(Budapest, Hungary)
Our visit to Bratislava was extremely short. We arrived on the afternoon of September 10, had a pre-game meal, played the game (see my post on “A Great Game in Bratislava” for details), and celebrated the victory afterwards. We only had a couple of hours on the morning of September 11 to explore the city before heading to Budapest.
It was necessary to take a cab from our hotel to the old town. It was strange to ask the cab driver to take us downtown…but not to any particular place. We didn’t really know where to start and we certainly hadn’t done any research. This went totally against my usual “informed travel” approach but the clock was ticking and we wanted to see part of the city before moving on. We were eventually let off at the edge of a pedestrian-only district that seemed close enough to the old town.
The plan was simple: walk around the oldest parts and make sure we found a cab back by 11:00 a.m. The old town of Bratislava is relatively compact (especially if you are not entirely sure where it is) so after about 20 minutes we decided to climb a large hill and visit the castle overlooking the city. Climbing up was no problem and we were able to wander around the castle complex for a while.
We decided to descend the castle hill on the other side. Surely there would be a second way down? Alas, we encountered one dead-end after another and the timing situation was becoming more urgent. Finally, we managed to find our way out…but were amazed at how few taxis were roaming Bratislava on this increasingly rainy morning. Just as the situation became critical (and drenched), we found a taxi stand and rushed back to our hotel. Yes, this probably could have been avoided with a little research, or even a map. Intuition is great…when it works.
We had more time in Budapest. Our hockey game (see “Hockey Night in Budapest” post) took place shortly after arrival on the 11th but we had all of September 12 to ourselves. I made sure I had a map before setting out; even though I had been here for 3 days in 1991, I was taking no chances. I also was expecting a lot of changes, as 1991 was still very early in Hungary’s evolution from a one-party system. I can still recall seeing eastbound trains loaded with Soviet tanks: it was the winding-up of an empire.
The main tourist areas had certainly been developed in the intervening 23 years: it was as if a thick layer of dust had been blown off the downtown area. The views along the Danube (see photo at top of this post) were also as spectacular as ever; it was not hard to see that Budapest flourished during the glory years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But when I wandered into the less-touristed areas, it looked like the city was still recovering from those 40 years of post-war stagnation.
Our group reconvened that evening for a final dinner. Our Hungarian hockey hosts recommended a French-influenced restaurant some distance west of downtown. I think the best description would be “rustic elegance”: it reminded me of the upscale cellar restaurants you often find in the German-speaking countries. Although rather expensive, I couldn’t find fault with the food or the very professional service. Even so, it would be difficult to eat like this on a regular basis.
When we returned to the hotel, the adrenaline had finally subsided and I was completely drained. This didn’t really come as a surprise: in barely a week, we had played 10 games in 4 countries and also managed to incorporate a lot of sightseeing. It had been an awesome trip with many special experiences…but I was also ready to return home and slow things down a little bit.
Coming up: some more photos of Budapest and some thoughts on Canada’s image abroad.