The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur
May 29 - Budapest
When in Budapest, attempt to see Budapest. Sometimes this is easier said than done. Paul, our host at the Pension San Marco, had briefed us on how to get in and out of town on public transit so off we went on another travel adventure. We did not get off to a good start, being unable to find a place where we could buy bus passes (or at least being unable to adequately communicate what we wanted to buy.) So we chickened out and took a cab to the Food Market, a cavernous building on the edge of the inner city that is sort of a combination farmers market and craft fair. I left Margene to pillage the embroidered linen while I headed off to find an Internet café and hopefully someone who could help me finally figure out how to send e-mail from my laptop. She had better luck than I did.
As the skies darkened and the wind picked up, we wandered along the Vaci utca, Budapest's main shopping street, a pedestrians-only mall lined with the most expensive shops in Hungary, stopping at the Catedral Café for lunch and at Café Gerbeaud for coffee and pastry. This was about the time that the rain hit, so we ducked into the Metro (subway) to try and find our way back to the San Marco.
We did OK on the subway but discovered there is a difference between the Number 6 bus and the Number 6 tram. We should have taken the bus but got the tram instead. It at least took us to the proper side of the river, but it took another cab ride from there to finally get to the room. I had great plans to go to one of the more legendary Hungarian restaurants for dinner but we were just too tired . . . and it was raining. So rather than hassle it, we hooked up with another couple and their two-year old son and headed back to the Happy Chipmunk! It was another great meal and another adventure in language differences. The company was fun but they deserve a medal for attempting several months on the road with a two-year old!
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