10/15/2019 – 10/22/2019
Fairy godmother step aside, there is a new guardian in town. Panic stricken I was at Madrid airport when I realized what I had forgotten at the hotel. My power adapter, phone charger, cable, and battery. Damn. No time to go back. If my phone dies - no contact info, no GPS, no flight check in, no photos. F word was really what I uttered.
Frantic typing began. To Madrid coworker to call the hotel, to my friend flying into Madrid from Japan five days later to pick up my stuff, and to Airbnb host to borrow power. Like a genie, Attila grants my wish and has a charger ready at the Budapest flat before my arrival. Even fairy godmother will concede that I had no need to wish for a better host, a better apartment, or a better location because I have the best superhost in Hungary’s capital.
Frantic typing began. To Madrid coworker to call the hotel, to my friend flying into Madrid from Japan five days later to pick up my stuff, and to Airbnb host to borrow power. Like a genie, Attila grants my wish and has a charger ready at the Budapest flat before my arrival. Even fairy godmother will concede that I had no need to wish for a better host, a better apartment, or a better location because I have the best superhost in Hungary’s capital.
-- Airbnb Review for Brand NEW Cosy AC STUDIO in Downtown BP. 11/04/2019
I set out to complete my travel without cash in Budapest to avoid having extra Huf leftover. I thought if public transport, taxis, and museums take credit card, I would only need to patron restaurants or cafes that accept plastic. Proud of my careful tactics, I sat down in For Sale Pub and ordered goulash - the national dish of Hungary for my first lunch in town, thinking a brewery must take visa. That turned out to be a negative. Forint I must exchange if I wanted to avoid the steep commission surcharge paying in euro.
I set out to complete my travel without cash in Budapest to avoid having extra Huf leftover. I thought if public transport, taxis, and museums take credit card, I would only need to patron restaurants or cafes that accept plastic. Proud of my careful tactics, I sat down in For Sale Pub and ordered goulash - the national dish of Hungary for my first lunch in town, thinking a brewery must take visa. That turned out to be a negative. Forint I must exchange if I wanted to avoid the steep commission surcharge paying in euro.
And exchange I did, just enough for everything I accounted for: tipping and two restaurants that might be cash only – nothing out of ordinary except my tipping allocation, which would go mostly towards massages. With Thai massage parlors on nearly every street, I felt like I had landed in Bangkok strolling around the heart of the city. Taking a page out of a friend’s friend’s book on birthdays - why celebrate one day when you can celebrate for a week - I decided to have three pampering sessions during my stay. The ultimate indulgence and much needed relief for my aching muscles walking from Buda to Pest and all over Madrid.
Grateful I was that the masseuses speak English because köszönöm (thank you) was the only Magyar I can remember. Two-hour tok sen massage I scheduled for my birthday to enjoy the 15% off special and to try something new. It couldn’t be more interesting, getting hammered that is. I have never heard of tok sen until looking up Erawan massage services. Originated from Chiang Mai (north of Thailand,) the technique involves the use of a hammer and a peg. It was painful but the vibration created through the tapping reached far deeper into the knots than any other treatments I have ever tried. Even my hands, which I thought were just going to be perpetually sore, felt better afterwards.
What would have made my day more perfect? Locking gaze with a Hungarian knight outside the Grand Synagogue, camera zooming in, with us shrugging shoulders, laughing at our misfortune - that we both got denied entry as it was closing due to Jewish holidays. Oh yes, the Hollywood lens I carry. Handsome prince aside, I did lock path with a Romanian grandmother from rerouting my destination. If only for a couple hours.
Snapping pictures per usual, I wandered into Gozsdu weekend market browsing the local crafts. When I spotted a granny at an embroidery booth clothed in traditional garment sipping on a small cup of coffee, I wanted to see her work and say hello. And hello was the only word she understood.
Google translate and finger gesturing dominated the conversation. Transylvania Romania she was from, and when I typed how long you stay, a passerby caught her reply, told me just today and disappeared from sight. God, couldn’t miracles last longer than a second? Sunday was the last day of the market. Grandma fished out her paper calendar book, flipped to December 6, 7, 8 to indicate her next visit. Usually not keen on folk art, I was drawn to her hand work and her kindness to share her love for the craft.
Three threads at a time, she pushed the needle through fabric with a thimble, tracing the drawing on the cloth with machine-like precision. You wanna learn? My guessing what she was saying to me while I was recording her hands in action. In awe I was, with everything she made: tablecloths, bags, pillowcases, winter coat. Each piece unique; no seconds. I asked about the time she spent on them.
Ten days to a month or longer for most, even a small embroidered sack for potpourri was 4 days of needling. And her price? A gift to all. 22,000 Huf (~$73) for a long tablecloth that took a month to make. Oh the labor, I cannot comprehend the math, how does it cover the cost of traveling and living expenses? Buy I must. While my brain cranking away on what fits my place, my carry-on luggage space, and if my friends would appreciate the embroidery, a middle aged couple stopped by the booth.
The Transylvanian native said something in Magyar when the wife picked up a necklace from the table. “We speak English,” the tourist announced. The old villager had better control of her eye muscles than me, heeding no attention to the entitlement and continuing to show the English speaker how the necklace can be worn as a bracelet. “Oh, that’s nice. Thanks,” she said and walked off.
Refocusing on my purchase, I selected two pieces of embroidery for the small tables I have at home. As precise as the tailor herself, I planned everything to a T, with no cash to spare. Forint I must exchange again since grandmother no mobile device, let alone a Square credit card reader. My flat screen conveyed my temporary departure, and I hoped she didn’t think I ran away.
11,000 Huf (~$37) for the items I picked up. If it’s not already a steal, granny gave me a small sack with dried lavender for free. Before rushing off to my early dinner reservation, I quickly checked the ratings of the eateries nearby to grab a meal for my generous nana. A name, I thought I should at least know of my Romanian grandmother. I gave her the takeout and typed name in google translate, she said something like “szepen koszonom.” I thought nana’s name sounded like thank you, so szepen I repeated trying to commit her last name to memory. She repeated with me and insisted on giving me yet another gift - a maple leaf shaped embroidery. It didn’t occur to me that I was repeating “very much” until the next day.
There is so much more I want to know about her. Like if she has family, someone helping her carrying all the stuff, if she travels alone, and if she has a set schedule where she sells. But smart phone is no good with old-timers. My genie Airbnb superhost Attila grants me another wish – he will go find my Transylvanian grandmother at the market and learn about her for me.
Hammered and swept off my feet. Totally unplanned and now Romania I must go to see my szépen nana because my friends also want her work. So then only one thing remains - what should my third wish be? I’d better not waste it on borrowing a charger.
Hammered and swept off my feet. Totally unplanned and now Romania I must go to see my szépen nana because my friends also want her work. So then only one thing remains - what should my third wish be? I’d better not waste it on borrowing a charger.
Itinerary
Hampered by jet lag, I started my days late. I did my best to hit every attraction on my list unless they are closed. Also tried a Michelin star restaurant that was mentioned on every guide I came across. Sadly the star was lost on me unless it was for extra salt. If I didn't list my lunch or dinner for the day, then I either had homemade food or gone somewhere I couldn't recommend.
Day 1
Flight arrival 13:20. Got to apartment around 2.40pm.
- City stroll
- Early dinner at Good Morning Vietnam
- Stopped by Legenda at Dock 7 to buy evening cruise ticket for Friday night
- Oil massage at Well Thais Massage with Joan
Day 2
- For Sale Pub. Goulash. Cash only
- Mercado Central
- New York Cafe. Make reservation to skip the line.
- Szatyorbolt grocery store with local produce
- Chimney cake
- Cooking stew at 4am because of jet lag
Day 3
- Parliament - best to book tour early to get the slot you want. Metal shoes along Danube river
- Széchenyi Chain Bridge
- Basilica
- House of Terror (war museum,) Andrassy St
- City park, Hunyadi Square Market (got there at closing time)
- TöLTő: Wild boar sausage with shitake. Tasty but a bit salty so I saved half of sausage for making omelet later and added apple slices to my hot dog.
Day 4
- Beautiful manhole covers everywhere, so are bullet holes in the walls from the war
- Money exchange - line at the most popular place with zero commission
- Well Thais face/head massage with Joan
- Comme Chez Soi - lunch: spaghetti with seafood. Cash only. Small family restaurant, super busy, best to reserve ahead and be on time. Not like me, 15 min late, lost my spot. So takeout it was.
- Gellert Hill, Erzsébet híd (Elisabeth bridge,) Citadella, Cave Church, Szabadság híd (Liberty bridge)
- Dinner: seafood porridge at home made from seafood lunch
- Danube river evening cruise
Day 5
- Castle Hill Funicular, Buda castle
- Lunch at Horvath Etterem. Duck leg with steamed cabbage, broken potato with onions. A lovely small family restaurant, but my duck was a bit salty, maybe try other dishes.
- Mattias church (closed due to wedding,) Fisherman's bastion
- Dinner at Kao Niaw Ping Kai restaurant (Lao-Thai street food): Lao style beef pho
Day 6
- Szimpla Kert buffet breakfast and backyard farmers market
- Street food Karavan
- Synagogue (closed due to Jewish holidays)
- Gozsdu weekend market
- PrimeChange. Second best money exchange closest to the market since the first choice was closed.
- Dinner at Mazel Tov: Shawarma. Best to make a reservation before 01.12.2019 due to limited capacity during renovation.
- Erawan tok sen massage with Nita
Day 7
- City snapshots
- Széchenyi thermal bath
- Heroes' square
- Artizán Bakery
- Dinner: made omelet using the rest of garlic oil from my spaghetti takeout
Home Sweet Home
With grandma's gifts.
© 2018 Janey Play