Here it is, the much anticipated “ten things I learned”, post… /sarcasm. Seriously, though, when I take trips, I like to take a few minutes to reflect on the new things I learned thanks to travel. And I did learn some new things in Hungary, this time. So here’s my latest list of ten things I learned, Budapest, Hungary edition!
10. The word “tilos” means “silence” in Lithuanian. In Hungarian, it means “forbidden”.
Interesting, huh? I noticed that word on signs in churches in Lithuania, when we went there in June, so I looked it up. Then I saw it in Hungary, but I didn’t go into any churches while we were there. So that word is used in two different countries and languages to direct people in how to behave.
9. Old Forints are worthless in Hungary.
When Bill and I took a taxi into Budapest, a cab driver gave Bill change for the ride. In the change, he included an old 1000 Forints note, which Bill gave to me. Later, I tried to spend it, and learned that Hungary changed its currency and the old notes are now worthless. We probably could have taken it to a post office, but we’re going to send it to Bill’s grandson, instead. The bigger note below is now worth nothing.
8. English is EVERYWHERE in Budapest.
I know I shouldn’t have been, but I was surprised by how very widespread English is in Hungary. Lots of signs were in English, and all menus were translated. A lot of people didn’t even speak with a heavy accent. In a way, I was kind of disheartened by how much English is used there. But it did make things easier for us tourists…
7. Speaking of tourists, they were also everywhere in Budapest!
On Friday night, I was especially aware of how many tourists were in Budapest. It felt like waves of visitors. I wonder what it’s like for the natives, having to deal with so many throngs of tourists congesting the city. Yes, they spend money, but they also make it hard to even just walk around downtown. One day, I counted FIVE Viking River Cruise ships. There were other cruise companies there, too.
6. You can see a lot of things in Budapest, just by walking around the city.
I only made it to one museum, and yet I saw plenty of stuff for free, just taking daily walks around the main drags. And there was a whole lot of stuff I didn’t see. I could go back there, spend a week, and still not see everything. I’d like to go back and spend more time on Margaret Island.
5. Someone built a Michael Jackson shrine in Budapest, and it’s “unmolested”…
4. If you love music, Budapest is a great city for you!
I was so impressed by the excellent music we heard in restaurants. Even tourist traps have really excellent live musicians who play with passion and love.
3. The Retro Museum will take you back to a time when Budapest was not so easy for westerners to visit.
And if you take your time in there, you will learn new things about how things used to be in Hungary. I was particularly interested in the exhibit about school. It was there that I learned about “Little Drummers”, which was the first stage of the communist youth movement for Hungarian children, back in the day.
2. There are 60 pairs of metal shoes by the Danube.
They were placed there to memorialize Hungarian Jews who were murdered by Nazis from 1944-45. An estimated 2600 to 3600 people were lined up by the Danube River and shot. Before they were shot, they were forced to remove their valuable shoes, so they would not be lost to the river when the dead bodies fell into it.
1. There are statues all over Budapest, commemorating famous Hungarians and other people.
Some of them sit on park benches. Some stand on bridges. Some are lurking in parks or on bridges, or even sitting by the Danube River. I should have paid closer attention to them during my week in Budapest, but maybe I’ll get a chance to go back.
Budapest is a fascinating city. Both times I’ve visited, I’ve had a great time. I hope we can go back again at a different time of year, perhaps during the “low” season… if they actually have one, that is. It’s definitely a vibrant place, full of fit, beautiful, warm-hearted people who are welcoming and kind. I’m so glad I had the chance to see it again, after sixteen years!
So ends my series on Budapest. Today, Bill and I have a lunch date at one of our favorite local restaurants, Villa im Tal. I’ll be writing that up later.
On Thursday morning after breakfast, I decided that instead of walking all over the place, I’d go visit that cool looking Retro Museum. So, after doing some writing on my main blog, I headed back out toward St. Stephen’s Basilica, where I had noticed signs for the museum. Instead of turning right on the street named Oktober 6, I turned left. Seconds later, I spotted the museum. It was impossible to miss it, as the facade was in bright red. I might have thought of it as a tourist trap, but actually, I thought it was a fun museum, creatively put together for those of us who remember life before the Iron Curtain fell.
Below are a couple of photos from Thursday morning, before I walked into the museum. I didn’t get a chance to try the chimney cake, but they were being offered all over Budapest. I think I even saw a class offered for making them.
After taking a moment to listen to the many noisy children playing at a nearby playground, I walked into the museum. A man in a red vest immediately said hello and directed me to the ticket counter, where I paid 5500 forints (about $17 or 14 euros) to take a trip back in time, before most people could so easily visit Hungary.
The Retro Museum covers three floors and offers an interactive experience that allows patrons to get a sense of what Budapest was like back in the day. It took me a minute to realize that they had designed exhibits by putting them in what appeared to be mock ups of block style housing. Each “building” had little doors on them that could be opened, revealing an artifact from the communist days of yore. There were quite a few of these “building” exhibits… maybe more than were really necessary. But they did have some interesting stuff in them– schoolbooks, records, toys, books, medals, and even displays of packaged foods from that era. I also noticed they had a display about Hungary’s now defunct national airline, Malev. Bill and I flew on Malev the first time we visited Budapest, but it went out of business in February 2012.
I particularly enjoyed the exhibit about what school was like back in the day. If I had been born in Hungary, that was how MY schooling would have been. I’d also be a Russian speaker, because Russian was required learning for schoolkids until the late 1980s.
There were also some interactive quizzes visitors could take to test their knowledge. Unfortunately, most of them were only offered in Hungarian. I tried a couple of them, anyway, just to see how much I could understand. Not surprisingly, I did poorly. Below are photos from the “building exhibits” in museum…
Some of the stuff they had on display were things I remembered from my American upbringing. For instance, they had a Commodore 64 computer in there, complete with cassette player for computer games. That was a real blast from the past!
Once I got past the faux Soviet era buildings, I encountered a “TV studio”, inviting patrons to pretend they are newscasters. One lady had brought her two children and one of the kids was doing a good job pretending. I heard two older ladies singing in Russian (or maybe Hungarian) along with the music that was playing. Obviously, these were songs most kids learned back in those days, as the school curriculum was uniform across the country.
Next, there was a mock up of a Hungarian kitchen from back in the days before the Iron Curtain fell. I got a kick out of that. It reminded me of the kitchens I encountered in Armenia, right down to the old fashioned refrigerator. Actually, the kitchen was nicer than what I had in Armenia, where I lived in one of those “block style” buildings.
The kitchen led to a living room, where the two singing older ladies had made themselves comfortable, sitting on one of the old couches, watching old TV… They even had an exhibit in which you could stand in front of a green screen and try on Hungarian fashions. I wasn’t wanting to do that, because I don’t like looking at myself in the mirror.
From the living room, there was an elevator, leading down to the first floor, where the space program was displayed using cool interactive exhibits. They also had an exhibit showing other technology. There was one exhibit that I couldn’t quite figure out. The lady with the two kids kind of pushed me out, anyway, before I could determine how the exhibit worked.
And then finally, there was a room highlighting transportation. There was a car from the Iron Curtain era, as well as a “police car” that people were allowed to sit in and try to “drive”. I didn’t attempt to “drive” the police car, because the seat looked like it was made more for children! But I did watch one lady try to interact with that exhibit and heard her shriek with surprise at how difficult it was to “drive” the cop car. They also had old phone booths with recordings of jokes, songs, and newscasts, among other things.
All in all, I really enjoyed visiting the Retro Museum. I probably could have spent more time in there. I will say, though, that there was a lot of stuff in there, and it was kind of overwhelming. And some of the exhibits were a bit limited to Hungarians, and mostly understandable to people from Hungary. I noticed a lot of local people, especially of a certain age, getting the exhibits more than the younger folks. And, of course, some of it was only in Hungarian, which surprised me.
The museum has a bistro, which offers food that might be considered “retro”. I didn’t partake of anything from the bistro. It looked like most of what they were offering were variations of hot dogs and sausages, along with something called “Hungarian Fatty Bread” (yikes). They also had many kinds of non-alcoholic drinks, coffees, beers, and wines. They even offered cocktails! I do think it’s funny that “condiments” in Hungary are considered “dips”. Americans don’t consider ketchup, mustard, and mayo “dips”, and typically, we don’t charge extra for them. But, of course, I ain’t in America anymore, right?
After I visited the Retro Museum, I walked back toward Elizabeth Square. It was then that I noticed something unusual on a tree…
Yes… that is Michael Jackson. Someone in Budapest LOVES him. They made a shrine, and it has not been “molested” by anyone. I was surprised by that, so I took photos. I made the mistake of sharing one on YouTube, and got chastised by someone for “glorifying” a “child molester”. 🙄
I don’t know the truth behind Michael Jackson’s dalliances with children. I have heard the stories, and no matter what, I think that what he was doing was inappropriate. I also think that some of the blame for that lies with the parents of the children, who allowed their sons to spend nights with Michael. It would not have been a choice I would have made, myself, if I had ever had children of my own.
What I do know is that he was a huge star, and has now been dead for 16 years. And, like it or not, he was a big part of my childhood, just like Bill Cosby was. I don’t think sharing a photo of a shrine that I didn’t build is “glorifying” Michael Jackson. I just found it interesting.
I sat for awhile and was visited by pigeons who were almost completely tame. A couple of them got close enough that I could have easily touched their feathers.
Later, when Bill came back after work, we decided to go looking for dinner. We stopped first at the Ritzmajer Downtown. Hungarian Beer Bar. I was curious about the place. Although they offered food, we decided not to eat there after we had a round.
Instead, we turned down a street and wound up at a random bistro, where there was yet another excellent Hungarian gypsy music band playing. I bought another CD…
I don’t even remember the name of the restaurant (it was Rezkakas Bistro). The food was good, but I was mostly impressed by the live music. It started with an older man playing violin with a guy playing hammer dulcimer. Then, an hour later, more musicians showed up, and they moved to the other side of the restaurant. My view wasn’t as good then, but I was really impressed by the second violinist who played. He was much younger, and had real passion. When we bought the CD, the older violinist said it was his son. I was very impressed with him! I wonder if he makes love the way he plays his instrument. If you watch toward the end of the YouTube video below, you can see what I mean. His obvious passion for his music is written all over his young face.
They played everything from traditional Hungarian songs to Coldplay. At one point, they played “God Bless America”, which was very well-received, especially since it was 9/11 on the day of our visit. There were quite a few Americans in the restaurant, and they all cheered.
A sampling of the music we heard on Thursday night. I also thought the bartender was cute.
Again, the food was okay… service was a bit lackadaisical. But I really enjoyed the music. I especially enjoyed the lead violinist’s son, who really was entertaining. Unfortunately I got so emotional that I forgot to take a photo of the restaurant’s sign. But, after some sleuthing, I managed to figure out that we ate dinner at Rezkakas Bistro. According to their Web site, they are currently closed until October 1, 2025.
In any case, we enjoyed our visit to Rezkakas Bistro, especially for the music. It was a very nice evening!
Stay tuned for my post on our last full day in beautiful Budapest and the flight home to Germany!
Featured photo is of the famous Parliament Building in Budapest, taken from the Buda part of the city.
As promised, it’s time for me to start writing my series on Budapest, Hungary. Bill and I first visited there for Labor Day weekend in 2009, the week before we had to leave Germany for Georgia. I remember really liking Budapest then, even though it was still showing lots of signs of its then more recent Eastern Bloc past.
I chose to visit Budapest in 2009, because the other cities I was considering were western European capitals that I thought would be easier to access from the United States. I didn’t know we’d be moving back to Europe. For all I knew, in 2009, we’d never have the chance to come over here again. So I chose to go to Budapest then, and it was fascinating. I’m actually really glad we stayed in a hotel that was deeper into the city, far from the Danube River and main shopping areas of Budapest. We never ventured to those areas in 2009. I remember that just getting to the river from our hotel was a bit of a hike, although there was a tram available.
As I sit here remembering our first visit and comparing it to our second one, I’m reminded of how individual experiences shape one’s perceptions of any given thing. Because of this trip, I formed a very different perspective of Budapest than I had only a week ago. I saw more of the city because I had more time to see it. We stayed in a different area, and I spent a lot of time just walking around, taking in the sights. During our first visit, we went to the spa and were a bit hampered by events going on in the city that took away our attention. This time, Bill went to work, and I walked miles around the city taking pictures. I saw a lot more and formed a new perspective. Of course, 16 years have also passed.
This visit was different because Bill was working, so I spent a lot of time alone, fending for myself. If he’d been with me, we might have done a lot more “touristy” things… eaten in more restaurants, engaged with more people, and maybe taken more beer breaks. I’m sure we would have hit one of the public spas, too, as our comparatively no-frills hotel didn’t have its own spa.
I was delighted that Bill asked me to join him on this trip, even though it meant we’d had to fly separately. When he travels for work, he has to get the cheapest plane tickets and stay in accommodations that are below the per diem rate. Budapest’s hotel rates were very high during our visit. I’m not sure if that’s “normal”, or if there was something going on.
What I did notice while we were there was that there were MANY American tourists, and most of them seemed to be there to catch a Danube cruise. I’m sure those were going on in 2009, but I don’t think there were as many back then. I saw so many Viking ships there, as well as at least a couple from Avalon Waterways. I also noticed that practically EVERYONE spoke perfect English. That made me a little sad, because one thing that makes a place unique is its language. But English was everywhere in Budapest. It made me want to explore beyond the capital and see parts of Hungary where Americans fear to tread. Maybe someday, we’ll have that opportunity.
I don’t know how long it will take me to write about our six nights in Budapest. I’ll do my best not to be too boring. But even though I was a bit chagrined that Budapest was a lot busier and more expensive than I remembered from 2009, I did have a good time there, and I learned new things. So I hope some of you might follow along and allow me to share the wealth.
I didn’t take nearly as many photos in 2009, but I am noticing as I look at the ones I do have, there was a lot less back then than there is now… However, one thing that hasn’t changed is that the airport is pretty chaotic and in need of renovation. More on that in the next installment!
One of many images I got from the Chain Bridge in Budapest, circa 2025…And a photo I took from the same bridge in 2009…
Today was a less exasperating day, here in Budapest. I decided not to walk many miles, because I didn’t want my ankle to hurt again. Instead of power walking all over Budapest, today I decided to visit the Retro Museum. I had been wanting to go to that museum, because I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, and I used to live in the former Soviet Union. So I am very interested in museums about life behind what was the Iron Curtain.
The Retro Museum was fun to visit. It’s very interactive, with lots of cool looking exhibits set in what appear to be mock ups of block style apartment buildings so prevalent in former communist countries. I lived in one of those buildings myself, among other types of housing in Armenia. Naturally, those types of buildings are in Hungary, just as they are found in every other country that was once controlled by Moscow in any way.
The people who created the museum put memorabilia in the “buildings”. You can open a door on the building and look at each treasure. When I write my Budapest series, I’ll share pictures of what I mean by this. One thing I did learn at this museum is that it seems like Hungary was more pro-Russia than Lithuania was. But of course, I could be wrong about that. I need to read more about the history.
After I visited the museum, I spent some time hanging out in the big plaza near the shopping district. I was amazed by how bold and brave the pigeons are. One got close enough to me that I could have pet it. And when I got back to the hotel, my room was already prepared, so I wrote a post for my main blog and took a short nap. Now, I’m waiting for Bill to get back here, so I can get something to eat. I skipped lunch again. 😉
I’m glad I went to the museum, even if it was kind of interrupted by a couple of women who were singing all of the folk songs. I couldn’t tell if they were in Russian or Hungarian– I would imagine Hungarian, but I’m not yet familiar enough with what it sounds like. Everybody here has been speaking perfect English! There was also a woman with a couple of kids who were hogging all of the interactive exhibits and shrieking a lot… but, I guess since they were kids, they kind of get a pass. I don’t know how much of the museum they understood, since that time is now well in the past. I remember it well, though.
One more full day in Budapest awaits, and then on Saturday, we go home. I look forward to it, although Lufthansa changed my seat. I guess it was because there was an empty seat next to me, and they wanted to allow a couple to sit together. Who knows? Too bad Bill will be in Economy again.
Featured photo is of one of the “mock ups” I wrote of. Yes, I did once live in a building that looked like that…
Featured photo is an aerial view of Sofia, Bulgaria, as we approached courtesy of our Lufthansa flight…
It’s time, once again, for me to write a series about our latest travel adventures. This past trip was short, but very meaningful to me. We visited Sofia, Bulgaria, a place that has stuck in my memories since my first visit, back in 1996. Now… to be frank, it was never my life’s ambition to visit Bulgaria.
As I have explained in other blog posts, I initially visited Bulgaria in 1996, because I was accompanying my friend and Peace Corps colleague, Elaine, on a vacation to Turkey and Bulgaria. I actually had no money for a vacation, so Elaine was kind enough to lend me some cash so I could go with her on our big trip. We traveled via bus from Armenia, which made for big adventures, lots of exhaustion, and many memories that will never be lost.
Armenia was not, and is still not, the easiest country to travel from by land, especially for Americans. The country is surrounded by enemies of Armenia or the United States. In the 90s, flying out of Yerevan was very expensive, kind of scary, and inconvenient. So, as someone who was broke and not particularly travel savvy in the 90s, my choices were pretty limited. In the 90s, lot of us Armenia Peace Corps Volunteers did go to Turkey and Bulgaria. I don’t know if that’s still true today. Today’s Volunteers have more choices when it comes to transportation than we did.
When I went to Bulgaria in 1996, I had just turned 24 years old, and the Iron Curtain had only very recently fallen. Consequently, Sofia was still very “Eastern bloc”. I remember it as “nicer” than Yerevan was, in terms of how the city looked and what was available. Bulgaria wasn’t part of the Soviet Union, after all. But it was still very much emerging from communism, and I don’t remember a lot of businesses or English speakers. I also remember that it was common to see people nodding to say “no”, and shaking their head to say “yes”. While I’m sure this is still a thing in Bulgaria, especially in the countryside, I didn’t see it during this trip as I did in 1996.
In 1996, there was only ONE McDonald’s in Sofia. It was in the center of the city. I used it as a landmark when I took a taxi from some remote part of the city where I’d wandered. The cab driver didn’t speak English, and I don’t speak Bulgarian, but by God, we knew McDonald’s, and that was a good place to meet the guy who was hosting us. Today, that trick wouldn’t work, as Sofia is now littered with McDonald’s restaurants. However, I noticed that almost everyone we spoke to spoke almost perfect English!
Bill went to Sofia in 2008, but he was there for an Army function. Because he was working, he didn’t have much time to check out the city. He brought home an Orthodox icon, which was coupled with the painting I bought on my one trip to Sofia in 1996. Bill said he noticed things were different this visit, too, although maybe the difference wasn’t as striking to him as it was for me.
How did we decide to visit Sofia? It was courtesy of our trusty champagne bucket, which we use when we can’t decide on where to go. This time, we took cities that were offered by Lufthansa’s “surprise flights” option, similar to Eurowings’ (formerly Germanwings) “blind booking” idea, which we’ve done several times.
Instead of booking a surprise flight, and risking weird flight times that would make it hard to board Noyzi reasonably, we just put the city names in the bucket. Initially, Bill drew Dubrovnik, a place I would love to see someday. However, in June, we figured it would be completely overrun with tourists such as ourselves. When Bill made a second draw, Sofia won. So we went to Sofia, from June 7-11. Now, I’m going to write about what happened. I hope you’ll follow along. This series will probably be a short one, since we were only there for a few days, and I spent one of them in bed. More on that later.
Although most of my photos from my Peace Corps days are in storage, I do have a few from that time, including some from Bulgaria. I will try to remember to share them in the coming posts, so readers might get a view of how things have changed… Stay tuned.
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