Riding the Rails in Budapest

We spent the past weekend in Budapest, Hungary. It was my second trip there but the first for Glenn and Sidney so we spent most of our time re(exploring) the City's great sights.  Thanks to Budapest's great public transportation system --in the form of a funicular, trams, trains, the underground subway, and a cog rail, we covered a lot of territory in a very short time.  We were whisked to the top of the Castle District on the Budavari Siklo, a three carriage funicular that was unlike any other I've ever ridden.  I had ridden the Budapest underground during my  previous visit.  Despite one schedule change that was only transmitted in Hungarian and resulted in my ending up in a part of the city I had not anticipated visiting, I loved their subway system.  It was immaculately clean and efficient (even the high speed escalators that whisks passengers deep into the bowels of the city moved quickly).  Most charming of all, the actual subway cars resembled something from decades ago yet were better maintained and more attractive than the new ones that grace most of America's public transportation systems.  I have to admit that on my most recent visit, I was saddened to not be able to ride any of these old fashioned cars.  Rather, it looked like we were riding in brand new subway cars that were just as efficient and well maintained.  Coming from a land with no safe public transportation, the last thing I should have been doing was complaining about it being too new!



The little engine that could

 At the suggestion of my friend Pam, and with step-by-step transfer directions provided by the concierge at our hotel, we spent Sunday riding the rails up into the Buda Hills.  With no particular end destination in mind, we took a total of four trains--the subway (via very new subway cars), a tram, a cog rail train, then finally an antique train pulled by a steam engine-- as we left the rain of the city behind us and exchanged it for rolling hills and falling snow.  This final train was the Gyermekvasut, or Children's Railroad. A relic from the Communist Era, this small railroad, under the supervision of adults, is operated by children ages 10 to 14 who do everything from selling the tickets, serving as on board conductors, and guiding the trains into the stations.  The only thing they don't actually do themselves is serve as the train engineers (and I bet that is the best job). 

The train arriving under the direction of  children

The Gyermekvasut got its start as a program of the Youth Pioneers in the 1940s and from the crisp salutes as the trains enter the stations to the sharp uniforms that are smaller versions of those worn by Hungarian State Railway employees, the railway's Communist roots are evident.  The Gyermekvasut was modeled after similar versions operating in the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia with high achieving students from Budapest schools being selected for these coveted positions.  What started with a few kilometers of track eventually and work camp like youth employment conditions has expanded to its present 11.2 kilometers of narrow gauge rails and children lining up to participate in what I think is the coolest hands on work experience a child could get.

We spent a couple of hours on the train chugging through the Budapest woods.  Because it was the weekend the train was filled with other families escaping, yet experiencing the wet snow.  As the train pulled into each station it was met by at least two saluting youth and upon departure our tickets were checked and announcements were made by the child workers on board.  The service was efficient and impressive.  This simple train ride was one of the coolest ways I have played tourist in a long time. 



The boys checking out a map at the train station



 

Peppery Paprika and Other Hungarian Delights

Paprika in the making

For me, no trip would be complete without sampling the host country's local culinary delights.  My trip to Budapest was no exception.  I feel as though I ate my way through the week.......and it was so good!

Goulash

Paprikas Csirke with Galuska

Hungary is known for its paprika so I made sure to sample a few of its paprika laced foods.  We have all heard of goulash and I had eaten it a few times before my Budapest trip. Earlier versions had always been thick like a stew.  The goulash I ate in Hungary was different; it was more like a spicy beef stew.  It was better than the earlier versions I had tasted. The infamous paprika chicken was pretty darn good.  Being a carb lover, it tasted even better when served on top of a pasta dumpling.  What was even better however, was hortobagyi palacsinta, a chicken filled crepe smothered in a peppery cream sauce.  My friend Laura introduced me to this at 21 Maygar and it was probably the best dish I ate during my trip.

Hortobagyi Palacsinta

Spring is asparagus season. I have yet to find fresh asparagus in Albania.  I haven't seen it in the markets and the Albanians I've   asked don't know what asparagus is.  I have found asparagus in the freezer case of Conad where it is imported to us from Italy.  The few times I've tried it I have been so disappointed that I have stopped buying it. Because of this I was so happy to discover that asparagus is abundant in the spring along the Danube River.  While in Budapest I enjoyed several meals of steamed asparagus.  Straight up and unadulterated by sauces, fresh asparagus is a gastronomical delight.

Making Kurtos Kalacs at a neighborhood market

I've found that street foods are often my favorite meals while traveling. Kurtos Kalacs, a hollow honey cake cooked over hot coals, was my Hungarian discovery. One long strip of dough is wrapped around a wooden spindle then baked over the fire until brown.  Dipped in sugar or cinnamon it was a tasty snack.  The fact that the woman cooking them was dressed in traditional garb only added to the experience.

Hungarian wine

Local cappuccino

And let us not forget the drinks and desserts.  I was introduced to Hungarian wines by friends from the Hungarian Embassy here in Tirana.  I'm a fan of Cabernet Sauvignon and those that I sampled did not disappoint.  My other favorite beverage is coffee.  Yes, there was a Starbucks next door to my hotel but I found myself preferring local coffees.  Much to my delight, the first cappuccino I ordered outside of Starbucks arrived as a drink layered with foam, coffee, hot milk, and local honey.  It was a surprising combination but I loved it.  And it was pretty too.

Bite sized treats are so easy to eat

Dessert

Within a weeks time span I ate too many fruit and cheese filled strudels.  They were all bite sized, which made them all the easier to consume. (It was a good thing I did as much walking as I did).  Fruit seemed to play a large role in most desserts and pastries since in addition to the above mentioned strudels, I sampled a strawberry shortcake type dessert with a vanilla custard cream and crispy wafer accompanying the fresh strawberries.  The biggest hit for this chocolate lover, however, was a crepe filled with chocolate sauce and sour cherries.   Now that was a great way to end a meal.  

Rejuvenating in Budapest

The Parliament Building

I'm in Budapest, Hungary this week for a work related training.  This is one of the great benefits of being employed overseas where training sessions are held in great cities most Americans only dream about visiting.  I may be working this week but for me, this time is a much more than another work assignment.  This week is a much needed and long anticipated escape from my Albanian reality.

In a twist from the norm, on Sunday it was I who walked into the airport while my family drove back home. While Glenn is holding down the fort on the home front- with assistance from the nanny of course- I am having a flashback to the travel filled days of my previous professional life.  I may be sequestered in a hotel conference room for much of the day, but in a return to this environment I am able to focus on my job and how to do it better.  I don't have to worry about rushing home to relieve the nanny, what to wear to that evening's reception or contemplate what I'm making for dinner that night.  Before I left I did offer to grocery shop and cook for the week.  Glenn assured me that he would handle it but I did catch a glimpse of his meat heavy menu for the week and and am now resting assured that both he and Sidney are loving their vegetable free meals.  But back to my time in Budapest...........

This week I've met fellow Americans from Embassies throughout Europe who are working in the same position as I hold in Tirana. We're all spouses who have given up our careers to follow our other halves halfway around the world.  We are fortunate to have the jobs that most of us are over qualified to hold.  Our time away from our respective posts has been enlightening.  We've simultaneously shared horror stories and felt relieved that maybe our situations aren't as dire as we had previously thought.  (I've learned that there are conditions in Europe that are so much more spartan than those in Albania.  Who knew?).  Yes, we're being briefed on the nuts and bolts of our jobs but as is usually the case, the best information comes from our networking opportunities.  

The Chain Bridge across the Danube

And yes, I'm having a little fun too.  I was able to have dinner with an American friend currently living in Budapest. Over a dinner and a bottle of Hungarian wine we were able to compare notes on the highs and lows of Embassy life without interruption.  I've missed long talks with my girlfriends and dinner with Laura was just what I needed to recharge my batteries.   Skype, Facebook, and email are just inadequate substitutes for real human contact.   This is perhaps what I've missed the most about living overseas.

After hours I've been getting out and playing tourist while visiting Budapest's historic sites.  I've strolled around Pest's litter-free sidewalks in the evening, meandered through the Castle District's cobblestone roads, and taken pictures of the magnificent  historical buildings that line the banks of the Danube River.   I'm not a shopper but I've tried on clothing in trendy stores not because I need anything new but rather because I can.  At times I've felt like a country bumpkin as I stand in awe and observe Budapest's cosmopolitan public transportation system, well lit streets with working streetlights, well preserved historic buildings, and feral animal free streets of this capital city.  In many respects, this former communist city is everything that Tirana isn't.  I've also noticed that I'm not the only one doing this; those of us living in the far reaches of Eastern Europe and beyond are relishing in the same sights and experiences.  This week I'm getting to experience so many of these forgotten pleasures that at moments I feel as thought I'm in sensory overload.  

Without a doubt I'm missing Sidney.  By the time I return home this weekend this will be the longest I've been away from him sine he was born.  I know he is in good hands with his dad and I'm loving the fact I can sprawl across the king sized bed and have all five pillows to myself.  I have full control of the television remote and haven't heard Elmo's lispy voice once.  Thanks to the Starbucks that is adjacent to my hotel I have regular access to my beloved vanilla lattes.  For the moment I'm in heaven.

I'm appreciating my time here and I know that is because this is all so different.  In a few days I'll be back to my Albanian reality and I am ok with that.  The hustle and bustle of my days will fill my time and I will  enjoy that as well.  In the meantime, I'm going to go order myself another vanilla latte.