Dad does Budapest II

My father visited me here in Budapest a couple of years ago. Now he's threatening it again. Below, you can find a list of the things we tried to do while he was here. It's not a bad itinerary for someone who's just spending a few days here.

Your Son's rough guide to your stay in Hungary
Advice: Bring a swimming suit. Seriously.

Friday, 24 October:

Your arrival - 9:20 AM, Ferihegy International Airport, Budapest, Hungary

Rest

Bob Dylan concert, 8 pm (?)
You'll probably be pretty tired out. Try to get some shuteye on the plane.

Saturday, 25 October:

Sleep late

Turkish baths! We go to the Rudas, which is a mosque-like Turkish bathhouse whose thermal springs people have been bathing in since the 15th century. Thankfully, they change the water every so often. You'll be given a postage-sized 'package blocker' to cover your genitals from all of the other bare-assed men navigating through the steam from icy cold basins into screaming hot ones. At the end, we'll go into the institute-like rest room and lie around with the snoring old men for a while.

Sightsee

Evening - we hit a couple of the places where the old crowd hangs out: Café Csiga (snail) and the Castro, which serves up Serbian specialties. We'll most likely drink some Unicum, Hungary's national drink. Egészségedre!

Sunday, 26 October:

Coffee, newspapers, etc. either up in the Castle District (near my house) at the Ruszwurm, which has more than a hint of Habsburg elegance, or we go down to the Muvélsz, a turn of the century joint with low-slung seats across from the opera house where a sign encourages smoking.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday:

I'm working, so you're free to do what you want.

You should take a day and go to hilly Szentendre, which is a touristy-yet-charming artists' community which was settled on the Danube by Serbs in about the 16th century. It takes about 45 minutes to get there by suburban railway and it's a relaxing trip which even shows some of the countryside. There are lots of restaurants, shops, galleries, etc. and several Christian orthodox churches to visit there.

I have not been to the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in a long time. Concerts used to cost about $1 in 1991. I'm sure it's still a bargain. That would be cool one night.

One of these nights we should also consider going to Hungary's most famous restaurant, Gundel.

We should also do another bathhouse, the old world spa elegance of either the Szechenyi baths or that of the Gellert Hotel.

Thursday, 30 October/Friday, 31 Oct:

I have taken a couple of days off and have two suggestions:

1. We take the train into Vienna. Takes about 3 hours and the train ticket is also a free public transport pass for 3 days in the inner city. Just walking around this city is a gas, there's so much to do and see. We'll definitely have coffee and cake in one of their funky, old coffeehouses. The place is, however, pretty expensive. We can stay overnight.

2. If we stay in Hungary, I was thinking we rent a car and go to the Villany wine region and go tasting at both the up and coming wineries and the 'old man sitting at the entrance of his cellar' kind of venues. Europe's largest thermal lake, Héviz, is nearby and we could go there the next day to chill.

3. If we don't go far away or if we have time, the Ecseri flea market can be fun. It's a little bus ride out of the city center. There are all sorts of funky old antiques, clothing, etc. Your mom would have loved it.

Saturday, 1 November:

Go to Budapest's main Market Hall, the Vásárcsarnok. We'll poke around the purveyors and then go up to the mezzanine for some cheap and grungy eats. We can split a lángos (fried dough with garlic, sour cream and cheese on top) and then have a shot or something to wash down the grease.

During the day we can do whatever you'd like.

Evening: maybe we can check out some wacky, East Euro performance at the Trafó. I love frowning, existentialist dancers and performance artists. No, really. I do.

Sunday, 2 November

Take you to the airport