Wednesday, December 15, 2010

A Very Hungarian Christmas

The Budapest Christmas Festival is magical.  Honestly, I can't say enough good things about it.  The weather is appropriately frigid (I'm talking toe-numbing cold, here), and there's even a little snow on the ground.  The little wooden stalls, the food, the mulled wine, the music, the shopping.  And on top of all this is the delightful mix of people from all over the world.  Hungarian, French, Dutch, American, German.  There was also English with an accent I can't place - maybe Australian or Kiwi?  It was amazing to exchange smiles and apologies in the crowded outdoor space with so many different people.

I munched on spicy sausage and potatoes with paprika as they cooled rapidly in the frosty air.  I ate bread topped with bacon, onions, cheese, and sour cream, and I marveled at a Hungarian funnel cake as long and as big around as my arm from shoulder to elbow!  I drank mulled wine and krampanpuli in my Festival mug and wandered among the craft stalls.

I swear that Christmas music is dosed with something to make you spend money (or maybe it was the wine?), because I found myself frequenting the ATM to refill my supply of forints.  Who knew that within this sensible person beat the heart of a spendthrift?  Leather purses and suitcases, ceramics, jewelry, and Christmas ornaments, Hungarian liquor, candies and elaborately decorated cookies, wooden toys and woolen socks, household items of every kind filled the wooden stalls.  A dizzying array of beautiful things made Christmas shopping a delight.  I also picked up a few things for myself - a nativity ornament fashioned inside a large seed-like pod, a small, painted ceramic ball ornament, a pair of earrings, and a gorgeous leather purse (my splurge).  I wish that I had gotten more photos of all the vendors, but apparently my camera was drawn to the colorfully arranged cookies and candies!
As I approach the festival - anyone need a slipper-shaped shoe scraper?
Or perhaps a tiny bathtub for your ice tongs?
Festival!
I have spotted lunch!  I believe I will pass on the testicle stew.
My spicy sausage, potatoes with paprika, and mug of mulled wine.
They are finishing a giant Advent Wreath the two days that I am there.
Too bad I won't get to see them light it!
Christmas-y music.
Chestnuts roasting over an open... grill.
Dried fruit, blocks of strange honey, and sweets.
Marzipan candies.  I buy some at a different stall before I leave, and then munch
on them as I stress about the possibility of missing my flight!
Many of the Christmas cookies for sale look like edible little pieces of art.
There are even entire cookie nativity scenes!
An example of a Hungarian funnel cake.  Hungarian women at the
festival rolled out hundreds of these for the long line of hungry customers -
the funnel cakes start as long strips of dough that are wrapped around a
fat wooden dowel, covered in sugar, and finally baked, rotating over coals
until the dough browns and the sugar crystallizes.  Lastly, they are dipped in
coconut, walnuts, cinnamon, or cocoa.  This one is about a third of the size of
the one that I enjoyed at the Budapest Christmas Festival.  Delicious!







Budapest, I Love You

I have been a seriously negligent blogger as of late.  And, as my sister pointed out, I have failed to provide a blog for all of those procrastinating exam-takers out there.  So, here you are.  A blog about my Thanksgiving adventure in Budapest.  Enjoy :)

On the evening of Thanksgiving, after a nail-biting late arrival at the Athens airport, I start a trip that will land me in Budapest, Hungary.  Budapest marks my first international venture outside Athens, my first stay in a hostel, and my first serious solo international travel.  Even though I flew to Athens alone in August, I knew that there was a support system waiting for me on the other end.  In Budapest, all that's waiting is a taxi at the airport and a hostel reservation!  I take the time during the flight to look through a couple of guide books that I checked out of the library, and I make note of what I'm interested in seeing and doing in this beautiful Hungarian city.  I booked my visit purposely during the Christmas Festival that the city has, so I know that's going on my list.  There's also outdoor skating, the opera house, the thermal baths, and museums; my aunt, who loves the city, adds the Historic District, the zoo, Parliament, and the bridges.  

When I arrive in Budapest around 11 pm with my backpack stuffed to the zippers, I am happy that I booked a taxi to take me to my hostel, about 30 minutes from the airport.  The taxi driver, though he speaks only a little English, is very nice.  Here, I must sing the praises of the hostel that I stayed in, because it was amazing.  Seriously, if you're ever in Budapest, book a bed at the NJoy Budapest hostel.  Right in the center of the city, staying in this hostel feels more like hanging out in somebody's exceptionally clean, brightly decorated house than anything else.  They provide free lockers, a communal kitchen, copious amounts of information about the city, and a truly friendly and helpful 24-hour reception desk.  I've booked a bed in room of six, but I have it to myself when I arrive.  I snuggle into my green polka-dot bed for the night.
My nook under the loft.
Home Sweet Hostel
The entrance is the door
with the fern.
The next morning, my first adventure is of a decidedly mundane nature - I need to find soap and shampoo.  I didn't check any luggage, so I had no way of transporting large bottles of liquid.  Luckily, there's a convenience-type store next to the hostel, and I amuse myself browsing through the foreign items.  I settle on a small bag of pretzels, a brand of shampoo I've never heard of before, and a Nivea bar of soap.  The bar of soap is labeled "Happy Time," so it's clearly the right choice.  


Armed with a map, I head out to tackle the public transportation system, which actually proves to be much simpler than the one in Athens.  My figuring out Hungarian, I fear, is hopeless during my three-day stay.  My guide book says that since it is not an Indo-European language, English is actually more closely related to Hindi than to Hungarian.  Like in Athens, however, a lot of signs are in English, and many people speak some, as well.  Never have I been more relieved that English is such a widely used language.  
The metro in Budapest has really long, steep escalators that make
me feel like I'm leaning forward.  I think that it's deeper underground
so it can go under the Danube River.
Gyros, anyone?  I guess this is foreign food in Hungary!
Soon, I'm strolling through the historic district, admiring a church and the view from the Fisherman's Bastion.
Me, posing with a small bronze model of the church.
Unfortunately, I spend most of my afternoon stubbornly trying to find a restaurant that my guidebook recommends, despite the fact that it's not on my map.  I finally settle on a different one that is easier to find.  I eat a delicious, if awkwardly solo dinner, complete with apple strudel and a serenade by several musicians. 
Three kinds of Hungarian stew plus yummy gnocchi.
Apple strudel and cinnamon whipped cream. 

To keep this blog from novel length, I'll devote a separate one to the truly amazing Christmas Festival where I spent the next two days of my stay in Budapest.