VII. Erzsébet körút 9-11

Well the building speaks for itself: one of my favourite one in Budapest. The New York Palace is situated very close to Blaha Lujza square and after the change of regime is was purchased by the Boscolo hotel chain (2001) and turned into a luxury hotel. 

The New York Palace is one of the most characteristic and impressive building on the Grand Boulevard. The building was built by Alajos Hauszmann at the end of the 19^th century. The erection has also a historical significance: the New York Café on the ground floor was a meeting point of several literary and artistic societies.

After the renovation of the café many people thought that the café could regain its former splendour but unfortunately the new place could not fulfill the expectations. The renovation went very well: for the reconstruction it was awarded with Europa Nostra. The interior is absolutely authentic and marvellous, often there is live music with a pianist but we cannot feel the atmosphere of old times: mostly tourists are sitting inside. Looking at the prices the reason is quite understandable. The majority of the Hungarians is not willing to pay more than 5 Euros for a cappuccino. Or simply cannot afford it.   

Do you like wine and enjoying exhibitions? Do you like contemporary art?

Then you should check the program of the Ludwig Museum! In Budapest the Ludwig Museum is situated in the Palace of Arts (Művészetek Palotája or Müpa). The building (from 2005) itself is also a good example of contemporary art. The National Theatre is located next to it. Most of the locals like the Palace of Arts but not the new National Theatre: the older was definitely a nice building. For me the new one looks like a kitschy, unfitting contemporary construction made of cheap materials.

But fortunately we are going to the Museum! Here we are: 

From the city you can take the tram number 2 (get off at Milleneumi Kulturális Központ). 

This time we had the chance to taste some wines of Tállya (Tállya is a village in the famous wine region Tokaj-Hegyalja). The owners of the winery are operating also a nice hotel in Tállya (called Oroszlános, oroszlán means lion - http://oroszlanos.hu/index.php?&language=en). I will check it personally and blog about it, promise!

After the first wines we had a guided walk in the exhibition area (Ludwig Goes Pop + The East Side Story - The exhibition is partly realized as a collaboration of the Ludwig Museums; prior to the Budapest show, it was on display at the Ludwig Museums of Cologne and then Vienna. In the Budapest version, the exhibition is complemented with works by Hungarian and East-European artists).

As we did not have so much time the guided walk was a bit intensive. On the other hand I could experience more about the exhibits. My favourite one is a Hungarian pop art artwork (you can see 3 tigers on it symbolizing how people but also the communism become softer and softer as years went by – check it in the gallery).

After the exhibition we had a second round with very nice wines and live music. This event was also a nice opportunity to get to know other people with very different background. That is how my friend and I started to talk with the spokesman of the Korean Culture Centre. A great night with great wine and company, what else do we need? :)

If you are close Hotel Gellért and you do like wine then please check this lovely place called VinoPiano (Bartók Béla út 1, 1114). Here you can find a good selection of Hungarian wines as the owner of the place would like to raise awareness to artisan Hungarian wines. Artisan wine can be considered as a fingerprint of the winemaker, it has a unique style and character. A great opportunity to taste excellent Hungarian wines (lot of them cannot be found in other places in the city).

This year we had such a lovely autumn. The hills of Buda offer a very great opportunity for those ones who enjoy the nature but don’t want to go far away from Budapest. Normafa is a popular starting point for hiking or a nice walk in the forest.

You can take the bus number 21 from Széll Kálmán tér and in about 20 minutes you will arrive to Normafa. Up there you can find a very nice view to Budapest and also some nice buffets (you can find rétes, lángos or in the winter season mulled wine as well).

If it’s your first time there, I recommend you to choose the path which takes you to the Elisabeth Lookout Tower. 

You will also pass the upper station of the chairlift (Libegő). If you are hungry (again), don’t worry: there is also a small buffer inside.

From here the view point on John’s hill (János-hegy) is not far away. This the highest point of Budapest (527 meters), so if the weather is clear you can enjoy an absolutely stunning view.

Thanks to the hills on Buda side we have several good view points to the city. The lookout tower of Joseph-hill does not belong to the most famous ones but offers a different perspective.

(address: Józsefhegyi út – II. district, take bus number 91 to ‘Királyhágó tér’ and walk up)

This time I arrived there around 11 am and nobody was there. It was a bit windy but I defintetly enjoyed the view. Just me and the city.  Later on an elder man arrived who started a nice conversation with me about old times.

If your time allows, you can just walk down on foot towards the Danube. And very close you can also find the Tomb of Gül Baba (Gül Baba türbéje).

Traditionally in Hungary on the 1st of November we are celebrating All soul's day (Mindenszentek napja) and on the 2nd of November we are commemorating to our loved ones who already passed away (Halottak napja). In the recent years more and more mostly young people are participating on Halloween parties.  

This is how cemeteries look like in these days

Usually I always spend these day in my hometown (in Eger) so I am not up-to-date about the different Halloween parties. I guess sometimes it is better to follow the traditions. Yesterday one of my friends called me and he said that he had seen more masqueraded people than at New Year's Eve or at Farsang (a Hungarian carnival). This is one of the several sings of the unstoppable globalization process.

Actually on the occasion of the old tradition I wanted to show you the most famous cemetery of Hungary which is a public park as well: The Kerepesi Cemetery (Kerepesi úti temető). It is situated in Józsefváros (District VIII) near Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station). The cemetery as well known for the Hungarians as many famous Hungarians (writers, artists, architects etc.) has been buried there.

I do remember when I was at the first time in the cemetery I was very impressed: I saw so many names on gravestones which I knew from the history books. In the cemetery stands also the Mausoleum of Lajos Kossuth. If you are less interested in Hungarian historical figures, the cemetery is an interesting place also from architectural aspects.  It is a less touristic place, if you are up to a nice walk in one of the biggest park of the city, I highly recommend you to visit this place.  

Do you have a favourite a street in your city? I do have in Budapest: Pozsonyi út. The street is located in the XIII district (the southern part of it, very close to the down town).This part of the district is called Újlipótváros (New Leopold Town). The street is full with small cafés, restaurants, book shops and many artisanal shops: it has a unique, charming vibration.

During my studies I used to live in this district and I would really love to move there again (unfortunately the real estate prices are slightly higher than in the district where I do live at the moment). So I have many memories which binds me to this street.  

People living in this area know each other, they greet each other and most of them have a favourite place to buy some food or have a good café.

I think the street could be a good starting point for a nice walking tour. Why don't we have breakfast on Pozsonyi út together? There are some many nice places to start the day here. Of course I can also recommend some nice restaurants for the evening as well.

If you are interested in history, do not worry: there is a lot to tell :)  

Come and discover this lovely street!

It might be a clishé, but a night walk on the Castle Hill is absolutely stunning 

Vielleicht ist es ein Klischee, aber ein Nachtspaziergang in dem Burgviertel ist wirklich atemberaubend

Magari suona come un clishé ma una passeggiata notturna sulla collina del castello è assolutamente incredibile

 If we have a sunny autumn day like this, Margaret Island is definitely a perfect place for a nice walk!

Wenn wir einen sonnigen Herbsttag haben, die Margareteninsel ist ein perfekter Ort für einen schönen Spaziergang!

Se abbiamo una giornata autunnale così bella,  l'Isola Margherita è sicuramente un luogo ideale per una bella passeggiata!