“Look up,” is what we were instructed to do some twenty-five years ago when first we came to Budapest. And those words remain to this day as something of a mantra to be given to friends and visitors who arrive as strangers to this most captivating of cities.
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| A typical apartment building on the Pest side of the Danube. |
So it was earlier this week we had occasion to be in the main post office of our district. Now, this is something in the past we would avoid unless absolutely necessary. Notwithstanding the long queues, a legacy of the previous, socialist regime, all too often we would finally arrive at the window only to have the curtain swept across, indicating the position closed, with no other possibility but to rejoin another line. Even then there remained the concern of having the correct papers for whatever transaction we hoped to effect. Never was purchasing a postage stamp more difficult.
But all that, as with so much else, has changed. The post office counter staff have obviously all graduated from charm school, the endless queues are replaced with a numbered ticket system and, armed with our ‘ID for Foreigners’, we romp through the business of the day.
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| Falk Miksa utca - a tree lined street close to the Parliament. |
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| Architectural detail in Falk Miksa utca. |
Anyway, less we digress further, we positively skipped out of the post office in near record time and, taking full advantage of the warm sunshine, headed off in the direction of the numerous antique shops to be found in Falk Miksa utca, one stop away on the 4-6 tram.
Alas, either we were too early in the day (it seems that the opening hours of antique shops do not conform to a regular pattern) or, in anticipation of the long weekend coinciding with All Saints’ Day (a public holiday in Hungary), the owners had decided to absent themselves. Whatever, as our American friend would have said, “What are you going to do?”
Answer, nothing, beyond enjoy the day. Which we did, wandering through some of the streets and squares we had not visited in some time, looking up as we went.
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| The Parliament, glimpsed through the trees. |
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| Vigadó tér with the recently restored concert hall. |
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| Once the headquarters of a shipping line, soon to become an hotel. |
One of the joys of Budapest is the proximity to the Danube which, rising in Germany, snakes its way through Hungary on its journey towards the Black Sea. The panorama, as part of a city landscape, is surely like no other and, particularly seen at night, can never be forgotten.
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| Looking up to the Liberty Statue and the Citadel positioned high above the Danube. |
A city by a river has always a particularly interesting layout and views, I think. And looking up is an advice I have been following myself for many years, often rewarded with amazing glimpses of detail one would never notice otherwise. Something I also do in terms of looking up - or down - or across:
ReplyDeleteWhen I am inside a building, say, a boring-looking office block where I have a meeting with a client, or the waiting room of my optician or dentist, or even something as banal as the toilet in a shopping mall, I make sure to look out of the window, usually to enjoy an unfamiliar perspective of a familiar street or square.
By the way, your Morning Room looks very inviting.
Darling Meike,
DeleteThank you for your comment.
We can certainly see from your own blog posts that you notice details in whatever direction, up, down or sideways, that they may be. It is, as you say, intriguing that even in the most surprising of places or situations one can discover elements wich add a magical element to the everyday.
Our Morning Room catches the morning light year round, so hence its name. In recent years it has become a gallery space with a baby grand piano for entertainment when we can persuade someone to play.
Dear Lance and Jane, I really like your answer to the question of what you will do: Nothing, except enjoy the day. It is a perfect answer.
ReplyDeleteYes, and you have to look up while you are there, because you can see wonders.
Thank you for sharing this answer with us, which is useful for everyone.
The view of Budapest during the days and at nights is beautiful. I have seen both, and it is good that you can see them while walking.
All the best. Éva from Sopron
Darling Éva,
DeleteThank you for your comment.
Budapest at night really is a magical place as you say. indeed, whenever we wonder why we live there we go out and look at the Danube panorama at night. With buildings lit, the river shimmer and the inky black sky, it is definitely a place of utmost beauty.
We are masters of the art of doing nothing which we like to couple with thinking a lot. We feel lucky to not work and have each day present itself as a blank page on which a new adventure can be written.
What a beautiful area! I would love to be able to explore it one day! I see postal workers are the same all over. Our postal workers here are some of the rudest people we encounter second only to Secretary of State workers. Thankful to be able to conduct most of my business with them online!
ReplyDeleteDear Jeanette,
DeleteThank you for your comment.
It was a big cultural difference coming to Budapest and experiencing the postal system. Like you, we were very much used to dealing with things online but, even buying a stamp here is a complicated business and requires a personal trip to the Post Office.
Long ago we gave up using the postal service and made sure that we told everyone we knew in the UK not to send items to us in the post as they regularly "disappeared".
However, at least the ticket system speeds things up and our local Post Office has some very kind workers.
How could anyone look DOWN in such a place of beauty and history, when there are such art and architecture and PEOPLENESSES to be met? The timeless forests of marble and stone wear their centuries like a shining cloak, with such grace and interest and welcoming vistas---oh, to imagine the former footsteps in all those halls and stairways!
ReplyDeleteI must say, my own only brush with anything through a legal lens was the recent morning when I was a bit reticent to go and do that pesky driver's license renewal---after "a certain age" we have to appear personally, and I so hoped they wouldn't have me proving myself in one of those parallel parking ordeals---I haven't ever had need of such a necessity, and my little ordained path through grocery, Post Office, a pick-up restaurant or two, and the big medical pavilion suffices for all our needs. But #12 in that huge room of chairs was the most gracious lady, smiling and deft and quite pleasant for the five minutes of reciprocal Look-Through-This and Here's my Card. Niceties all around. So go most of my adventures in my small, circumscribed itinerary to keep us in good health and humor.
Your denizenhood of such a wonderfully kept, beautifully laid-out city is something I'd ride three streetcars and a balky mule to simply STROLL and LOOK---such magnificence sends me backward into Dick and Jane territory with my eager grabs for more. And I like to think that these are almost exactly the wonders and sights seen by our Sweetpea---a high-school SENIOR and member of the Concert and Marching band, whose travels in Summer sent them on what our dear mutual friend ASD called "a lovely arc through Europe," as they were invited to perform at the Louvre and in London, Germany, Switzerland, and Prague. She was entirely rapt with the architecture, and with all the "streets with so many statues." What a lovely place you were born to, and how fabulous your choices of home.
Darling Rachel,
DeleteThank you so very much for your heartwarming comment.
We were delighted to think of Sweetpea travelling in an "arc through Europe" and venturing behind what we knew of as the 'Iron Curtain' and now we refer to as the 'Lace Curtain'. The architecture here and in Prague, a near neighbour, is truly remarkable and well worth a close look. So many fascinating details but often tantalisingly out of reach.
And, how wonderful to learn that Sweetpea is musical. We are fortunate to have a thriving musical life in Budapest with many concert halls and orchestras. No marching bands yet though!!
Yes, strolling and looking are favourite pastimes for us. How perfect it would be to do this arm in arm with you.
I should be DEEEELIGHTED to walk with you two---thrice arm-in-arm on wide streets. I claim Middlespot, for my customary posture in any museum, antiques store or gallery is always with both hands behind my back a la Samuel Pickwick (I am told I have his good humor, appreciation of good food, and great curiosity for all things to be learned).
ReplyDeleteI can visualize---my usual walking garb---clogs with socks (shhh) and all pink apparel, between you two fashionable strollers tucked out for a DEE-YOR fitting and the Ritz for tea.
I'll meet you anywhere you can bear to be seen with such a bumpkin.
Darling Rachel,
DeleteWhat a marvellous idea. We could all three be in head to toe pink!! Now, that would be something of a sight in Budapest. Or, we could be green, red and white in the colours of the Hungarian flag. Whatever, it would not matter as we would have our conversation to keep us warm and completely entranced. No time for looking up, for sure!!:):)
No Dior gowns or suits here and we have yet to grace the Ritz [although we have a friend who LIVED in the Ritz for YEARS but that is quite another story].
For now, we can be content that, once more we are connected virtually...how we have missed you.
Hello Jane and Lance, You are a happy pair--I can see that neither of you are cursed with vertigo, or you would not recommend looking up with such enthusiasm. Even some of your upward-angled shots bothered my sense of balance. However, my dislike does not extend to John Philip Sousa's "Looking Upward Suite" (all three parts of which can be found on Youtube--I highly recommend the renditions by the U.S. Marine Band).
ReplyDeleteTaiwan has also adopted the numbered ticket system to most wait-in-line situations. I don't think it makes it much faster, but at least there is not the frustration of always being stuck in the slowest line.
--Jim
Darling Jim,`
DeleteThankfully, we do not generally have a problem in looking up although these days we take care to move our heads rather more slowly than we once did. We are sorry to hear that you suffer from such problems, these things can really make one nervous about the great outdoors.
We have never heard of the music you mention, but we shall be sure to find it and listen. Marine bands have long held a fascination for us, so much precision and the instruments are always gleaming. How they coordinate playing the instrument, looking at the music and walking in perfect step is a mystery!
We have never visited Taiwan but at least we are prepared for the ticket queuing system. Believe us when we say that it has been a lifeline here in the Post Office which resembled a rugby scrum previously.
I've always thought Budapest would be an interesting city to visit. After seeing your photos, I know they would.
ReplyDeleteDear Jeanie,
DeleteThank you for your comment.
Yes, we can certainly recommend Budapest as a city with great architecture, a fascinating although rather sad history, a café culture and a beautiful situation on the banks of the Danube. The language is impenetrable but that adds to the experience. Perhaps one day you can be tempted to visit?
When looking up you do see some wonderful and amazing things, especially if there are tall buildings, trees and so on.
ReplyDeleteThe Post Office, that seems a great idea, take a ticket. The Banks down here used to have a similar system with seats once, but, alas no more.
It's pleasing you enjoyed your walk looking up.
Take care.
Darling Margaret,
DeleteThank you for your kind comment.
sometimes it does pay one to look in a number of directions in order not to miss the tiny things that can make life so interesting and beautiful.
You may be pleased to know that the banks in Budapest have both a ticket queuing system and seats...lots of seats. This is because the service is so slow that one can almost be in there all day for the simplest of transactions. In addition, presumably to pay for the seats, the banking charges are horrendously high. Online banking from the comfort of an armchair is our preferred choice.:):)
Hi Jane and Lance - good to be here with you. I'd have loved to see Budapest .. but sadly never got there and now I'm unable to travel far - if at all ... but that's life. Living vicariously is fine!! Someone here one day was telling me about their trip to Buda or Pest - can't remember which - but they were determined to tell me about the horrors of the war and I asked them not to ... she carried on - put me off! & I was cross: very cross!. However some of my favourite books are by Patrick Leigh Fermor ... when he narrates his walking travels across that part of the European continent. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteDarling Hilary,
DeleteThank you for your comment and we very much appreciate your being here too!
We can understand the difficulties you have of travelling and, like you, we do find that virtual travel on the Blogosphere does compensate in some measure. We very much enjoy being transported to all corners of the globe from our armchairs.
We too very much enjoy the writing of Patrick Leigh Fermor and rather think of him as an Indiana Jones type character who seems to attract adventure wherever he goes. We have a collection of his books and added to them when a friend wrote about Fermor's experiences when passing through Hungary.
Buda and Pest are on either side of the Danube and are quite different in character. In broad terms, C18 Buda and C19 Pest so there is lots to see and enjoy and we shall hope to bring you more on these pages.:):)
Dear Jane, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting your blog. A very interesting read with very nice photos. It is lovely visiting other countries through your splendid photography. Thank you very much for visiting me and following my blog. I tried to do the same here, but I got a 'failed to publish' message unfortunately. I have had a similar problem with others, but I will try again on my next visit.
ReplyDeleteDarling Denise,
DeleteThank you for your comment.
We are delighted that you found something of interest to read. If you have never visited Budapest, then we can certainly provide you with a number of insights into this strange and beautiful city.
And, thank you for trying to Follow. Blogger always seems to come up with strange quirks which give problems. At present we seem to lose part of our Reading List.... ah well, try, try again as the saying goes!!
Lance and Jane, I am happy to have found your blog again as I seem to recall reading it in the past or maybe a past life? Going to the post office to buy a stamp postal seems like it was a complicated process, so good to read it’s easier. While your plan to visit the antique shops did not work out, spending the day exploring and wandering seemed a perfect alternative. Also, we were able to see the results.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on my blog and to answer your ? My name is Dorothy and Beatrice is an alias from when we started years ago and it has remained.
Darling Dorothy,
DeleteThank you for your comment and the name clarification. Just writing this makes me think of magical yellow brick roads!!
Yes, we started our blog many years ago and we were in contact then. Unlike you, we have been distracted from the Blogosphere and have had many absences. So, it is particularly wonderful to reconnect with our blog chums from those early times.
Buying a stamp in Budapest is indeed complicated. First they are only to be bought in a Post Office. Secondly, there is a complicated system for working out the cost of the stamp depending on the size of the letter, the country of destination etc.etc. which, seemingly, only an official Post Office employee can work out!! And, finally, the 'stamp' is what in Britain we would call a mark made by a franking machine and, obviously, that is only available in...yes, you have guessed....the Post Office.:):)
Forgot to ask, what does the name of your blog mean? The name of ours was what we whimsically called our VA home, which was not an inn, but a purposeful misspelling of penguin.
ReplyDeleteDarling Dorothy,
DeleteThank you for the clarification of your blog title.
Yes, as you now realise, Hattatt is our surname. As it happens, we are the only Hattatts [with 4 t's] in Europe so that is our claim to fame and from which there is no escape!
Jane and Lance, Please ignore my previous comment as I realized it is your last name. What was I thinking?
ReplyDeleteDarling Dorothy,
DeleteNow I have written this magical greeting three times. Should I now make a wish?!:):)
Thanks Jane and Lance and if I could grant a wish would gladly do so. The fortunate thing about my name is that it is a memory trigger as I tell people to think of The Wizard of Oz to recall it. Thanks too for your explanation of your last name with four Ts .
DeleteAnd, yes, it is nice to reconnect with blogger friends. We are considering a river cruise in the future and Budapest may be included, perhaps one day we will meet. We also hope to return to the UK 🇬🇧
Darling Dorothy,
DeleteAmazingly, you would not be the first to sail down the Danube on a river cruise and meet us in Budapest. Usually the ships stay a little while in Budapest as the panorama is a wonderful sight. If you do this in the future, then be sure to let us know! What fun it would be.
Sad to say, on each of our returns to England, we find the country a rather sad shadow of its former self. Brexit has not served it well in our view.
Some fantastic architecture from way back when where you live.
ReplyDeleteDarling Kirk,
DeleteThe architecture all across Budapest is wonderful. In Pest, where we are, the architecture is mainly C19 when there was an enormous house building boom. In Buda, on the other side of the Danube, the buildings were mainly destroyed in the war but they have been rebuilt faithfully to their C18 origins. So, very different styles across Budapest.
Wow, it looks gorgeous! How frustrating that earlier post office experience must have been. I want to take a cruise along the Danube. Such lovely buildings…
ReplyDeleteDear Cherie,
DeleteThank you for your comment. You really cannot imagine the torture of buying a stamp!!
We have just seen the lovely images of your Hawaiian cruise and think that the experience of floating down the Danube would be rather different!! Nevertheless, the architecture of Budapest is spectacular and would, we think, be something which you would very much enjoy. In particular, the Danube panorama at night in Budapest is magical.
You always know a tourist or a visitor to a city, as they are always looking up. All the locals are busy just getting on with their everyday life. Thanks for popping by my blog and commenting.
ReplyDeleteDear Gill,
DeleteThank you for your comment.
Alas, we often find that tourists spend a huge amount of time looking nowhere except into their mobile phones either to take 'selfies' or follow directions by GPS. If only they would really look instead of just seeing, then perhaps they would notice the extraordinary details that exist everywhere.
We cannot count as tourists in Budapest any more as we have now been in Budapest for 25 years, more time than many of our young Hungarian friends have been alive.:):)
Beautiful city!
ReplyDeleteDear Christine,
DeleteThank you for your comment. Budapest is indeed very beautiful and magical by night.
Thinking of your blog and the delicious cauliflower soup, Hungarian restaurants always serve an amazing range of soup [leves] as it is very popular. The addition of paprika, also a favourite with Hungarians, would make your soup a winner here.
It's always fun to play tourist in our own hometowns! Yours is exquisite! LA is so big that it's still possible to experience new things and places, even for this local girl! xoxo (p.s. glad to see you back in Blogville)
ReplyDeleteDear Savannah,
DeleteThank you for your kind comment.
It is indeed fun to be a tourist in one's own city from time to time and Budapest is very accessible for making explorations. When we first came to Budapest we bought a book which was composed of guided walks of different lengths around the city, pointing out not only the main points of interest but also those more hidden treasures. It served us well and deepened our understanding of Bundapest in particular and Hungary in general. The book was also particularly useful in alerting us to cafés, bars and restaurants along the way!!
When I visited Budapest in 2017 we stayed in the Jewish quarter. Before I knew where our AirB&B was I admired the imposing angels (I think) on a building. I was delighted to find the apartment was in that building. We had a splendid time in the city and I really would like to go back.
ReplyDeleteHello,
DeleteThank you for your comment.
Well, if your last visit was in 2017, then it is definitely time to come again to Budapest. So much has changed in that time and much of the change is definitely for the better.
The Jewish Quarter remains a popular tourist spot and, as you surely know, the synagogue in Budapest is the largest in Europe. Whatever, we are delighted to read that you enjoyed your time here.
A point of news is that, from January, 2026, the 6th district of Budapest will not have any AirBnB apartments. There was a vote and these apartments will be banned as local residents find them a source of nuisance. However, since 2017, the number of hotels in Budapest has mushroomed, so you will not be short of accommodation.:):)
Looking UP!! Just now in looking more at your beloved Rosenstein, Soverra led me to New York Cafe'---and you phrased it perfectly---UP is the only way to go. The menu and music would be collateral to the majestic magic of that great length and rise of such grace and beauty. I've looked my eyes full, and wonder that you ever need the food, with such wonders to take in.
ReplyDeleteThose filigree corners, the lofty columns seeming carved or grown from Mother-of-Pearl, the happy presence of all the Putti and paintings, I cannot encompass nor describe. It must be a copy of Poseidon's great music box, laid down for mortal joy. I harbor doubt that mere hands accomplished such a feat of magic, and pray you have this great Wonder on your favorites list. I have no more words, just amazement. Thank you SO much for this circuitous wandering to such enjoyment and delightful viewing---I would never have had this fabulous hour save for this happy bit of lagniappe-turned-magical.
Darling Rachel,
DeleteThank you so much for your interesting comment.
We are delighted that we have sent you searching and looking up things about Budapest. And, how intriguing that your gimlet eye should have alighted upon the New York Café since therein lies an extraordinary tale.
When we first came to Budapest in 2000, the New York Café was a burnt-out shell with a Russian tank in the middle of it. It was, as you can imagine, an extraordinary sight. The café had been a popular place for intellectuals and dissidents of the day to meet [it sits in a working class area of the city] and the owner had announced, whilst ceremoniously throwing the key to the main door of the café into the Danube, that the New York would NEVER close. However, the Russians had other ideas and drove a tank into the middle of it and that did close the place.
Then, from 2001-2006, the Italian Boscolo group renovated the whole building, creating a luxury hotel and a very brightly gilded New York café. It is a strange edifice in that part of Budapest. When it reopened, we went to see the renovations and sample the coffee and cake. Neither the coffee or the cake was out of the ordinary but the prices certainly became so.And we went no more.
In recent years, for a reason we cannot fathom, but put down to social media hype, the New York Café has attracted a cult following amongst tourists [not locals]and queues which stretch for several yards are permanently there. The coffee and cake and everything else that is sold are extortionately expensive and the café is far far too gold.
No, the New York Café is not on our favourite list, but its history is extraordinary.
I often walked as a tourist in our old town of Rouen and such beauties when you look up. Our daughter and son in law have cycled from Germany to Budapest along the Danube this Spring and they have enjoyed it a lot a car was bringing their luggage each day to beautiful hotels. Your pictures are very interesting.
ReplyDeleteDarling Catherine,
DeleteThank you for your comment.
It is fun, once in a while, to take on the role of tourist in one's own town and really look at all the details. It is amazing what things pass one by and are taken for granted so it is good to appreciate them as if for the first time.
We are so pleased that your daughter and son-in-law enjoyed the cycle tour along the Danube. And, how civilised to have the luggage following on behind.
It is pot luck always with our photographs. We rarely seem to have our camera with us when we find something interesting and when we do take a picture, it is often out of focus. So, thank you, these seem to have worked out.