budaveg – vegetarian Hungary your vegetarian home in Hungary

The cold weather has caught up with us, it was -15 C last night. The Danube, Lake Balaton and all other waters are frozen solid, time for ice skating!

Budapest has several outdoors ice rinks, the biggest and nicest is Műjégpálya at the city park. The artificial ice rink and the main building have recently been fully renovated. It is open every day in the morning and in the afternoon (closed at lunch time) and you can rent skates or sign up for classes. I prefer weekday mornings, it is a lot more relaxed when the teenage kids are at school and not playing tag at 90 miles/hour. You will notice some elderly people doing pro dance moves, these pensioners are a delight to watch, but the music leaves a lot to be desired.

By prepchik07

You can find several other smaller rinks in the city and many schools turn their football pitch to an ice rink for a few weeks. We visited Lake Omszk this morning, it is a few kilometres north of Budapest, a former gravel pit turned into a recreational area. The lake is totally frozen and there were lots of happy people skating, playing hockey or just sliding around. Lots of happy doggies too! Can you see the dad with the pushchair in the middle of the lake? You can see James and our toddler there too.

If you fancy skiing you just need to get over to the Buda hills and bus no. 21 will take you to Normafa, where you can find 7 ski slopes! Not exactly the Alps, but very convenient.  Most people will sledge down, then take the bus up again, drink some mulled wine, or pálinka, have a rétes and off again! Great fun!

by Zsolt Bugarszki

Sledging you can do almost anywhere on the Buda side, there are hills everywhere! The best slopes are around the Normafa, Sas Hegy and the Hármashatárhegy. Wheeeee!

This summer a friend of mine told me that she met Hugh Jackman at a down town playground, both out with their kids. I wondered what blockbuster they are shooting now in Budapest, and it was in fact a Lipton Ice tea ad. Here is the video, you can perhaps recognise a couple of buildings? It is tricky, first time I only recognised the bridge.. Mr Jackman is far too fit!

And here is the werkfilm too:

If you are still unsure about the buildings pop over to Balázs’s blog, there is a map with a possible jogging route and he identified all the buildings! It is indeed in Hungarian, but it is easy to understand!

Still want more Hugh Jackman? He shot another Lipton ad at Hármashatárhegy, my favourite hiking place from my childhood in the 3rd district. This is quite funny:

Tonight all the magyar children will polish their boots and place them on the windowsill, St Nicholas aka Mikulás is coming tonight with sweets and treats!

We spent the afternoon making cinnamon rolls- snails and ladybirds- to leave next to those tiny boots for St. Nicholas and I am certain that he will be delighted!

So will the kids with these red sacks: they contain two raisin-apple muffins, a small packet of chocolate covered currants, a golden walnut, a red apple and a tiny wooden car.

Budapest is also getting ready for the celebrations, the lovely decorations are up, Christmas trees, lights and the Christmas tram started running too! It is the good old number 2 that runs along the river on the Pest side, check out this short video and see the amazing ride with all the sights along the Danube lit up!

And of course don’t forget to check out the Christmas fair at Vörösmarty square! There are quality crafts, hot wine, great toys and gifts, live music and entertainment for all ages.  And Santa from Finland is at the grotto tomorrow.

If you prefer cutting edge design, then the Museum of applied Arts is the place next weekend, on the 10th-11th from 10 am till 8 pm there is a contemporary design market, and guess what! Napfényes patisserie will be there too with vegan delights!

A short walk from the budaveg vegetarian B&B you find the loveliest park in the city, Margaret Island rich in sights and history. It belongs to our municipality and can be easily reached by bridge or boat. The island is car free, there are two buses and a car park at the northern tip, it is also possible to rent a bike or a bicycle-carriage.

The island was in fact called “The Island of Rabbits” for a long time, and received it’s name from Princess Margaret,  who lived as a nun on the island. She was the daughter of King Bela IV, who vowed to dedicate his daughter to God after the Tatar invasion, so Margaret entered the convent as a child. You will find the ruins of the convent and the memorial of St Margaret almost at the centre of the island.   Today the island is a lovely landscaped park  full of 150-200 year old enormous sycamore trees and lots of flowers. There is a rubber jogging track all the way around the island which is enormously popular amongst  joggers.

If you enter from Margaret Bridge you pass first the Athletics centre, then the centenary monument commemorating the unification of Buda and Pest in 1873. Right behind that is the musical fountain; there are several speakers around blasting out Pavarotti to accompany the water. On the west side is the Olympic Swimming pool named after Alfréd Hajós, and right behind it a large playground. On the east side are beautifully maintained parks with flower beds and roses. There are also couple of bars and a restaurant.

Further down on the west side there is a small zoo and a large bird hospital, we go there very often since our kids love animals, and they can also go pony riding there. A short walk from the zoo and you get to the ruins of the convent and the Chapel of St Michael.

On the east side you can find the biggest water park in Budapest, Palatinus, with many swimming pools, slides, thermal water, a wave machine and children’s pools.

Further up north is an enormous green field where people play football and frisbee on sunny days.  The island is full of wildlife, a very good place for urban birdwatching, also red squirrels abound.

At the other end of the island you can find the two thermal hotels and the car park. Right next to them you can see the lovely Japanese Garden with a small thermal pond, full of gold fish and terrapins.

There is a brand new “eco” playground behind the parking area and there is a popular bar called Cha cha cha at the very northern tip of the island.

Should you get hungry there are vegetarian places quite close: Nem Süti and Keleti on the pest side and Govinda Buda and Napfényes patisserie on the Buda side

1, Go underwater!

Budapest has fantastic spas and swimming baths, most of them are very easy to reach by public transport. This website gives you detailed information about opening times and prices. The most fun is the Palatinus on Margaret Island which has many pools, a wave machine and kamikaze slide. Dagály also has many pools, and a massive green area right along the river. Csillaghegyi is probably the least crowded because its water is actually cold, and it’s a bit shabby. For the most slides go to Aquaworld, it’s out of town but there is a free bus from Heroes’ Square.

2, Go underground!

There are plenty of caves in Budapest and a few of them are actually open for visitors. The most popular one is Pálvölgyi stalagmite cave, or the Szemlőhegyi Cave. It’s easy to reach by public transport, take bus no. 65 from Kolossy tér. The cave is 10° C all year round, so dress accordingly! Open Tuesday- Sunday 10-4 pm, tours are every hour at a quarter past. There are also two caves to visit in the Castle district, the Labyrinth (which is closed temporarily) and the “Hospital in the Rock”. Both are part of the massive cave system in the castle hill itself.  The Hospital in the Rock is open Tuesday- Sunday 10-7 pm.

3, Enjoy the breeze!

Take a ride on the river! You can travel in style aboard a sightseeing boat like Legenda, or take the scheduled boat to Szentendre and top it off with a mega ice cream at the Szamos Marzipan Museum. Marzipan is in fact vegan, and many fruit ice creams too. You can also take the inexpensive city boat that goes from Boráros Tér to Békásmegyer, stopping at Margaret Island as well.

4, Go to the Buda Hills:

Take the Children’s Railway! Up in the Buda Hills there is a small gauge railway operated by kids, very cute. Take tram 56 from Moszkva Tér to the terminus, then it’s a short hike up to the station. Get off at János Hegy station and after a 15 minute walk you are at the highest point of the city at Erzsébet Kilátó, and in the shade. You can also combine the trip with a ride on the chairlift.

5, Go somewhere which is air conditioned:

There are plenty of air-conditioned cinemas, though most films are dubbed. You can see the English language screenings here: http://www.palacecinemas.hu/ Most museums are air conditioned too!

Summer is almost over, school is about to start and this is the best time for a city break! The weather is pleasant; not too hot, yet sunny, prices are lower and there is so much more to do than sightseeing!

7-11 September Wine festival in the Royal castle in Budapest, 15 counties are presenting 220 vineyards and 5000 types of wine, this year the special guest is France. Folk music, craft market and children’s activities make it into a great family event. Hungary has 22 different wine regions,  and lots of excellent vineyards- but most are relatively small so even their award winning wine hardly makes it abroad, but here is the perfect opportunity to taste a bit more than Bull’s blood and Tokaji.

image from: www.winefestival.hu

If wine is not your cup of tea how about a Chocolate and Sweets Festival? It is held 16-18 September also in the castle district, and looks yummy! Lots of handmade chocolate, ice cream and tastings of course.

We celebrate the composer Franz Liszt this year which culminates at the LISZT AND EUROPE INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL 29 September – 2 October 2011 held at these venues: MTA Roosevelt téri Díszterme, Művészetek Palotája, Millenáris

8-17 October Budapest Autumn Festival: is a prestigious art festival with art exhibitions, concerts, film, theatre and dance.

If you are into pop and rock, you can look forward to the following concerts:

George Michael 19 September,
Bryan Ferry 21 September,
Britney Spears. 30 September
Rammstein 10 November
Sade 23 November
Rihanna, 8 December

The budaveg apartment is available in September and October, you can book the best veggie B&B in town here or simply get in touch!
See you soon in vegetarian Hungary…

If you have kids under 12 or you still haven’t lost your fascination with vehicles you are in for a treat in Budapest, there are a couple of places to mesmerise you, in fact there 6 transport museums.

Airplane park is right next to terminal 2, There are 8 planes and one helicopter and you can actually enter some of the planes: IL-18, TU-134 and TU-154. There is also a picnic area and you can take pictures and video. You can also combine the visit with a 2 hour tour of the airport by bus: you can see take offs and landings, refuelling, baggage handling, and peek into the maintenance area as well.
Open 15 March- 15 October every day 9 am till 6 pm (last entry 5 pm)
website

The Museum of Transport (Közlekedési múzeum) in the city park is very easy to reach by public transport. There are trains, buses, cars and models, and outside is a 424 steam engine.  They often have special shows at weekends.

Kossuth Múzeumhajó is an old steamboat made in 1913 in the Ganz Danubius Works and served as a  ”farmer’s boat”- picking up farmers and their produce in south Hungary and bringing them to the Central market hall in Budapest. Today the boat is also a restaurant, but everybody is welcome to enter and look around. The boat is right next the Széchenyi Chain Bridge on the Pest side.

Földalatti Vasút Múzeum is the underground museum at Deák Ferenc Metro stop, it commemorates the first Metro on the continent which opened here in 1896, 1000 years after the arrival by the first Hungarians in 896). There is a reconstruction of an original underground stop with beautiful Zsolnay tiles, and of course the underground carriages, all made of wood!

Open every day (except Monday) 10 am – 5 pm

The Train History Park is just outside the centre, but you can get there in style on the steam train from Nyugati railway station. It is an old station, with plenty of old trains, two turn tables, model trains, rail bikes etc. They organize trips on the old trains, special visits and exhibits.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10 am-5pm
Address: 1142 Budapest Tatai u. 95.
Tel: 06 1 450 1497.

Városi Tömegközlekedési Múzeum- Szentendre This massive public transport museum is right behind the train station in Szentendre (which is a lovely place to visit anyway) you can easily get there by the suburban train from Budapest in 40 minutes. There are many old trains, buses, trams and you can enter most of them, a real treat for kids. All the pictures of this blogpost were taken at a recent visit here.
Open 1 April- 31 October   Tuesday to Sunday 10 am-5pm
Address: 2000 Szentendre, Dózsa György út 3.

Also we have the  Children’s Railway (timetable and info) which is a small gauge forest railway run by children: they sell the tickets, inspect them, signal at the stations, only the driver is an adult. You can take the tram 56 from Moszkva/ Szell Kalman Square to the Hűvösvölgy end or the Fogaskerkű (Cogwheel railway) to the Széchényi-hegy destination.

Last weekend we joined one of the free Art Nouveau walks organized by Budapest UnderGuide to celebrate the EU presidency of Hungary. We are big fans of the Budapest spas and thermal baths and were really looking forward to learn more about Gellért Baths. We have been at the Gellért several times and were always amazed by the art nouveau windows, mosaics and all those lovely details. The guide first took us in the baths and we saw the indoor bubble pool: the bubbles are turned on once every hour. We were told that it was built in the 30s and before that there was a conservatory and a mini golf course there. Then we looked at the outside wave pool, which was built in 1927, and a Hungarian architect designed the wave machine which is still used today! The waves are turned on once every hour and that is the nearest you can get to a sea splash in our small landlocked country. There are three other wave pools in Budapest I know of: at Dagály, Palatinus and  Aquaworld, and they are fun. The most splendid part of the bath is no doubt the men’s thermal area which is only open to ladies on Sunday, with beautiful original Zsolnay mosaics, well worth a visit. Then we looked around in the hall and adored the Miksa Roth art nouveau stained glass windows and all the majolica details, then came the real deal which attracted me to the walk: we could go down to see the secret corridor under the Gellért Hill and also the cave where the water was first discovered. This corridor is bit over a kilometre long and connects the Gellért, the Rudas and the Rácz baths, all these baths are supplied by the same spring, and the 4 wells on the corridor. Normally only 2 wells are switched on but if there is a need they can switch on the others. This corridor was made after the second world war with normal mining methods hence the small railway track on the corridor. The water is quite close to the surface and it is around 40 degrees Celsius. Then we entered the cave in small groups since it was so tiny and extremely hot; the cave is called “Cauliflower” because of the rock formations, and it used to be connected to the massive cave system in the Gellért Hill. Unfortunately these walks are fully booked but if you don’t mind being a bit naughty, you can just turn up, the guides were super nice and never once asked our names. Also you can download a map and play art nouveau treasure hunt! All these pics were taken by my phone hence the trabant-quality but a simple googling will give you tons of quality images of all the lovely art nouveau details of the baths!

When I (Zsofi) was growing up in the 80’s they were everywhere; Lenins, Marxs, “excellent workers” and red stars in all sizes (though the same shape). To me they were part of the landscape and some were frightening, some were friendly, and some served as an important landmark in my city navigation. Take the statue of Ostapenko for instance, when you saw it you knew you were back in Budapest: it was right there where the motorways M1 and M7 enter the city; to be frank I would still prefer that instead of the McDonalds and the petrol station which are there now.

But they were more than “art”, they were symbols of oppression, so when the system change came in ’89 they had to go. Luckily somebody had this brilliant idea of exhibiting 42 of them in a park right outside Budapest. It is called a “park” but it is more like a big open space next to a main road. So if you feel nostalgic or plain curious about what we had before the golden archers invaded the Eastern bloc take a ride back in time to Statue Park.

Two of my personal favourites are here: Marx and Engels: they used to stand next to the Margaret Bridge and we would practice our snowballing skills on them, ah childhood innocence! The other is the statue of communist leader Béla Kun, this was erected just a year or less before the system change so it only stood for a few months in the park behind Déli railway station, but kids soon found out that it makes an amazing sound if you beat it like a drum so it attracted a lot attention from teenagers.

There is a souvenir shop where you get the famous “Last breath of communism” tins, CDs of communist marches sang by male choirs, coffee mugs decorated with red stars and Trabants and a wide selection of Tee shirts. And all the commie paraphernalia, if you’re into retro then you’re in for a treat.

There is also a “Barrack”  with special exhibitions; right now “The life of an Agent”, very interesting, but gosh it makes me paranoid- if they were this sophisticated back then, what are they doing now?

Stalin's boots

It is a bit out of town but you can get there by public transport or use their special shuttle bus, you can find all the important information on their website. Also for some aerial photographs you can click here or use good old Google Earth.

Address: 22nd district (Southern Buda), corner of Balatoni út and Szabadkai utca., Szoborpark

Tel: 06 1 424-7500

Website: http://www.szoborpark.hu/index.php?Lang=en

Opening times: every day from 10 am to dusk