BUDAPEST

Budapest is one word; but it is two towns separated by the Danube River, as well as a one hour, fifteen-minute plane ride from Frankfurt airport. They have a common language and heritage, but are totally different in their “feel” as well as topography.  Being hilly, and chock full of touristy sites, Buda is a shutterbug’s slice of heaven.  It was here, at the Gellert Hotel/Spa, that our adventures began.  Friends of ours, the Zwack family, decided that Naomi should have a bit of “girly spoiling” at the hands of experts…. More on the Zwacks to follow.  Thus we were honoring an appointment that they had made for her to have a facial massage, eyelash dye, and eyebrow wax.  The Gellert is internationally renown for their “waters” as well as swimming pools and steam baths.  The décor is truly world-class, as is the staff.  After an hour and a half of rubbing, squeezing, creaming and steaming, Naomi emerged from the Gellert with a totally sterile, rejuvenated face, as well as stunning eye-hairs, and ready to check out the local environs.

Our first target was the second largest synagogue in Europe, located in Pest, a more flat, cosmopolitan area, across the bridge from Buda.  A brisk twenty-minute walk brought us to its entrance…. Remember, twenty minutes.  It really is big, as well as ornate.  The interior is quite similar to the old churches of Europe, including lots of stained glass, three levels for worshippers, two little side boxes for chazens, and great acoustics.  From here, it was a short hop to the Jewish Museum, where we met some Holocaust survivors as we were going through the area dedicated to Raoul Wallenberg.  If you’re unfamiliar with him, and his role in saving Jews throughout Europe, get a book.  He was a true giant.  Among the “artifacts” on display were drumheads that the nazis had fashioned from tearing up the Torahs from the temple…Real sensitive folks.  We took our leave, after depositing a donation, and wandered around the Jewish ghetto.  It’s interesting to note that just about every town in every European country has its own Jewish ghetto, complete with street names like Juden Weg, Juden Gasse, and Juden Strasse.

After a bit of a “detour,” we were given wrong directions at a magazine stand, we finally got back to our hotel for a bit of a rest three hours later.  Remember the brisk twenty-minute walk that took us there?  Upon entering our room, we were greeted by a big metal container with a note on top of it that said, “For the Family Horowitz, from the Family Zwack.”  Ordinarily, we’d say, “No big deal.”  However this was different.  The metal container contained the number one liqueur in Hungary, Unicum, which is made by the Zwack family.  Needless to say, we were impressed, as was the hotel staff.  They asked us about the package, and we simply told them that the family Zwack were very good friends of ours, which they truly are.  From that point forth, we were given a slightly royal treatment.  It was neat!  After a bit of a nap, we decided to “hit the streets.”

We stopped at what was labeled a jazz club.  It was anything but.  We took our leave of this fake joint and started walking around the pedestrian zone.  Suddenly there were the sounds of jazz coming from one of the open doors.  We went in, and found a group playing in a small club with peanuts on the tables, and straw on the floor.  I took my pocket trumpet out of my “Crown Royal” bag, and sat in with them for a while.  The people were very appreciative, both vocally and with unlimited drinks.  After about an hour of jazz revelry, we took off to find some dinner.  We found a place with another group playing “Canned Heat” style stuff, as well as the finest Steak Tartar I’ve ever had.  Well hey, this is where Steak Tartar was created.  Naomi was not quite as adventurous, opting for a steak with a “salad inside a pancake.”  Of course the beers were flowing freely.  After sitting in with these guys, and having our wonderful meal, we decided to call it a night and a day… And what a night and day it was.

Up and about early Saturday so that we could go through Naomi’s “menu” of stuff to see and do.  After a typically European breakfast, commonly known at Casa Horowitz as the “cholesterol assault course,” we took off to see the home, and workplace of Franz Liszt.  It was incredible.  Among other wonders, he had a glass piano.  Yes, rather than strings, it had tuned glass plates to sound the notes for the three-octave keyboard.  His work area was rather unique.  In the center of his writing desk, which was only about seven feet from his bed, was a pull-out two and a half octave muted keyboard designed, and given to Liszt by Ludwig Bösendorfer himself…I guess it’s nice to have “juice.”  On the walls were a number of original manuscripts by the artist himself.  It was interesting to note that a great number of the note stems were backwards.  Other than that, the notation was beautiful, and very legible.  Wandering around his “digs,” we saw a Chickering piano, as well as a couple of full-sized Bösendorfers.  He kept apartments in a couple of other European towns, but mainly resided here in Pest.  We finished our gawking after a couple of hours, and called a cab to get over to the Ekel Theatre to get tickets for Aida, which was going to be performed that night.

After buying our tickets, in person due to the fact that they take no credit cards, and no phone reservations, we took off to see Buda.  It was breathtaking.  We asked the cabby to stop at the “Fisherman’s Bastion,” which is at the top of the whole town.  As we started to walk around, and admire the church, etc., it began to rain.  Thus, we were “forced” to seek refuge in the Hungarian Wine Museum, where for $28.00 two people can get “blind” sampling from over six hundred wines with a pair of lovely wine-taster’s glasses.  By virtue of the inclement weather, and the reputation of American tourists at stake, we didn’t want to seem rude to too many varieties as we “hydrated” ourselves into oblivion.  We even managed to buy some of the stuff! 

The rain stopped, and so did we.  And so we emerged from the museum warmer, if not wiser.  After prowling around the bastion, and “ooing, and aahing” at the various sights for an hour or so, it was time for Naomi to prove her affinity for birds.  Yes indeed, there she was with an uncapped falcon perched on her gloved arm, with the owner/trainer nearby, and me taking pictures…with the 300-mm zoom lens.  There is no way I’m getting that close to a feathered predator without proper body armor, and a gun.  Following her display of heroics, we decided to head off to our hotel to sober up for the evening’s performance.

Grand opera, Aida, in Europe is just that, GRAND.  The orchestra, chorus and principals were flawless.  At one point, there were six added “natural trumpet” players on stage; three on each side doing an antiphonal passage that knocked my socks off.  After four hours of this orgy for the senses, it came to an end, and so did our day.

Our last day, Sunday, was the day that we had reserved for the museum which housed the collection of gold artifacts from the 8th Century that were found in a farmer’s field as he was digging up roots.  To use the word “ornate” would be like calling the Grand Canyon a ditch.  It’s amazing what the artisans of that era were able to create.  We walked around a bit, just soaking up the local “feel” before returning to our hotel for the shuttle to take us to the airport and home. 

Other than the “rebuilt” women, Budapest is the European capitol for plastic surgery, as well as implants, etc., it’s a very typical European city from the 1400s, which was bombed, shelled, taken-over, freed, taken-over again, freed, taken-over again, freed, you get the point.  In other words, it’s a delight that should not be missed.  We only regretted that Liszt wasn’t home to have some coffee and cake, and talk about the “old days” with us.