from time to time and you'll spot bits and pieces everywhere. Some of the best examples include the Geology Institute, National Institute for the Blind, Gresham Palace, Applied Arts Museum, Postal Savings Bank and the city zoo's main entrance.

Paprika and goulash

When people think of Hungarian food, two things inevitably spring to mind, paprika and goulash.

Traditionally a peasant dish, goulash is actually a soup served with beef, finely sliced vegetables and plenty of paprika. It was also favoured by royalty and greatly relished by Emperor Franz Joseph. It is at the heart of any decent restaurant menu, and, indeed an invaluable part of life. As the Hungarian saying goes: "One may replace one's wife, but one cherishes goulash forever."

Other typical restaurant dishes include cold soups, such as wild cherry or fresh tomato with vodka, game dishes, stuffed cabbage, goose liver pates, fish soup (made with carp, sour cream and paprika), and sweet cottage cheese flavoured with lemon, sugar and walnut.

At the start of the 20th century, chef Karoly Gundel was influential in adding a revivifying French touch to traditional heavy Hungarian cuisine. Modern chefs are continuing the trend, giving a multicultural kick to dishes such as the meltingly soft goose liver, tenderloin strips and veal medallions.

For great goose liver and gypsy music try Gambrinus; for a romantic evening, visit Alabardos and, if someone else is footing the bill, then head for Gundel (established in 1894), Budapest's most famous and luxurious restaurant.

This eating house epitomises the elegant Budapest of the inter-war years where meals are served in a room adorned with paintings by 19th- and 20th-century Hungarian masters.

A night at the opera

Budapesters are justifiably proud of their country's musical heritage, and it is certainly no mean feat for such a small nation to have produced two of the world's greatest 20th-century composers in Zoltan Kodaly and Bela Bartok. And, in such an emotive city, when you start to think that even a tram ride should be accompanied by a soul-stirring rhapsody, it's not surprising to learn that the opera and classical music scene is thriving.

A night at the Hungarian State Opera House is another cultural highlight. Completed in 1884, by the architect Miklos Ybl, the neo-Renaissance building is a magnificent delight to the eye and ear. Hungarians are a cultured bunch and don't always hold the view that a visit to the opera is a fairly extravagant thing to do. Unlike in London or Sydney for example, tickets aren't the sole domain of a select few. A royal box for instance costs the princely sum of about $25 and prices start as low as $2. If you can't make a performance be sure to take a tour.



Accommodation in Budapest ranges from budget hostels and mid-range hotels to five-star hotels. For an authentic Budapest experience, book into the Gellert Hotel (next to the Danube River on the Buda side), an old-style, four-star hotel with bags of character. Hotel guests are free to use the luxurious baths, which can be accessed via a quirky lift complete with lift attendant.

Gellert Hotel, H-1111 Budapest, Szent Gellert ter 1.
Phone: +36 1 889 5500

Email: gellert.reservations



Citizens of virtually all European countries do not require a visa for stays up to 90 days.

Australian passport holders still require visas.



The Lonely Planet guides to Budapest and Hungary contain useful information.