Quaint O-Hungary

On Thursday, I met a wonderful Hungarian professor who was my guide through Obuda, the oldest part of Budapest (merged with Pest and Buda in 1873) and a gorgeous little village just north of Budapest famous for its colony of artists.

Although cold, the day couldn’t have been finer—full and brilliant sun.  Sorry, Seattle. I don’t miss your rainy days.  Katalin showed me the old town center, and where the tram once ran.  The shop fronts recall days of yesterday—some of them still housed in renovated traditional homes with the stucco fronts, the peak roofs covered in adobe-colored ceramic tiles.

Obuda traditional home "for sale"

Leaving Obuda, Katalin pointed out the ruins of a Roman town, Aquincum.  The “rooms” of the buildings looked no bigger than a twin-sized bed. Tiny, tiny.  Not very luxurious by American standards. But  then again, I’m not sure American buildings would withstand the test of time like these buildings have.  All things are relative.

Cobblestone quaintness in Szentendre

Within a short drive, we were at the quaint town of Szentendre.  Katalin explained that in the summer it is bursting with tourists. But there were relatively few that I could see.  The narrow cobblestone paths are lined with restaurants and shops.  And some of them were too tempting to pass up.  I remembered my mother and relatives with their hand-embroidered tablecloths, the bright floral design characteristic of Hungary.  And then I fell in love with a little girl’s outfit—again characteristic of the Hungarian traditional dress.  Perfect for my niece when she gets a wee bit bigger.

Then Katalin treated me langos, the real McCoy. Fried bread coated in sour cream and sprinkled with shredded cheese.  My kind of fried food. Move over French fries and donuts. I’ll take langos from here on out!

Drying peppers (paprikas)

We headed back to Budapest and Katalin suggested we visit the Budapest History Museum (Budapesti Történeti Múzeum), housed in the Royal Palace high up on Castle Hill in Buda.  It was a quick (but very detailed) introduction to the history of Budapest from ancient times to the present.  Since we arrived an hour before closing, we didn’t have much time to spend dawdling.