From Primates to Platforms

We are creatures of habit. Breakfast is always taken in the Morning Room, Afternoon Tea is served at 4pm, we have patronised the same butcher for seven years and every Sunday, after church, we can be found in our favourite cukrászda indulging in coffee and cake. And, on good weather Fridays, more often than not, we travel, picnic in hand, to Ezstergom.

the so called 'Cat Stairs' which lead up to the Basilica in Esztergom, a town on the Danube

For, Friday is market day in this attractive town, nestling on the banks of the Danube, connected by the Mária Valéria bridge to Slovakia and dominated by the magnificent Basilica which defines Esztergom as the centre of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary. The market traders bring a welcome touch of colour and a reminder of everyday life in this town which is besieged in summer by tourists invading by tour buses and river cruisers.

the Mária Valéria bridge which spans the Danube linking Hungary with Slovakia

the Basilica dominates the town from its hilltop situation commanding wonderful views 

On our most recent visit we did not make our usual uphill pilgrimage to the Cathedral, concentrating instead on the glorious Baroque and Classicist architecture to be found amidst the cobbled streets of the centre of town.

 a typical street scene in Esztergom where houses hug the hillside above the Danube 

Everywhere one turns, mellow stuccoed walls in pastel shades speak of an elegant past, intricately forged ironwork celebrates the craftsmanship of masters of that trade and shoals of students scurrying from one school building to another proclaim Esztergom to be a seat of C21 learning as well as a Royal Seat for two centuries, the seat of the Constitutional Court of Hungary, and a seat of religious devotion for 1000 years.

a monk hurries about his business passing a fine Baroque building in the centre of the town

a glimpse through an open doorway of an apartment building reveals a distant shady court

suited students, on their final day at school, make their ways to attend a last assembly

Our picnic was taken in the shade of a magnificent Plane tree, one of many which form a splendid avenue along a side canal of the mighty Danube beyond. These glorious, ancient trees stretch their sinewy limbs to create a dappled canopy over an inviting promenade, thoughtfully punctuated by elegant iron fronted seats which tempt one to rest, to linger, even to put the world to rights.

an ideal picnic spot in the canopy of an avenue of Plane trees alongside a Danube canal

We sipped iced lemonades on the terrace of a stylish café, we browsed amongst the nooks and crannies of our favourite second hand shop and we walked, wandered, strolled and sauntered through the labyrinths of small streets, peering into any open doorways or courtyards which afforded a closer look.

delicious iced lemonades, an ideal drink for a hot day in May, taken on the terrace of a café

the exterior and entrance of our favourite 'Használt cikk', second hand shop, in Esztergom

one of very many fine buildings of different architectural styles to be found in Esztergom

And, all too soon, the lipstick red metal bullet, which was our train, sped us back to Nyugati Pályaudvar [Western Railway Station] in Budapest. Here an altogether different cathedral awaited. Made of iron and glass, designed by Eiffel of Parisian tower fame, Nyugati Pályaudvar is a monument to a golden age of steam transport.

departure board at Esztergom station indicating the 17.10 train to Budapest from platform 4 

the Esztergom - Budapest train, a very new introduction to the line, and proving very popular 

a corner of Nyugati Pályaudvar designed by Eiffel and largely built of steel and glass

A Basilica to the Divine, a Cathedral to human achievement, all in the space of a single day!

Held in Trust

Comparisons can be, and often are, invidious. However, on occasion, and one such as this, they serve to make and illustrate a point.

Osterley Park, a Neo-Classical mansion, property of The National Trust

Cziráky-kastély, a Neo-Classical mansion, property of the Hungarian State, with custodian

Osterley Park lies within easy reach of London. The Cziráky-kastély, at Lovasberény, is not so many miles from Budapest. Osterley, complete with Adam interiors, pleasure grounds and landscaped park is generally regarded as one of the finest Neo-Classical houses in Britain. It is maintained to an exceptionally high standard by The National Trust. The Cziráky-kastély is considered to be one of the most significant examples of Neo-Classical architecture in Hungary. Its park, dating back to the eighteenth century and in the English style, extends to some 40 hectares. Both house and grounds, ruinous and ravaged by time, neglect, occupying armies, and complete indifference, are in the ownership of the Hungarian State with day to day responsibility delegated to the National Trust for Monuments.

the main entrance hall of Osterley Park as designed by Robert Adam

the main entrance hall of Cziráky-kastély at Lovasberény, Hungary

It is, we regret to say, a total disgrace. Advertised as open daily, we were fortunate to time our visit to a Saturday when it was possible to rouse the custodian by telephone who, it must be said, quite cheerfully cycled from the village, cutting across the park, dog at his side, keys jangling from his belt, to give us entry.

doorway to principal rooms - note the custodian's hat - designed in an 'enfilade' arrangement 

an internal corridor in the guest wing - note the wiring - similar to one in the servants' wing

Permitted to wander at will, our 'guide' meanwhile having retired to read his paper beneath the portico, we risked both life and limb to explore this vast shell of a one time splendid mansion. Falling plaster, bare brick, exposed timbers, dirt, dust and decay all combine to tell a sad, sorry story.

the Baroque chapel, as viewed from an upper window, situated in the English style park

detail of the exterior of the Baroque chapel in the park - one of several similar statues

remains of  a wall painting in the interior of the chapel having been partially restored

Outside the loveliest of Baroque chapels, emptied of its contents, shares dandelion-rich parkland with the ubiquitous Co-op Food Store. Power to the proletariat indeed!

a Co-op Food Store built in the mansion's parkland sometime during the 1960s or 1970s

But what, we ask ourselves, of the future of this priceless treasure? Clearly billions of Hungarian forint, and enormous will on the part of government and people, are urgently required if this, and so many buildings like it, are to be saved.

the National flag of Hungary flies proudly over the mansion - but to what real purpose?

No wonder Osterley looks safe, secure, and not a little smug in comparison.

Music, Muses, a Mitre and Margaret

The choir at St. Margaret's Anglican Episcopal Church, Budapest, with the addition of a Hattatt as its newest member, numbers four. Small, but perfectly formed, as were Apollo and his Muses of Greek legend, what the choir lacks in bodies it surely makes up for in the passionate singing of its individual members.

'Apollo and the Muses' by John Singer Sargent 1856 - 1925

But, on Sunday, 5th. May 2012, chorister members will swell to eight with the addition of the angelic voices of students of the Music Academy on the occasion of the visit to Budapest of The Bishop of Gibraltar and Europe, Right Reverend Geoffrey Rowell. 

The Right Reverend Geoffrey Rowell

The Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, often abbreviated to the Diocese in Europe, is the 44th. Diocese of the Church of England. Covering 1/6th. of the Earth's landmass, it is the largest Diocese on the planet with 150 clergy serving 270 congregations in over 40 countries. Stretching from Madeira to Vladivostok, and Casablanca to Trondheim, it all seems somewhat far removed from Canterbury. 

So it is with much excitement that Bishop Geoffrey will be welcomed to the tiny Anglican outpost at St. Margaret's which thrives under the guidance of Reverend Dr. Frank Michael Hegedus, affectionately known as Father Frank.

stained glass window: St. Margaret of Scotland in the Chapel of Edinburgh Castle

St. Margaret's takes its name from Margaret of Scotland [1045 - 1093]. Born in Hungary, her father exiled by King Canute, she later returned to the British Isles to become Queen of Scotland after her marriage to King Malcolm III.

St. Margaret's Anglican Episcopal Church, Budapest, with entrance [bottom right]

The Church is housed in the basement of two adjoining sugared almond coloured nineteenth century houses in Almássy tér, a small square in 'downtown' Budapest. Although below ground, the ambience within is far from gloomy. Side windows flood the body of the Church with light, and brilliant white painted walls reflect every captured sunbeam. It is a joyous place, the Vox Humana of choir and congregation filling the air with melodic adagios, allegros,  andantinos, arpeggiandos and alleluias.

Father Frank addressing the congregation of St. Margaret's, Budapest

The spiritual welfare of some 30,000 souls lies within Bishop Geoffrey's overall responsibility. And in the small corner of the world that is St. Margaret's Anglican Episcopal Church, Budapest, we are confident that he will find God's Ministry alive and well.

map showing location of St. Margaret's in Almássy tér, Budapest

See you on Sunday!!

More Than One Bargains For

Each of the twenty-three districts of Budapest has its own special character. To sum up the eighth district, Józsefváros, in a word would be to describe it as 'edgy'. It is home to the Uránia National Film Theatre, the Academy of Drama and Film, the Natural History Museum, the red light district, Erkel Theatre, Semmelweis Medical University, and a large population of Roma and Chinese residents.

interior of 'antique' shop on Pál utca in Budapest's District VIII in the area of Józsefváros

This all makes for a heady, cosmopolitan and social mix where 'ladies of the night', plying their trade, rub shoulders with students in search of inexpensive accommodation, and aesthetes seek cultural enlightenment.


And so it was, with a spirit of adventure, and together with our American friends, Linda and Barbara, we took a tram ride from our comfortably familiar sixth district, Terézváros, into the back streets of Józsefváros where our Aladdin's Cave of a shop is to be found.

interior view of the Pál utca shop showing a part of the exceedingly eclectic and varied stock

Tamás and his daughter, Melinda [their surname escapes us], are the proprietors of a gloriously eclectic használtcikk, second hand, store in Pál utca. Here, china leopards  sit alongside social realist bronzes, ancient Leica cameras peer out from glass cases, portraits, landscapes,  oils, watercolours, woodcuts, prints and photographs cover the walls and rosary beads hang temptingly with strings of freshwater pearls.

a china leopard snarls his way through a collection of porcelain, glass, silver plate and plastic

Even when adjusted to the dim and somewhat religious light of the shop's interior, the eye struggles to focus on the treasures to be found within. Layer upon layer of the ornamental, the useful, the decorative, the practical, the exotic and the commonplace vie for attention, each item redolent with memories and wearing the patina of age. And not a little dirt!

both the staircase and the staircase wall carry a further selection of the shop's ephemera

Our choices made, Melinda cheerfully announces that "today's prices are 20% less than marked". And, as a result, our bargain purchases become an absolute steal. Unceremoniously, our pictures are shrouded in black bin liners for the journey home and cash - no plastic here - is exchanged with smiles all round.

Melinda, at the receipt of custom, attends to the accounts , surrounded by yet more stock 

And in these final moments of the transaction, we strike up a conversation with a young man buying a cigarette lighter. He assures us, in perfect English, that he does not smoke. He explains that he is a Business student, that his father is a dentist, that the family house is in the countryside some 40km from Budapest, that his brother is training to be a doctor, that he lives in the eighth district but that, sadly, he does not play the piano.

to the right of the picture, Maté selects a vintage cigarette lighter to add to his collection

His name is Maté. We issue an invitation to luncheon!

A Very Private View

Some time, in or around 1900, after his release from prison, Oscar Wilde travelled to Taormina in Sicily. What drew him there was not so much the 'paradise on earth' of the place itself, but rather the homoerotic photographs of the German Wilhelm von Gloedon [1856 - 1931] who, in residence on the island, had established a reputation for transforming pictures of working-class Sicilian boys into beautifully composed images of antique legend.

Wilhelm von Gloedon, two young men, Taormina, Sicily

Wilhelm von Gloedon: 'Three Graces' 1890 Taormina, Sicily

What drew us to the Szépmúveszeti Múzeum so very recently was an invitation to a personal, private tour to be given by our friend, and museum guide, Angéla Kiss, of the current exhibition 'The Birth of Art Photography - From Pictoralism to Modern Photography 1889 - 1929'. Which did, as might be expected, feature the work of Wilhelm von Gloedon.

approach to the exhibition with poster 'Composition' 1925 by Rudolf Koppitz

entrance of the museum with poster 'Gloria Swanson' 1924 by Edward Steichen 

'Portal to Szépmúveszeti Múzeum' 2012 by Jane R. Hattatt

But so much more besides. From early pastoral scenes, with figures carefully arranged almost in replication of a Victorian water colour, to the comparative modernism of photographers whose later work bears all the hallmarks of the Cubist painters, some images are forever iconic. Not least among these is 'Steerage' by Alfred Steiglitz, dating from 1907.

the iconic photograph 'Steerage' 1907 by Alfred Steiglitz

Here the photographer captures a single moment on a trans-Atlantic liner. The image,  as if constructed in the way of a series of triangles and geometric shapes, conspires to elevate the poor and the dispossessed into something which transcends the everyday. Light shines on the boater of the onlooker, is reflected on the central gangplank, is caught on the crossed braces of the figure below deck and, yet again, is to be found illuminating the washing hung out to dry. This surely is art!

'Fork' 1928 by André Kertész [chosen with PGdeB and GC in mind]

Similarly, Hungarian born André Kertész, explores the area of Still Life with his 'Fork' of 1928. A simple household object becomes the focus of a picture where light and shadow interact in a way that the entire composition moves the observer from the now to the surreal. Or, as has been described, to a moment of 'formal poetry'.

portrait of Greta Garbo 1928 by Edward Steichen

Elsewhere the most striking portrait of Greta Garbo by Edward Steichen imposes all the presence of that formidable figure. By contrast, the experiment with movement by Jacques-Henri Lartique sees figures hastening through the Bois de Boulogne and speeding racing cars competing in some long forgotten Grand Prix.

Angéla Kiss, friend and guide, seen in the museum entrance

And how salutary all of this is. We look at our own photographs. We look again. Do we see a fusion of Kertész and Koppitz, of Steichen and Stieglitz? Is there a look of Lartique, a glimpse of Gloedon? Alas no. Most definitely not!

Entente Cordiale

We numbered nine. And together we represented five different nations - Germany, Holland,  Hungary, the United States of America, the United Kingdom - each with its own character, culture and individuality.

the vineyard where we gathered for a picnic on the slopes above Lake Balaton

  

It had been Horst's idea. But then it was his vineyard. How splendid it would be that we should all, on Easter Monday, repair to the vine-clad slopes over and above the Lake Balaton to enjoy an 'alfresco' luncheon 'en plein-air' [if we may be permitted to borrow from other absent languages]. So it was that we assembled, in something of an easterly breeze, so to speak, outside of his wonderfully romantic boros-pince, wine cellar, amongst the blossom of the wild cherries and where, basking on sun-warmed stones, lizards slept the afternoon away.

the exterior of the boros-pince which is built, at the rear, into the hillside

a contented lizard dreams away the April afternoon

Was there ever such a picnic? Dutch and Hungarian cheeses, the blackest of olives, patés, kolbász, salads, delicious tasting breads, all of which were accompanied with Horst's own 2010 Olaszrizling and then, treat of treats, perfection indeed, an icy clear, pale pink Rosé. And such laughter, merriment and joy, with stories and tales in abundance, as the April sun slowly sank over the distant waters of the lake and a far away clock chimed the passing of the hours.

inside the cellar, Horst draws off more wine from the barrel

Such small wine cellars are not uncommon in Hungary. Built into the hillside they provide a store for the wine and a simple kitchen where, by tradition, food may be prepared for those who work the land. Horst's is no exception but, adding to the simple charm, he has chosen to decorate the walls with a collection of rustic plates gathered from his travels in neighbouring countries.

just some of the many plates which decorate the walls

However, dusk settles quickly at this time of year and all too soon the company divided, each to go his/her separate way. For us, though, the day was not yet done for the evening promised time with more friends, artist, musician and scholar, Jan, and his delightful Hungarian wife, Judit, just returned home to their village house from an Easter retreat.

late afternoon showing posts in place to support the vines

But that is another story!