Another beautiful building in Budapest

Now that our departure looms, I am intent in capturing all the beautiful sights around this wonderful capital city that I have not yet shown.  The former Gresham Hotel, now the Four Seasons Hotel is one such building right opposite the Lanchid.

The building was commissioned by the Gresham Life Insurance company as luxury apartments, offices and shops and was built 1902-1904.  It was badly damaged in WWII and further deteriorated in the 1990s.  It was purchased by another company and restored to its former glory and re-opened as a luxury hotel. It is a very handsome building and holds a commanding presence opposite the Chain Bridge.

A view of it lit up at night.  Below are shots of the foyer and reception area and the lovely wrought iron gate at the entrance

Vac - better than Szentendre

Vac lies 34 km north of the capital on the left (east) bank of the Danube, opposite Szentendre Island.  It is a real town, small but with a wonderful presence.  I much prefer it to showy touristy Szentendre.

A street view looking down to the river.  It is delightful to enjoy the breeze on the embankment of the Danube, a more prominent feature here than in the Bend's other towns.  There are parks along the bank with people walking and cycling, enjoying the amenities of this lovely little town.

Another tree lined street complete with cobblestones.

The main square with children playing and people sitting on benches relaxing and chatting.

Vac Cathedral above.  Trinity Column below.

Danube Bend (Dunakanyar) excursions

We drove to the Danube Bend this time.  Five years ago when we were last here we caught the boat that starts at the Vigado ter in Budapest and goes to Visegrad or Szentendre.  This time we drove as we wanted to explore the whole area.

The castle at Visegrad.   Visegrad is on the right hand side of the Danube situated on the Danube's abrupt bend and is at the most beautiful section and the very symbol of the Bend.  The left side of the river  is less well developed and also much less tourist visited, but it has much to offer.

The view of the castle from the other wise of the Danube.  You can cross by ferry at either Nagymaros or Szob.  We particularly wanted to see Zebegeny which is a lovely little town and also go walking in the Borzsony Hills.

Taken from the castle and looking down on the town of Visegrad.

The same side.

These campers on a thin strip of sand in the middle of the Danube.  It seemed to be one family who set up their holiday camp there.

The delightful small town of Zebegeny on the right hand side of the Danube.  We had lunch there and the informative and helpful waiter, when asked what was nice to see, directed us to the best kept secret in the Borzsony Hills - Hegyes teto.  We would never have known about it otherwise.

This photo was taken at the monument up the hill at Zebegeny overlooking the town and part of the Bend.

The best kept secret.  The photo was taken from the top of the Julianus barat torony (tower) at Hegyes-teto not far from Torok-mezo.  The tower is 482 meters high  and to get there you have to climb up a pretty steep gradient of a hill

Andrew took this of me toiling up and up and up.  It was a bloody steep climb I tell you, but worth every step because at the top you got a 180 degree view of the Danube both in front and behind you.

This is the view looking the other way.  The views from the tower are breathtaking and nowhere in the guide books was there a mention of this wonderful place where the views of the Bend are almost without parallel. The tower was erected in 1939 and no guidebook mentions it. We are very lucky as it had fallen into a state of disrepair and has been closed for refurbishment. We are not sure for how long but only re-opened in July 2013. These photos are taken from the tower windows as they give a wonderful frame of the Danube Bend.

Nobody coming to visit Budapest should miss the opportunity to come to the Danube Bend.  But don't just go to Szentrendre which is in my opinion vastly over-rated.  Visit both sides of the Danube here if you can.

Designer fashion in Budapest

People may not think of Budapest as the place to come for designer clothes.  Well they are wrong.  There are a number of chic boutiques with wonderful clothes.  Manier at Hajos utca 12 just behind the Opera House is the showroom of the talented Aniko Nemeth.

 Ms Nemeth calls it 'unique clothing for unique people' and unique they all are.  All clothes in the shop are one offs, each more imaginative than the next.

These are wonderful creations.  They can make it in a larger or smaller size and a different colour but you can be sure nobody is going to have exactly what you have.  People just can't imagine how wonderfully unique this designer shop is.  Don't go to Paris to buy your beautiful clothes.  Come to Budapest.  And Manier is not the only one.  There are others.  Leather goods too. Beautifully designed and executed with flair.

My Hungarian memento

I have bought a new bronze nude to add to my collection of female nudes.

It is the work of  Hungarian sculptor Istvan Zsako who lives in Canada. It is quite Daliesque with the bird as the head.  Andrew finds it a little indelicate but I love its raunchy sexuality.  I will now have to lug it around our year in the US in the motor home but it will be my little piece of art from Budapest via Canada.  I love it.

More wonderful Budapest buildings and sights

Our last two weeks here are proving to be more educational than the previous two months.  We are meeting more people and seeing more sights than I knew existed.  Below is a contrast in living styles.

The view from Julie and Peter's living room in Buda.  They live in a marvellous house which you reach by taking the tram to Huvosvolgy at the end of the line and you drive several kms to their beautifully situated house overlooking Hidegkut.  We know them through our Forster friends Denny and Rob and they are bridge players at the club we have been playing at these last months here.

In contrast, this is inner city living.  Mishi's studio is in Magyar utca just off Astoria.  Mishi is the talented designer son of Eszter whom I met through my friend Kati in Canberra.  Mishi has just won a place in the prestigious London Technical Institute of Design.

The building is run down chic and the lovely little terrace at the top is reached by a ladder.  The studio room is great with glass ceiling which does make it a little hot in summer and cold in winter but Mishi is young and the place is cheap to rent and very hip.
Below is where you climb up on the roof terrace.

This is the main public library in Budapest, the Szabo Ervin Konyvtar just off Kalvin ter.  It is housed in the Wenkheim Palace and has been there since 1931 but was refurbished, in the usual stylish fashion this country does so well, in 2000.

The cafe in the foyer downstairs.

The beautiful spiral staircase.  The library is on 6 floors.

The modernised parts and aspects of the library.  There is a very decent English language collection.

This innocuous looking building, the Feszke Muveszklub in Kertesz utca on the corner of the former Jewish ghetto houses THE most exotic Cuban restaurant-cum-club in the city.

The colours and the decor are just fabulous.  I tell you, this is a city that knows how to party.

More Budapest at night photos and a few whimsies

Budapest and particularly the Danube at night  is a sight not to be missed.  Strolling along its banks at sunset among all the other happy people out and about is an atmosphere you can't describe.  You had to be there to experience it.

The Lanchid (Chain Bridge) at night.

The Fisherman's Bastion over at Buda.

The Castle lit up.

This is outside the Dunakorso Restaurant where a band is playing and the people from the street are dancing to the music.  It is a lovely atmosphere and the smells are delicious.

With four women friends in the garden of the marvellous Massolit Books which is an English language bookshop-cum-cafe in Nagy Diofa utca in the former Jewish District where the ghetto was in WWII.  Judith, Jane and Lynne and I are part of the Jewish English speaking women's group that normally meets at Balint Haz the Jewish community centre.  Today we were simply schmoozing after a pleasant lunch at the equally wonderful Kadar Jewish Restaurant at Klauzal Ter.  When I entered, I thought for a moment I had walked into the now extinct Danube Restaurant in Acland Street, Melbourne.