Budapest (Part 6)

The last couple of days of our trip we explored Budapest on our own. We stayed at the Budapest Hilton, high up on a hill in the Castle District on the hilly Buda side of the Danube (we were told there are two kinds of people in Budapest: those that live in Buda, and those that want to live in Buda). The views from our room were stunning, out over the Danube to Margaret Park located on an island in the middle of the river, out over the flat Pest side of the city, and immediately below us was Fisherman’s Bastion.

Fisherman’s Bastion is a fortification that was never used as such. It is of recent build, built from 1895-1902 on top of an ancient fortification that was protected by the guild of fishermen during the Middle Ages, hence its name. It has seven turrets representing the seven Hungarian tribes who founded Hungary in 895.  Though it was almost constantly crowded with tourists, we got to enjoy its quiet majesty early in the morning or late at night.

We decided to walk the small streets and alleys of the Castle District and, at the same time, look for a café that had been recommended by a graduate student of mine. She had told me that Budapest is every bit as much a café culture as Vienna, serving as meeting places for writers, poets, and artists. She specifically wanted us to try the Ruszwurm Café, telling us it was the oldest coffee house in Budapest. This coffee shop has been in operation, by generations of the same family, since 1827. Apparently the cakes are so good Sisi (whom I mentioned earlier, actually Elisabeth, Austrian Empress and Queen of Hungary), used to send footmen to fetch cakes from the Ruszwurm for her breakfast.

We went up and down one street after another expecting, due to its fame, something large, imposing, and impressive. Finally, we saw it (and realized that we had passed it several times!). A little snug, literal hole in the wall. We were hard put to find a place to sit as it is very small and not much room between tables, but were finally able to insert ourselves wedge-like next to an old ceramic furnace (that was not on, thank goodness). We ordered cappacinos and tried to decipher the menu.  There were cryptic descriptions of the cake in English so between the little Hungarian we had picked up and that we were able to order. My student had said we just had to try the Dobos cake. Barry ordered that and I ordered something that was described as being made of curds and tart berries. Basically, it was cheesecake (that floated off the plate) with a layer of tart fruit on top. The combination was heaven. Bar really enjoyed the Dobos, and the cappacinos were thick and strong. Great recommendation, Cathy!

We loved the secret alleys, the cobbled streets, the old frescoed apartment buildings . . .