Just got into Budapest
 

Came in from Prague

I have some meetings in the morning and hopefully, the afternoon off to look around, never been here. Took a few pics, I'll take some more tomorrow. There's a big old castle ruin on top of the hill across the Danube River in Buda that I want to look at. BTW, the city gets its name from two cities that joined, one on each side of the Danube, Buda+aPest, if you didn't know that. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1174940475.jpg
There is a big Van Gogh exhibit at the museum that I might stop by if I have time.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1174940575.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1174940629.jpg

I think this is called Hero's Square, (War veterans) and it dates back to the late 1800's but a pic I saw in the hotel that looks different. Looks like an OK city, but not the beauty of Prague. As I understand it, Hitler spared Prague from bombing because he wanted to live there. I believe Budapest got the crap hammered out of it in WWII by the Russians, Germans, British, Americans, etc. I think I saw what looked like a bunch of Soviet occupation-era block apartment housing on the way in from the airport.

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njoy the good eatin' there Hugh...and the chicks there aren't to bad either :D

Been to see the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam 3 times now as his paintings are worth the look see.

Prague and Budapest are on my must see list...after the Dalmatian Coast from Croatia to Greece.

Tried a street cafe on Vaci utca, the street where the Rolex, Hermes, Luis Vuitton, etc. stores are and the food was very good and not that expensive. As far as the latter, I'm very happily married.

Hugh you are married so just look! :) Want a laugh, go to the doorman or service desk at almost any good hotel in Budapest and ask for their book of ladies. They carry a book with photos of the working girls who are in the area. Never gave in but it was difficult to say no at times.

Most people under 50 or so in Hungary are very nice and most of them speak English. There are a lot worse places for a single guy to spend time.

Also there are a lot of ex-pats living there going to school or just slumming around. Its a very foreigner friendly city.

Hugh. There are women there that would change your mind. An hour at a time.

Budapest is awesome. Beautiful people (women esp.) and the best food I have had in Europe. I do not remember the place I went to, but go to your concier and ask for the best place for dinner in Budapest, price is not object.

It is a little Chateu on a hill about 30 mins outside of town, all set meals, about 20 tables total. Bunch of black BMWs and MBs parked outside. Costed $150 for 2 with 2 bottles of wine and a 10 course meal. This was 6 years ago so might cost more now ;)

If you want to get out and see the countryside, drive out to Gyoer on the way to Vienna. Beautiful little town. I went there and bummed around Veszprem and Balaton Lake back in 1989 before the Berlin Wall fell. In those days you could still see the East German Trabbis parked near the border and the people wandering through the fields to freedom in Austria. Great experience.

Am dating a woman who did this back in the late summer/early fall of 1999 from one of the Eastern Bloc countries into Austria. Walked across the border with her family, carrying only what they could carry and leaving the rest behind.

Freedom is a very powerful thing...

Alf.

The restaurant you are thinking of has to be Gundel. It is a culinary temple - and although tourists now predominate, it is still worth the visit. You have to eat heavy - but its worth it. Last time I had a duck menu. Six courses I think: all variations on a duck theme. Outrageous fois gras etc.

LOVE BUDAPEST.
I have travelled quite a bit (over 25+ trips to Europe) and lived there for a while, and found Budapest to be one of the greatest cities in the world.

The people. The FOOD! The city of lights. The history. The history. The Danube.

My favorite cities: Paris, Madrid, Budapest, NYC, Nice, Lugano, Hong Kong!:cool:

Man I want to go there...I was on the Danube in Belgrade this past fall
and the next trip will be farther North. Those are some nice pictures
of things to see. Tell us about the girls.

Speaking of Gyor (there should be an umlaut over the o, but this PelicanSite won't let me put it over the o), that's where the Audi TT is constructed, as well as most of the engines for Audi.

As for other things Hungarian, check out my street, named after me, Andrasi-utca (utca is Hungarian for street, and Andras means it belongs to Andras). Just kidding, it's named after the King Andras II, whose statue is in that Hero's Square (which, by the way has statues of many of the other kings of Hungary).

The Hungarian name of Hungary is Magyarorszag, which means Land of the Magyars, just like Deutscheland means Land of the Deutsch, where out favorite cars are made (except for their engines, I guess).

Anyway, check out any restaurant that has the word "pince" in it. "Pince" means basement, where a lots of the best resraurants are located, in the basement of old castles or important building. One that comes to mind is the Matyaspince ( the basement of Matyas), and these usually have strolling violinists circulating amongst the diners. Eating while listen to gypsy music is fun.

We're going to Budapest in the fall, with my American wife and America kids, but I guess that's not unusual since now I am also American.

Viszontlatasra!!!

Andras,

Thanks, I've found it pretty easy to get around went to the Palace in Buda and Heroes Square, the chain bridge, House of Parliment, St. Stephans Basilica, and lot more. Subways and trams run about every 2 minutes. I find the prices of things to be reasonable, and maybe a little cheaper than Los Angeles, but not a whole lot cheaper.

Ooooh, Hugh, I see you have one of my favorites also, the DB4.

Have you had a chance to "kick the tires" of the new 2007 Vantage? I want to go down to the local dealer in my 911 SC, and see if I can garner some flashy brochures, and perhaps a test ride. We had a new Vantage show up at the PCA Drivers' Ed at Moroso a few weeks ago, and it looks much smaller in person than in the photos, about the same size as the 911.

Keep enjoying Budapest. It's also a great place in which to retire, as housing is much less than in the States, the food is excellent, and Hungary is so close to oll of Europse, Russia, and other places which are fasciniating to visit.

Enjoy Hugh. Let me know of any good restaurants you run across.

We'll be there in late June. Budapest, Eger, Gyor, Vienna, Sopron. Visiting my wife's family & touristing.

Ian

Hi Ian,

Sopron is very near Szombathely, where I was born. Was your wifie born in Sopron? If you're in Sopron, you guys might also want to visit Lake Balaton, especially Tihany, where there are nice restairants, a lovely church, and great views to the south, across the lake.

Enjoy the wines of Eger, and check out the Porsche engine factory in Gyor.

Cool. I gotta make it back to my homeland soon. The wifey hasn't been yet, so we gotta start planning.

It is way off the beaten-path, but there's a tiny little town nestled in the foothills of the Zempleni wilderness/forest in the north east corner of the country. The town is called Hejce. Got a few friends up there. Beautiful town where time has literally stood still.

If you make it up that way, visit the old convent/monostery and make sure to stop in the chapel. The upper windows in that chapel are amazing -- actually, they aren't real, but a set of paintings done so well, you have to see it to believe it.

My mom grew up in Karcag, which is just south of Hejce, near a bigger town called Nyiregyhaza. All part of the great "Alfold" or great plains of Hungary.

Budapest, Gyor, Szeged, Nyiregyhaza -- all beautiful cities.

Gotta get back there...
-Z-man.

Ah yes, I remember that name Sopron. Yes, Lake Balaton is worth a visit! I swam there many years ago.

Andras,

You CAN put an umlaut on Pelican!

Györ!

ö is made by holding the ALT key down then hit numbers 148
Ä 142
ë 137

This is old fashioned ASCII coding. For more information and other characters, look here:
http://www.kerryr.net/pioneers/ascii4.htm

We had to learn this years ago while living in Germany and using American computer keyboards and typing in both German and English.