TRAVEL

3 weeks in Budapest

Dawn Mulligan
Special for The Republic
The House of Parliament in Budapest.

We recently spent three weeks in Budapest, observing the culture; consuming the food, beer and wine; and taking in most of the attractions listed in Rick Steves’ guide books and audio tours.

The reason for our trip was unexpected. After our daughter learned that she was going to intern for two months at Semmelweis University’s medical school, we had the perfect reason to visit. My Hungarian-born friend Kinga Gaspers, who lives in Tucson, taught me basic pronunciation — e.g., Buda-pesht — and gave me a primer on what to expect.

Upon arrival, we settled in an Airbnb apartment on Erzsébet ut, 50 feet from a tram stop and across the street from KFC and Starbucks. (I avoided these the entire time.) We relied on the network of trams, buses and subway for all of our local transportation, using the monthly HUF pass that costs about $36 each.

OTHERS:Reader submitted travel photos

We explored Hősök tere (Heroes’ Square), Széchenyi Baths, Buda Castle Hill, the Great Market, Andrassy ut, House of Terror museum, Danube River cruises, Margaret Island, the Hungarian National Opera, “ruin pubs” (bars in dilapidated buildings); spelunking, the Jewish Synagogue, the Hungarian Parliament tour, a production of “Mamma Mia!” at the Madách Theater (in Hungarian with English surtitles), and a day trip to Lake Balaton at Balatonfüred. We also slipped in a 12-hour excursion (with a two-hour train ride each way) to Bratislava, Slovakia, because well, why not?

Yes, there are touristy shopping areas, but the shopping is not the strong point nor the reason we went, even with a strong dollar and great bargains. Appreciating Budapest means delving into the history of Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg Empire, the Nazi and Communist influences that make this city a case study in how resilient people can be in the face of oppression, and how well they have transformed into a free nation yet with its own set of issues.

The city is not done developing its identity, but the restaurants’ outdoor dining opportunities are delightful, the food is tasty and varied, the beer is far superior to American, the architecture is historical and gorgeous, and although we were cautious, we always felt safe.

The Hungarian language is difficult to learn. But without much trying, we picked up a vocabulary of about 50 words including köszönöm, szia, szívesen, nem, sör, viraj and kijárat (thank you, hello/goodbye, you’re welcome, no, beer, flower, exit). Most young people speak English, which has been taught since the Communists packed up in 1990 and took their mandatory Russian language instruction with them. This made it relatively easy to conduct transactions and navigate. And because almost every restaurant has Wi-Fi, we always found our next destination and eventually our way home.

We also spent two weekends in Vienna (a three-hour train ride from Budapest) and Prague (a six-hour train ride). The vitality of these cities is markedly different than that of Budapest; Budapest definitely lacked the Disney World feel of Prague and Vienna. Next time we go back — and we will — I trust that the people of Hungary will make it even more treasurable.

The writer lives in Phoenix.

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