Cyclist are important

Cyclist are important, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

There are a lot more cyclists in Budapest than in KL. And oddly enough, we didn't see a single motorcyclist in Budapest whereas KL is crawling with them.( Not an exaggeration).

Here is a traffic light I saw by chance. Pretty cool. I'm not a fan of cycling. Reminds me of the first year in university. A friend remove my mud flaps and I had mud on my bag and coat at the end of the day. I also fell off the bike once with a heavy knappsack behind me. I ended up like an upside down turtle and *cringe* had to be helped back upright.

I'm pretty happy driving about these days. And I can park just about any spot. And can drive different made of cars:)

Painting the scene on the Danube

Painting the scene on the Danube, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I wish I could paint well. ( Painting by numbers I'm told is not counted) Here is a picture zoomed with the G12 ( it is currently out of commission sadly) of a man sitting facing the danube and drawing.

This was taken from the conference level floor of the Intercontinental Budapest!

A cellist along Andrassy avenue

A cellist along Andrassy avenue, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I spotted her as she walked pass me. I did a few photo stops...and when I tried to catch up with her she was far, far ahead of me. I wonder whether she is a music student rushing to class, or perhaps rushing to practice.

Righto..next instrument to consider...is a cello!

Who is this ?

Who is this ?, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Budapest has many sculptures. It's a pity the names are sometimes not written anywhere leaving us less informed to guess who and why they are there. I took this picture because the man looked like he had a commanding air about him. And the sun shinning like so, made this a perfect shot to capture a sunny morning in Budapest.

Café Gerbeaud by night

Café Gerbeaud by night, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I've forgotten how dark the evenings are during the winter months. A bit of a shock walking out of the great hall market and seeing the dark skies. The temperature dropped a lot too. So I was grateful for the thick jacket.

This is Cafe Gerbeaud near HRC Budapest and in Vörösmarty tér 7. It is a famous traditional coffee house in Budapest. I didn't get a chance to go in. ( Bummer) On the upside, I'm still able to wear my jeans comfortably.

GERBEAUD CAFÉ

1051 Budapest Vörösmarty tér 7-8.
Post address: 1364 Budapest Pf. 211.
Opening hours: Mo - Su: 09:00 - 21:00

On the Danube

On the Danube, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

The Danube is a very long river. It originates in Germany and passes through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine and Romania.

That's a whole lot of countries. When I got back from Budapest, my dad asked me " so was the Danube blue?" Anyone who's ever had to take piano lessons as a child would have certainly played a song called " The blue Danube". It's a waltz by the Austrian composer Strauss

Palinka

Palinka, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Hungarians make the best Palinka. But it's biase because Palinka is only licensed to be made in Hungary. So there you go. Something interesting to digest. I read this in a magazine at the hotel. It is a traditional fruit punch. I read this and decided I should return to Malaysia with some Palinka. I spotted this at the Budapest airport. The prices were in Euro which was good. No massive conversion needed in my head. The person serving said the palinka in these bottles weren't as good as the one in the boring glass bottles nearby. So I bought one of those instead. Haven't tried the Palinka...but when I do,I'll be sure to share the experience.

Pssst the alcohol content may vary from 37% to 86%

The brand "Palinka" is protected by Hungarian and EU law and can only be made from healthy fruits by distillation.

Chinese Takeaway

Chinese Takeaway, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Spotted this shop en route to the great market hall. ( We took the longer scenic route thanks to some misguided instructions from two different people) Eastern chinese fast food. Their menu featured the obligatory Kong Pao Chcken,chicken with bamboo and mushroom, Onion chicken, Peppery fried chicken ( new..never tried this before) Pumpkin with chicken ( yuck) Duck liver( pate I guess) Thailand chicken, Cola chicken ( do they add cola to the chicken in a stew form) Interesting menu obviously tailored to suit the local taste. I wonder how many chinese they actually are in Budapest.

cross stitch

cross stitch, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I have only completed one cross stitch the size slightly smaller than this little pin cushion you see above. It's a very patient person who can sit down and sew bit by bit.

My mum is a cross stitch fan and she has done a lot over the years. The house is filled with evidence of what a patient and determined individual she is. Today's her birthday. I've put a link on her ipad to my blog but I suspect she rarely visits.

Happy Birthday Mummy. May God continue to bless and look after you. Love you loads.

While we're on the birthday note, FB friends reading this would know...we celebrated my paternal grand aunty 's 97th birthday on Saturday. 4th Ee Poh is a lovely lady. we had a gathering of aunts, second cousins and nieces and nephews all united in the great love we share for this special lady.

glass bottles

glass bottles, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

We're big into plastic bottles. Leading to ( I suspect) a lot of used bottles which are not recycled. We were served glass bottles of mineral water; sparkling ( yay) and non-sparking during the meeting. Slight problem once you're open the bottle you're pretty much obliged to finish it otherwise the bubbles will disappear.

Run run run

Run run run, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

This bronze chap looks like he is in a dreadful hurry. There was no sign nearby to tell me what this represents. I tried googling but can't think of how to google for information. I can't remember the name of the street either.

So we will never know what this represents. And who did the sculpture. Boohoo

* this picture was taken somewhere near Intercontinental Hotel Budapest. I can't remember the street

Hungarian Policeman

Hungarian Policeman, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

This fat chap stands facing the Basilica. Presumably in the past this would make sense...guarding the church grounds. He looks pretty laid back with this protruding tummy he's hardly an example of a trim policeman. There's a certain calmness about him which makes you smile.

Budapest has a few more Bronze sculptures littered intermittently around the city. This was the first which caught my attention. I did so want to pose with this policeman but sadly there weren't many people about at 7:15am. The sweeper was busy doing his job I didn't have the nerve to interrupt him to ask for a picture.

Vaci Utca lace shop

lace, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Okay, if I could turn back the clock, I'ld buy at least 3 of these. Yes yes I'm pretty sure I would. One long runner, a round lace with bright flowers and finally a decent table cloth.

This was taken at a shop along Vaci Street.( main shopping street where prices are definitely higher than the great market.)

russian dolls

russian dolls, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

The more expensive, the more little dolls you can remove as you go along. Surely everybody would love one ( or two) of these. the number of dolls ranges from 5 to thirty. Matryoshka dolls are Russian wooden dolls. It is a sign of fertility and motherhood.

The traditional nesting doll design is one of a young Russian woman dressed in her native costume with a scarf on her head. Can you spot on in the picture?

If you're dying for one...you can buy it on line:) I 've come across from pretty lovely nesting dolls for sale. tempted. Very tempted.

The start of winter

Budapest, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

When you google months to visit Budapest, you are told (wisely) that October is the start of the colder weather. Closer to the date to departure, the weather forecast then tells us that we're to expect a slightly warmer early October. We arrived to nice warm sun and a temperture of 21 degrees celcius. ( Glorious I hear you say).

That evening, the temperature dropped to 13 degrees so our walk back from the great market hall to the hotel was brr brr brr cold. The next two days were crisp and gloriously cold.

My tartan tights made its debut on Day 3. Bought at the street market in Hongkong during last year's APSR meeting. ( I knew it would come in useful eventually)

Hungarian State Opera House

Hungarian Opera House, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Here is the Hungarian Opera House on a sunny morning. (Hungarian: Magyar Állami Operaház) This building took nearly ten years to complete. It is built in a Neo-Renaissance style. On the Balustrade ( not too clear in my picture) you can see some of the 16 statues of the great composers of the world; Beethoven, Mozart, Verdi, Bizet, Tchaikovsky and Monteverdi.

The tram

The tram, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Here is a good reason to stay at the Intercontinental Hotel Budapest.....the tram line number 2 stops literally outside the hotel. This is my shot of the tram as I faced the hotel with the Danube to my back. I love the sight of the tram. It's a lovely yellow and the shape of the vehicle is pleasing. It's pretty quiet. No chug chug sound as it buzzes pass.

Budvari Siklo ( Buda Hill Funicular)

Funicular Castle Hill, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Took this picture en route down Castle Hill at night. Bit cold and very hungry at this stage. The funicular wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Nice and slow up the hill and down.

We had initially walked up the hill. But it was dark and some parts were a bit too dark for my liking so we opted for this faster ride uphill.

The view from the top was nice but it would have been much nicer during the day. On the up side, there wasn't a crowd and no long line for the ticket and for the ride up and down.

We'd walked across Chain Bridge from the Intercontinental Hotel....with many photo stops en route.

The funicular was opened in 1870. Like most things, it was destroyed during World War 2 and eventually reopened in June 1986.

Note: Funicular is a cable railway that moves up and down a steep slope

Gresham Palace

Gresham Palace, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Taken en route back from midway on Chain Bridge to the hotel. The red car to the left of the picture is driving from Buda to Pest. ( Cool!)

Gresham Palace is now known as The Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace. It opened in 2004.The site was originally a palce called Nako House but when the London Gresham Life Assurance Company bought it, they demolished Nako house and built this current structure. Why Gresham? It is named after Sir Thomas Gresham the 16th century financier to Queen Elizabeth the first. It is a fine example of Art Nouveau ( French for new style)  architecture in the world. I want to stay here!!!


Four Seasons Gresham Palace
Budapest - District V
Roosevelt tér 5-6
Getting there: Tram 2 to Roosevelt tér
Tel: (36 1) 268-6000
Fax: (36 (1) 268-5000
Four Seasons Gresham Palace website

Buda Castle

Buda Castle, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Buda Castle is on the Buda side of Budapest which meant we had to walk across the Chain Bridge to get there. Quite a long walk but because the weather was nice and crisp and COLD....it was a lovely experience.

The castle is built on the tip of Castle Hill. And to get to the top, we took the Castle Hill Funicular. ( Thankfully they accepted creditcards cos I didn't have a single forinth on me the duration of the trip) This poor castle has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. It currently houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum. No chance of entering as we made it there well after 7pm.

Interesting face: The labyrinth of Buda Castle can ( and has) housed as many as 10,000 people. How amazing is that?