Asko Korpela
We did our usual autumn trip with our American friends Melva and John. Earlier we have done similar trips of a couple of days to Tallinn, Riga, Vyborg and now the most recently to Vilna. (There is no story about the trip to Vilna, but photos were made.) Every time we have been quite satisfied. So now also. This time more than ever, because the trip was particularly well planned (Salli and Tuula) and everything went precisely along the plans.
20120827-30 Hotel Kempinski *****
City tour, Horse Show,
Duna Cruize, Market Hall, Friends,
Cards
The Flight from Helsinki to Budapest takes only somewhat over two hours. There is also breakfast on the plane, a small filledbread and some coffee or tea. On this trip you do not get tired as you do on way to the South. At arrival there is an interesting queuing system for hotel limousines. You stand in line like in pharmacy, get started as you see your number on the screen. The trip from airport to the hotel takes at least half an hour, together with the lining almost a third of the duration of the flight. I suspect that such a long taxi ride turns out costly, but not so: only 30 euro for four persons. It does not seem to be too expensive.
City tour. At the hotel we just turn around, because rooms are delivered only in the afternoon. Oh yes, we did not just turn around, but were sitting quite a while in the lounge waiting for our guide and transport. So we had enough time to taste some Hungarian speciality. I asked for bone soup. No bone soup, but a superdelicious Hungarian gulash soup (gulyasleves). We had ordered a couple of hours city tour with an English speaking guide, arranged by our old friend Tuula Kovacs. According to Tuula there will be an old acquaintance József as our minicoach driver. It was, but not that József which I expected. Our guide is Klára. With energy she explains everything for us: Parliament, Heroes' square, Art museum, then to Buda side and Gellert Hill.
It is said that from Gellert opens one of the most beautiful city views of the whole Europe over the Duna river. I have seen it several times, as well as taken pictures of it. Here the Duna splits the city into two parts and beautiful bridges bind the parts together. So broad is the river that the bridges are not just any bridges whatever. Each of them has its own, well-known history and they have been real efforts in their building time. We did not climb to the top of the hill, but saw well and photographed the stylish statue of Liberty (earlier of Liberation), woman rising the beautifylly arching palm leaf over her head as a sign of peace. This statue was not collected to the Memorial park among the other art works of the Soviet time. Really worth seeing. Now we did not go there, but have been there earlier.
After the tour we return to the hotel in surprisingly good shape to accomodate ourselves and to take an afternoon nap. In the evening we go to a near-by folk restaurant, actually a café 'Alter Ego' by name, a hundred of yards away from the hotel. The food and the wine are good if not excellent. From the bill we see that I have eaten Marha pörkölt - beef stew (F1650 = €6.1 = $7,9). A quite typical Hungarian portion, but the real hit is this time the cottage cheese pie (F550=€2.0=$2.63). Only now I pay attention that we were served, on Hungarian standards, quite expensive wine, and on top of all, it was not Hungarian, but Portuguese (F3750=€13,9=$18), this we did not intend, but that happens if you do not pay attention. Just now I do not remember any other wine prise on this trip, but some ten years ago I ordered in my hotel restaurant a botle of Egri bikaver wine wondering wheter it would be expensive. I almost fell from the chair hearing that it was just 100 forint more expensive in the restaurant than in a shop, something like 500 forints, that is one seventh of the price of this Portuguese. Yes, the trip took place already in 1997, but the prices I remembered correctly. Almost as the king of redwines would I ready like to nominate this Eger wine. I must remember to buy it next time, if available in Finland now, because for some time ago it was not.
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Horse Show. Then we will experience something very Hungarian: a horse ranch in the Pusta. József is again our driver and Tuula our hostess. About an hour out of the city. The menu and the program had been checked already in Finland by the internet. Új Tanya Csárda is the name of the place. At the beginning a small cart trip around the buildings in the park was done. As far as I remember correct, there are some hundred horses on the farm. It did not become clear to which purposes they all are used. The most precious among them are the Austrian-Spanish Lippizzaner horses. We have heard of them also earlier. Maybe also seen, now in any case. After the roundtrip we will have a beautiful riding show, any kind of movement with carts and without, just walking and in wild galop, and in ballet-like steps. The auditorium resembles our country side summer theatre. The track goes around a small bush and tree area. At rates the speed is very high and the riders run in an amazingly dense group. There are no helmets, not even saddles. Some times they are seated, sometimes standing on a horse. And in front there are sometimes galloping a group of four horses in a well-disciplined manner.
Then horses are brought to ground on their flanks. There they lie and riders jump and exercise on them. Calmly has the horse to tolerate the man on the hip and still must it this and that way wave the head. Didn't they stand up even with the riders holding on them without touching land at all?! I won't swear the oath. Then a crop was swung, swung and bang. I well remember that in 1970's I brought from Hungary as a souvenir a crop and learned to bang it too. A couple of years ago I tried again. Wihtout success, it hit my eyes. Now I stay behind on walk to the stables to train secretly in order to show the others when they return. A couple of times I get it, but not continuously. The stable master, the equerry praises me: correct technique, but additional power is needed. In priciple the technique is to whirl the crop around fast and then suddenly change the direction with a smal jerk. Believe it or not: the loud bang is caused by the soft end of the crop moving supersonically. Is it true or not. That is what is told. - Yes the round trip walkers did not return this way. I could not show the bang. Maybe it would not have succeeded either.
This time there were several coachloads of French tourists and at least one Italian, because the show was very nicely explained in those languages. Strangely no Germans, nor Japanese, who are present everywhere. We were given a summary of the show on a laminated sheet in English, or was it in Finnish. The audience had also the chance to perform. To hit a bottle with the crop down from the top of a pole. Some even succeeded and got the full bottle as a reward. At the end a hat was put around to collect tips (borravaló) for the riders.
After the riding show there was leisurely being in the yard neighbourhood. Then a tasty lunch was served in an open air, but straw-roofed restaurant. I don't remember whether the lunch was begun by raising a glass of pálinka (apricot liqueur), but already when we arrived to the tanya there were girls offering small glasses of pálinka to welcome us. Mighty gulyash pots were carried to the tables. It surely did not turn out insufficient. I had completely in vain ordered still the main course. And don't even remember what it was, genuine Hungarian, anyway. Whatever did this cost. It did not seem to be expensive in advance, nor the minibus coach ride with all services included. We were very satisfied with the program of the day. Didn't we even go out for supper that evening. Yes we went to a supermarket and had a cup of tea afterwards.
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The river cruize. After the reggeli, breakfast, we walk according to the advice of brochures to the neighboring hotel, in front of which there should be a stop of a round trip coach with a boat trip on Duna river included. We are no more interested in bus ride but want to go directly to the ship. A taxi would bring us. The ship company man orders a taxi for us and mentioned the price. It seems to us very low. A natural explanation: the ship starts about a half kilometre away. A glance on a map would have shown it us. Perhaps we would not have walked anyway, because the temperature had risen to 30 centigrades already. The taxi redoubles the trip, of course going around some blocks and coming back where started and then direct to the ship, did some tricks in parking also. We do not care to protest, even if the price is 1,5 times what had been promised, scarcely two euros per person, anyway.
We have plenty of time to wait for the departure of the ship, but there is no chance to sit on the narrow path to the ship. Leaning to the balustrade in a 30 degree heat, no pleasant experience. Particularly as just standing on two legs is difficult for me having almost an inch of difference in the length of legs. Strange that it has not bothered earlier (than during the past five years or so) because the reason: a deformed angle of the hipbone has always been there.
Friends. After the cruize, we have proper time to rest before the next, as a matter of fact, the last point of program: meeting our Hungarian friends. After some extra waiting appear our ancient (from about 1970) friend Éva and her friend Márta, acquainted also with her some ten years ago, especially me, to whom both ladies have given training twice one week in speaking the Hungarian language. Now we remembered our trips to Debrecen and Pannonhalma. I had particularly demanded that we go now to one of the restaurants where we had been those earlier times. So we did, by using the metro a couple of stops and the rest walking, Alföldi étterem (restaurant). There we have eaten the Hungarian fish soup, halás lé, more than once earlier. Is it now on the menu? Yes. Nobody has anythinbg against ordering it now, too.
In a nice way talkative waiter joins us and the spirits are high from the very beginning. We are six persons. The waiter says, however, that he brings us four portions of the soup. They should be sufficient. So they did. I was pondering an explanation to this kind of marketing trick. Found two. Two big kettles. Could also be brought for four persons, but of course there were enough for six. The customers are satisfied, as they so advantageously get six portions. Come another time to such a generous place. Another explanation: the soup was perhaps rest from yesterday. Not perhaps first class any more. It even caused small stomach pains next night. But genuine Hungarinan halas lé (fish soup) anyway. I do not know which kind of fish. It seemed to me, several different. From Balaton, as I have understood, about the same fish are caught as from the Finnish lakes: pike, walleye, whitefish. So I will remember. Palacsinta (pancake) as desert with coffee. - And the weather is like bird milk, as they say in Finland.
Pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. Some Hungarian I also spoke. I stated that the last time was with these same ladies over two years ago. Reading I have done almost every day, as I now am working the 50 Hungarian books I bought for 100 euro some two years ago. Already some months ago I was in the situation where I had since 1964 read the most pages in Hungarian, that is even more than in Finnish!
Now we ride with tram to our hotel and say good bye to the two merry widows. Even they seem to be satisfied and send regards afterwards for the nice evening. We still acquainted with the supplies of the nearby market and drank a cup of tea, although nothing would have been needed. The others bought some small souvenirs. I am the worst souvenir buyer, a hopeless case. Usually a couple of sardine conseves as a sample! Now even not that. And no Unicum, the excellent liquor, which once caused a matehmatical problem in the airport. What is the volume of a ball? Solutions were then emailed when arrived and checked at home.
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Next morning, before the flight back home, we still search the breakfast at a more moderate price. No success. Opposite Gerbeaud, at least 300 m on the trottoir of the square seems to be an ordinary terrace café. Breakfast ok, but not different from the earlier, neither quality nor price. Breakfast in Hungary seems not to be any peak of gourmandise. This is the conclusion. Maybe there are also different experiences on earlier trips.
Flight home in the middle of the day. Something was served on the plane again, but nowadays nothing special, as years ago. With the trip in general, we are very satisfied indeed. No doubt about that.
Cards. One foolish important thing almost forgotten: considering that this might be my last trip abroad because of me getting old and motioning being so heavily supported by a stick (or two, in fact). Therefore I decided to send according to my habit the 'own card' to practically all people whose addresses were gathered to my collection during years and decades. That is what I did: I prepared 240 post cards, texts ready in Finnish, English and Russian. No big trouble considering the number of cards. But expensive. I remembered already from before that mailing is not very low-priced in Hungary. Going to Pusta we stopped in a small town (Lajosmisze) and I went to the post office. Ok, it works, but not direct with the credit card. First must be exchanged money, then paid in Hungarian forints. Up to now I have understood that a post card from all over in the world to everywhere in the world costs the same. So I woud remember also in Hungary previously. But not now. First I said that I am sending cards all over to the world. The total would be F72 000 (=€264=$343). Then when I stated that 235 cards in Europe and 5 to America, the price dropped to F56275 (=€208=$270). Now the Visa bill having arrived, I see that the sum was €262,14(=$340) for those F72000 which I bought before the final fare was found.
I guess that many consider me a fool for this reason, but what do I care. Every time these cards have brought me news from people with whom I have had no contact for years. Now there are already some, although I forgot to put my address on the card and misspelled my email address. I noticed this only when all cards done! No nerve to do it again. Also you, dear reader of this story, please send a small notice and tell your news. Pleasant reading. I will return for sure. This is a hobby for me. Here a link to my hitherto card designs. This new card must also be joined, as I see.
Thursday: + 3445 steps (2,1 km) = 23812 steps (14,3 km)
o Total cost of the trip per person about €800.
Our earlier trips to Hungary:
201003
o 200810
o 200704
o 200511
o 200209
o 199805
o 199710
o 199506
Our earlier pictures:
198608 ESEM Budapest (57)
o 197305 Budapest (13) !!
Asko Korpela 20120918 (20120918) o Ajk Homepage o Ajk Travelpage o WebMaster