Budapest

A long, long flight from Hong Kong to Zurich, a quick connection and a smallish plane onto Budapest. We arrived fairly early and went to our Palace, the Palazzo Hotel Zichy to leave the luggage before wandering off for some sightseeing and lunch.

We decided on the beautiful covered market, remodelled in 1996 or so, wide walkways and many shops selling fruit, bread, pastries, meats and all sorts of paprika and peppers, cheeses, wines and palinka (local spirits). I was most taken with the huge size of the foie gras, not to mention the strawberries.

The huge market hall	Green and white asparagus
Strawberries	Foie gras

We ate at a cafe upstairs, some fairly forgettable food actually, and we bypassed the multiple souvenirs of embroidered everything.

Down to the waterfront to admire the handsome bridges and look across the Danube to the Buda side , where castles and churches and bastions dominate the skyline, before checking in and relaxing a bit in our room. Then dinner in a very traditional restaurant, Museum, where I had duck breast and Nick chicken and asparagus. Of course we had to finish with the Palinka, which was presented in a pretty wooden trolley with beautiful bottles. A  distilled fruit spirit like a grappa and very warming.

Budapest from Liberty Bridge

 

Duck breast

Palinka Trolley

A lovely sleep in a proper bed, though the Swiss lie flat seats were so good that even I managed some sleep. Then a most fantastic breakfast buffet before venturing to the city. The gilded St Stephen’s church was impressive but didn’t move us spirituallly. We wandered over the Chain Bridge towards the castle heights but hard rain drove us back. We took the Metro out to the Szechenyi Baths and peeked inside the grand edifice, to find people frolicking in the heated spring waters despite the rain.

Chain Link bridge	Liberty Bridge
Szechenyi  baths entrance	Szechenyi  baths

                                                                        

On  to the Fine Arts Museum on Hero’s Square for a dose of culture that included six El Grecos and a marvellous Egyptian collection. Even the local train stations were minor works of art.

 

Getting a shot of Nick getting a shot	Egyptian face
St Anne and the holy family	Pretty station on the Metro

We had booked a wine tasting in the cellars buried in the hill under the old castle. A husband and wife team gave an individual tasting of a number of wines, many of grape varieties we had not tasted before. An excellent evening, which we finished with a view from the Fisherman’s Bastion over the lights of Budapest.

Faust wine cellar

Wine in candle-light

The next day was boarding. We left the luggage on the boat and spent a bit of time having a meal with a gypsy quartet in a cellar, followed by shopping. More shoes! Well comfy Siebel sandals actually. Very good! Then back to the ship to meet everyone and have dinner followed by a city lights sail up and down the Danube for an hour. It is a gorgeous city.

Nick already at home in our cabin

Budapest Fisherman’s Bastion

Budapest Parliament

In the morning, still in Budapest, we were taken for a city tour. The opera house was stunning and we had a personal tour and a few songs from a tenor. Six pounds of gold leaf were used to decorate the main theatre, there are beautiful, original red velvet seats and gorgeous red velvet hangings, lots of private boxes at the sides and a magnificent chandelier and staircase.

Theatre	Light
Royal staircase	Detail
A short serenade	Staircase

On to other landmarks, finishing with a daytime view of the Parliament as we sailed.

Detail, Heroes’ Square	Gabriel
St Matthews	Detail of tiling

 

APT are incredibly well organised with trips, buses, groups formed according to interest and mobility plus feeding us constantly with very good food in the main. The sailing is so smooth you don’t even realise you have departed. So far, very well run and really excellent experiences.

Next stop: Vienna

Hong Kong- the first stop

We like to do things in stages, especially these days, so a stopover in Hong Kong, a visit with an old friend and a bit of sightseeing was on the cards.

The Qantas flight out of Sydney was great. Spacious seats that turned into lie-flat beds and no problems with Nick using his oxygen as required. The only leg where he was allowed to simply plug in. Meals were reasonable, some nice wines and even a nap for us both. I also got in three movies, Philomena, The Hunger Games and Saving Mr Banks. More than I usually get in a year.
Into Hong Kong and onto the City Flyer bus into the chaotic heart. That trip down Nathan Road is always painfully slow but very colourful. The weather was smoggy and humid, the sun a lurid orange like a bush fire sun. Not a good omen for clear views and we got none. Into our hotel, a wander around to find a meal (PizzaExpress was surprisingly good) and time for bed.

Next morning we decided on a trip out to Stanley. We had been before and quite enjoyed it. The bay is very pretty. The panorama shot taken with my little Panasonic TZ40 distorts the shape somewhat but I love being able to pan across and have it make the panorama for me.

There was a Chinese procession with much waving of flags and banging of drums, apparently to bless a new shop opening on the foreshore, so we enjoyed that and then explored the historic buildings, Murray House and the associated pier (seen in the panorama) both of which appear to have been transplanted to Stanley from Central. Preservation of heritage seems very lively in Hong Kong.

 

Corridor beneath Murray House	Murray House, now lovely restaurants rather than Government offices. Love the fans on the verandas.

 

We wandered a bit more and happened on some sculptures with  a theme of the ocean and a sub-theme of ocean rubbish. I liked this one made ingeniously of drink bottles, suspended in a wave form and filled with various amounts and shades of blue.

Back to Central where we caught the Star Ferry across the harbour. By now the view was very clouded over and it looked like any  pretty photos were out of the question. So a rather drab panorama of the waterfront and piers.



That evening we caught up with a friend of mine from Queensland University days, Joanna. We met at the Aqua Bar high up with the very misty view back to Hong Kong. We had lovely cocktails, went on to dinner at Mask, and got a photo of Jo and Nick at the Peninsula Hotel fountain.

Looking down from the 29th floor Aqua bar to the restaurant and the foreshore

Nick and Joanna. Wish this had been our hotel (The Peninsula)

Wednesday was very drear. Rainy and misty. First to Heritage 1881, the old Maritime Police Headquarters, now recently beautifully restored and repurposed into a fine new hotel and some very glamorous, high end shops. There is a small museum to the history of the place, the Time Ball Tower for setting maritime midday has been reinstated and the gardens manicured to within an inch of their lives. Even on a rainy day it was rather lovely.

The overdressed entrance	Some expensive shops
The Time Ball Tower and gardens	Lovely old plantation shutters

We visited the Museum and found ourselves without context to assess the art. We could see the calligraphy and ink paintings were beautiful, but how to decide why they were judged so special was beyond our abilities. We were more able to relate to the contemporary photographs that seemed to put everyday life in perspective, such as the rooftops of buildings, everything from glamorous bars to the detritus of life.

Outside in the square we were able to photograph many sculptures from the exhibition of Sculptures of Everyday Life. Like a comedian finds the mundane details of life and highlights them, so these sculptures also did. From the crowd of businessmen to the platoon of soldiers, the paratroopers to the children on a see saw; beautiful observations of life.

Waiting in the rain	Eyes down, stand in line
Coming in for a landing	You can see how grey the day was

Lunch at a yum cha place overlooking the harbour where we were the only non-Asian faces under the crystal chandeliers. We ordered rather safely I’m afraid, but enjoyed the meal.
A slight detour via the Harbourside mall, a place of conspicuous consumption, where we wandered past Versace and Chanel and Chopard and Max Mara…the list goes on. This place runs for several blocks over three levels and I think I could probably afford some food from the deli on the top floor. This is just one of the levels with its pretty glass ceiling. Not that they are trying to emulate the grandes magasins in Paris…

 

Next stop: Budapest