Beahms in Budapest: Round II

Last month after the Nordic volcano eased its virulent spewing, the coast was clear for my parents to arrive. They were originally planning to start their trip one week earlier than they did, and our itinerary included a few stops in Croatia, but Mother Nature pushed our plans back. We still made the best of the slightly shortened time line and toured all around Hungary. It was my dad's first time in Magyar-land and my mom's second go-round.

First we toured around Budapest, and I showed my parents all my favorite restaurants and sites around the city, including a beautiful stroll through the Buda Hills. Normally I don't have time to take guests there, so I was really happy to prove to my parents that foliage and fresh air does in fact exist in this bustling capital. To head to lower ground, we had a death-defying experience on an antique chairlift, which you can read about here. Here is a photo of my parents at the highest lookout in the city:

Naturally, I would be remiss if I didn't encourage my parents to taste the local tipple, so we went to Doblo Wine Bar (our neighborhood haunt which I described here) and took a weekend excursion to Eger, home to Valley of Beautiful Women, where one can hop from cellar to cellar to drink incredibly cheap vintages, about 5o cents a glass.


However, on this particular day the legendary lovely ladies of the region were replaced by Jobbik supporters (Hungary's far-right, anarchist political party). Luckily we were there early enough in the day to avoid any major skinhead drama, and the only irritation stemming from the visit was from a Gypsy violinist who stood uncomfortably close to me and serenaded our table for at least 10 minutes despite all of our body language and uncomfortable glances (and the fact we hadn't tipped him) that encouraged him to move along. I did end up giving him a tip on my way out and he just scowled at me, so I guess he was a mercurial artist.


We got to celebrate my mom's birthday during her trip, so her request was to go to an artistic village just outside Budapest called Szentendre. Set along the Danube I liken it to the Estes Park of Hungary - very picturesque with art galleries and churches galore, although littered with tourist shops. It was only the second time I'd been there, so it was worth the trip. Here is a shot of my parents on Szentendre's walking trail that looks out to the Duna:

Now all of Mike's and my immediate family has made it across the pond, and it's our turn to head back to the US to visit them - a trip we'll undertake in August. I can't wait!

Checking out the Pécs

Last weekend my friend Zsofi and I ventured to Pécs, a town in Southern Hungary, which is unfortunately not pronounced like the muscle group, but like Paych. We went to see the Fringe Festival, which is a weekend long celebration of amateur artists with hundreds of free performances offered all over the city in every genre conceivable. Normally, the festival is in Budapest, but the Festival Center relocated it to Pécs because the city was chosen at Europe's Capital of Culture for 2010.


I expected Pécs to be pretty, but it was downright gorgeous, especially in its quaint downtown. This is partly due to the fact that it's the home of Zsolnay - a famous ceramics and tile manufacturer, so his creative roofs like the one pictured above decorated the city's skyline. However, a huge portion of the city, including its main square was under construction. To get anywhere, we had to loop around fenced-in construction zones and try to avoid the sound of jackhammers. Thus, we decided the city would be more appropriately titled the European Capital of Construction 2010.

Besides the gorgeous roofs, another facet of the city that I immediately loved was its rich religiosity that reflected many of Hungary's political stages. Within a five minute walk of each other, there was an impressive mosque, a stunning cathedral and a synagogue. Since there isn't much Muslim influence in Hungary since the Turks left, the mosque has been converted into a Cathedral church. I found this hybrid fascinating, because the interior was circular, rather than the long aisle to which I've become accustomed. Plus, they've adapted the murals to reflect the stations of the cross, but the style still looks influenced by the East.



However, this shifting denomination works the other way too. The main basilica, picture above, (which was also under construction) was used by the Turks as a mosque, so there was a Moorish influence to the Christian temple too, most evident in its crypt:

Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good shot of the synagogue because of construction blockades, but here's a beautiful performing arts center where we saw a dance troupe. I will write more about the Fringe Festival itself in my creative writing blog: http://marisa-musings.blogspot.com/