lindi

Hi Rebecca, <BR> <BR>I found a couple of addresses for you on the web. (Hey I'm 19 too! ) (http://www.hungarytourism.hu/magyar/...m/lovaglas.htm) Here they are: <BR> <BR>RIDING SCHOOLS IN BUDAPEST: <BR> <BR>Honvéd SE Lovas Szakosztály <BR>1026 Budapest, Hidász u. 2. <BR>tel:394-2721 <BR> <BR>Petneházy Club Hotel Lovarda <BR>1029 Budapest, Feketefej u. 2. <BR>tel:397-5048, 376-5937 <BR> <BR>Rózsavölgyi Lovasiskola <BR>1221 Budapest, Ady Endre u. vége <BR>(note: 'vege' means the END of that street) <BR> <BR>Aranypatkó Lovarda <BR>1031 Budapest, Aranyhegyi út 18. tel:439-1788 <BR> <BR>Állatorvostudományi Egyetem Nemzeti Lovarda Tattersall <BR>1087 Budapest, Kerepesi út 7. <BR>tel:313-8679 <BR> <BR>Killtec Szabadidő Park <BR>1036 Budapest, Óbudai Hajógyári-sziget <BR>tel:457-1154 <BR> <BR>You can also check out http://www.hungarytourism.hu/ , click on the English flag, then information A-Z, and they list a contact info for horseback riding. If you decide on a trip to Hortobagy, many places offer horseback riding there and they have a cool horseshow as well. <BR>Some useful words- <BR>lovasiskola= riding school <BR>lo= horse <BR>lovaglas= horseback riding <BR>lovagolni= to ride horseback <BR>oktatas/leckek= lessons <BR> <BR>Daniel: <BR> <BR>I don't know any places in Budapest SPECIFICALLY for childred except circuses, the zoo, and puppet theatres, but I don't really recommend these. She might enjoy a visit to a planetarium, (although I think the narration is in Hungarian) http://virtualhungary.com/lists/planetar.htm <BR>I recommend a visit to Margaret Island and City Park, they are both nice. I am sure she would enjoy a horse show: check out the addresses above. You could also go to "Vidam Park"= amusement park, they have a children's section. Another thing she would like I think are folk-dance shows, they are pretty lively and fun. I'm sorry but I haven't lived in Budapest, so I can't help much. If you want to do a search yourself, here are two good sites: <BR> <BR>Homepage of Budapest: http://www.fsz.bme.hu/hungary/budapest/ <BR> <BR>Tourism Hungary: <BR>http://www.hungarytourism.hu/ <BR> <BR>Have a nice trip, both of you! lindi <BR> <BR>

Adrian R. Halpern

Lindi, <BR> <BR>I've enjoyed reading your advice to various people, and particularly liked your 5/24 letter giving tips on good manners in Hungary, an aspect of traveling that is too often overlooked. In your 5/25 letter you recommended visiting the western part of Hungary, which I'm planning to do. Specifically, I am planning to visit Szombathely. However, despite checking a number of websites I've been unable to find more than a single reference to Szombathely (except for the fact that it has train service from Budapest!). Have you any thoughts on what to do in Szombathely and the immediately surrounding area? <BR>

Byrd

Lindi- <BR>

Byrd

Sorry, don't know what happened in my earlier post! <BR>Lindi, could you recommend some good restaurants in Budapest? Our group (five couples) will be in Budapest in October. Can't wait to try the traditional foods you suggested. Any help with restaurants will be appreciated. <BR>Byrd

Robin

Hi Lindi-- <BR> <BR>I don't have any imminent plans to go to Hungary, although I hope to visit someday. I just wanted to thank you for your very generous information and responses to these questions. I have enjoyed reading them, and I feel sure the individuals are very grateful that you are so willing to help!

lindi

Adrian, <BR>First of all there is lots to do in Szombathely! This is the homepage of Szombathely, <BR>http://www.szombathely.hu/isz2000/index.htm <BR>( unfortunately it's only in Hungarian in the present, but they write that they are working very hard on the English and German version and it should be ready shortly.) <BR> <BR>From this website: The most beautiful square of the city is the "Berzsenyi ter", the county house is there also. From this square you can walk to most of the famous sights of the city: "Puspoki Palota"( =palace of the bishop"), the "Szekesegyhaz"(cathedral- the third largest in Hungary), "Szeminarium" (institute) and the "Eolbei" House (sorry, don't know what it is). All of these buildings are at least (or about) 200 years old. There is a building called Iseum, which is from the Roman times. The only gothic building in the city is the Ferences church, built in the 16th century. There is also a museum village, or Muzeumfalu, which shows old village life and hosts many traditional programmes. North of downtown is the "Kamoni Arboretum", which is a nature reserve. There is pages and pages of information, so these are just some of the main things I picked out. There is a local address for tourist information: Belsikator 1. (fairly easy address! ); Tel: 341-810. <BR>You can decipher some of the information with a good dictionary in hand, first click on the menu, then on Idegenforgalom (=tourist information), you can get lists and addresses of hotels, restaurants, museums, even statues in the city! Also check out "utazasi irodak", I think they will be able to give you more information. <BR>You picked a good city to visit, have a great trip. <BR> <BR>Byrd, <BR>If you would like personal recommendations, I can't help too much, because I haven't usually eaten in restaurants while in Budapest, and I don't remember the names of the ones I have been to. However generally, if the place looks good and clean, the food will be good as well (depending on your taste of course). During my 16 years in Hungary (substract the time I only ate babyfood) I have only been to one place where the food was bad: it was too greasy. Of the Budapest restaurants, Gundel is the most famous, however it is very formal and expensive (don't go in your sneakers and t-shirts). The more informal places are more fun. Places that I heard friends recommend are Bagolyvar and Matyas pince. What we usually do on our trips, is to go on an evening walk, and stop at some place we like. Some of them are average, some of them a pleasant surprise. But I understand that with 10 people you might want to plan everything and make reservations. <BR>Here is a site listing some restaurants in Bp. : http://virtualhungary.com/catalog/restaura.htm <BR>I think these are all good. <BR> <BR>Robin: Thanks, it's my pleasure to help. <BR>

Byrd

Lindi- Thank you for the suggestions. Do Budapest restaurants usually post menus outside? We've had some of our best meals in restaurants we've spotted while wandering around. (Of course, one or two of our choices were't so great!) We try not to look too obvious as we try to translate the menus from our little pocket phrase books. If the menu is translated into English, we are immediately suspicious (tourist trap?) <BR>We are solooking forward to this trip! <BR>Byrd <BR>

s.fowler

Concerning restaurants in Budapest: the menus are usually posted outside. While English can equal tourist trap, it isn't necessarily the case. <BR>I second the recommendation for Gundel's little sister, Bagolyvar. It is a lovely place with good food. Be sure to reserve however. This summer we got shut out because there was a special party there the night we wanted to go. <BR>Over in Buda we ate at Kacsa, named after the street it is on. The Hotel Victoria sent us there when Bagolyvar didn't pan out - my initial feeling was tourist trap - there was a violinist for example. [Although there was a glass for gratuities, he didn't hover over the table and, unfortunately, played Broadway tunes.] And all the meals came with domes that were whipped off in unison. But the food was very reasonably priced and EXCELLENT. The dangerous place is the wine list. There the prices were very comparable to a good restaurant in the US. AND the wines were excellent. The restaurant is a couple blocks north of Bathyanyi Ter and to the left on the street of the same name as the restaurant - Kacsa.

Byrd

Thanks Sally for the suggestions. I've really enjoyed seeing your photographs of Budapest (and other places)on your Fodorites on the Move site. On your recommendation, our first hotel choice was the Victoria, but it was not able to accomodate all 10 of us! Now we are booked at the Gellert, which should be an experience! The men in our bunch got hysterical at the information that the Gellert thermal baths upon request issue loincloths. Things calmed down when they realized that men's and women's bath facilities are separate!

Nancy

lindi- <BR> <BR>I am so excited to hear that you are from Szolnok! I am moving there in 3 1/2 weeks. I have talked to a couple people who now live there, but they are also Americans and have only lived there for a short time, so it would be nice to get an "insider's perspective". <BR> <BR>What can you tell me about life there? What is there for entertainment/recreation for people in their mid-20's? What restaurants would you recommend? What does the town have for shopping? What are good local crafts or products I could send home to my family and friends? What are some good places to visit in the area? Basically, I would just appreciate any kind of info or advice on Szolnok. <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>Nancy <BR> <BR>

Art

Lindi, I was in Hungary last year and althouth I made a lot of notes, I missed writing down and don't remember the name of the Mythological Bird atop the columns on Castle hill. Could you enlighten me please. <BR>Thanks <BR>Art <BR>

lindi

Yes, a lot of places post their menus outside. But don't be suspicious if it's in English and in German too. Budapest gets a LOT of tourists, and we know very well that Hungarian is hard for foreigners. It is a gesture from the restaurant to translate the menu, and most places downtown will have English and German menus. As for the violin, nice presentation etc.. they do that for locals as well! (Surprise!!) Even at places which aren't frequented by tourists. To tell the truth it annoyed me a couple of times when the violinist came over to our table and started to play 10 cm-s from our ears. It is a custom however that when a musician plays "just for you" that you give him a tip, it would be very rude not to. And the fact that they played Broadway tunes shows I think that it was not a real tourist trap. In some real tourist traps they play authentic Hungarian music. (Gets you confused doesn't it?) And it should be easy for you to convert the HUF prices into dollars, to see if both menu prices are the same. <BR> <BR>Nancy, <BR>Wow you are moving to Szolnok? Are you by any chance going to teach at Varga Katalin Gimnazium? <BR>Let me begin by saying that Szolnok is definitely not a tourist city. And I'm sad to say that it's not my favourite Hungarian city either, but probably because I'm so used to it. BUT, it should be a good experience nevertheless, there are a lot of good things to see and do. First of all, the shore of the Tisza River is a must. There is a very long walkway along the river, lined with huge chesnut trees. It's called Tisza setany. There is an ice-cream place along the shore, which used to be the best ice-cream in the city. The Tisza Hotel and restaurant is right beside it to the left, and I recommend this restaurant, as well as the "Tisza sorozo" beside it to the left. The first is more formal, more expensive, the second is informal and the building is not as nice. The gallery is close to here too, it's a very nice building. If you go to the street which is parallel to the shore, you will find the theatre across the street from the Tisza hotel and bath. The bath is a thermal bath and is quite old. At the other end of the walkway is Matroz, which is a popular place to dance and go out. (They play Eurodance mostly- go at 10-11 or later) On the main street is the Museum, with the history of the city and paintings and other stuff they change from time to time. The permanent exhibitions you can view for free on Tuesday I think, the other days you have to pay. (might be another day now) Ok, I can't write down every single place, so I'm only gonna mention the open-air market where you can buy produce (there's no haggling here), and Taban, which is a bunch of houses on the shore of the Zagyva river, they are interesting. And Tisza Liget of course, along the other shore of the river. <BR>For the best sweets in the city (and ice-cream), go to the Marcipan cukraszda! It's very out of the way, so I can't explain, you'll have to ask somebody. It used to be a tiny old place, but the whole city went there, so they built a large place beside it. Other good restaurants are Rozsa vendeglo and Dreher sorozo for example. <BR>There isn't a lot of shopping, there aren't malls like in North-America, but there are a lot of little boutiques and little grocery stores. To bring home I suggest marcipan (yummmmy- made from almond paste), and embroidery, embroidered blouses and lace in all quantities, paprika, szalami & kolbasz (Csabai, Gyulai, or Pick) They might burn it(=eat it) at the airport if you don't have some kind of paper for them, but most of the time they let it in, (esp. if you don't tell them). Pottery can be nice as well. If anything else comes to mind, I'll post it. If you'd like some more information, you could write me a little more detailed email. <BR>

lindi

Art, <BR>The bird is called Turul madar (Turul bird). According to the legend, the mother of Almos (The father of the first Hungarian king) dreamt that a great turul hawk descended from heaven and made her fertile. It also showed her that her descendants will be kings in a foreign land surrounded by mountains. And this came true when the Hungarians begun their journey westward and founded the Hungarian state. You can read the whole legend here: http://www2.4dcomm.com/millenia/turul.htm <BR>

gorka

Hello Lindi, <BR>we're preparing a trip for next year and would like to know some more about Hungary.We live in Southwestern Europea and our plan is to go to Prague (maybe Berlin-Dresde before or after it), Vienna-Bratislava, Budapest, Kosice, Krakow and back home (don't know yet if beginning in Prague or in Krakow). We'd be about 3 or 4 weeks and are not sure if we'd travel by car or train, since it is more comfortable to have your own car to visit remote places and bring more luggage, but it is a long drive as well. <BR>So after entering from Vienna or Bratislava (should it be better Vienna, so that we can visit Sopron?), we'd visit Budapest in a couple of days and would use three or four more to visit the surroundings, maybe one day in the northern Danube -Visegrad, Esztergom...-, another one to go to the Balaton lake, and I've heard as well about Pécs. Are these easy day-trips in train or should it be better to drive, with our own car or renting one in Hungary? Any other ideas about there (for instance, is it worth a stop in Eger on the route to Kosice or coming from there?). <BR>Another thing I'd like to know, if we'd have any problem if we don't speak Magyar -we speak French, German and English, appart of Basque and Spanish, but no Russian-? Do most of the people speak English, or German at least? <BR>And to finish, I've found a lot of hostels in Budapest, any special recommendations because of the fares, services... <BR>Thanks !!

Hyalker

To Byrd, etc. I've just moved from Budapest a few months ago. There's lots of good restaurants depending on what you're looking for (relative to their quality, food is cheap, even in the tourist areas except for Gundel). Here's a short list, touristy and not: Around the Vaci Utca which is the touristy pedestrian street, there's Cyrano-Continental/Hungarian with different specials and a great wine list, Fatal, very kitschy Hungarian (Fatal means wooden bowl) with huge servings and surly service. Also in Pest, Chez Daniel-French and the owner is quite entertaining; Lugas (across the street from the back of St. Stepen's basilica)-basic Hungarian and popular with Hungarians and ex-pats; Faustos-Italian and also expensive relatively ($100 for a complete meal for 2 with a nice bottle of wine), Artiscoka-mixed styles/also near St. Stephen's. On the Buda side, a far ways away from the tourist area but liked by locals and ex-pats is Nansci Neni, Hungarian, very quaint inside and a nice garden as well; Remiz, good Hungarian with music, and somewhat upscale: Monarchia, great if you get a table outside expecially. If I think of any more or if you want more specifics, let me know.

Amy

Like my friend, Nancy, who already emailed you, I will be teaching in Szolnok in a few weeks. I have heard that it is very industrial and not the best place for sightseeing. Could you recommend any day trips, or places close to Szolnok that we could spend a weekend visiting? I am going to be teaching at Varga Katalin through CETP. You mentioned it before. Were you a former student there? If so, do you have any advice? Last year there were 2 US teachers, but this year I will be the only one there. Also are there any other cultural practices that may be different from what we are used to, or any special things native to Szolnok? I have been to Europe many times, but never to Eastern Europe, so it will be an adventure!! <BR>

Byrd

This is a gold mine of information for us! Thank you, Hyalker, for your list of restaurants. We are really looking forward to being in Budapest. <BR>Byrd <BR>

lindi

Hi Gorka, <BR>Yes, I recommend seeing Sopron, as well as Gyor, you could go to these cities from either direction with a little detour. These are good choices for daytrips: Visegrad, Esztergom, Szentendre, Holloko, Baja, Pecs, Eger. Some of them would make quite a long daytrip however. The Balaton is very popular, if you want scenery, not beaches and entertainment, go to the north-shore, it's hilly, while the south-shore is flat. I haven't been to the Balaton for quite a while, in the summer it has become crowded and expensive. But there are beautiful parts of it. Both car and train are feasible, generally however train is faster and many times more convenient. The advantage of the car is that you can stop whenever you like and take the route which you like. So your decision. A car is definitely many times more expensive. It costs more to rent a car there than in North-Am, and the gas prices are way too high. You won't have a problem if you don't speak Hungarian, especially because these areas are more frequented by tourists. People in Hungary don't like to speak Russian, and the younger ones can't, so no problem there. High-school age kids will speak some English, German or both, and many adults do as well. In the tourist industry everybody will speak at least one of the two languages. And sorry, I don't know any hostels in Budapest "personally". <BR> <BR>Hi Amy! Yes, I went to Varga for a year, before we moved. I wasn't in the English immersion program, so I didn't have an American teacher. There are about 300-400 students in the school, there are four kinds of programs: general, German-Math enriched, English-Math enriched, and English immersion. Those in the immersion program will have at least one English class every day, and some of their other classes are taught in English. You might want to take a white blouse and a navy/black skirt with you, that's the standard dress for school ceremonies eg. opening of the year, closing of the year, celebrations etc. You'll most probably get a little place in the back of the school, if the school provides accomodation, so you'll be very close to work! It's a good location, you can walk from there to almost everywhere. <BR>For daytrips and weekends you could go to Hortobagy, Szeged, Debrecen, Budapest, the Bukk mountains, etc. I recommend that you ask your collegues and students, it's a very good conversation maker. It's also a custom in Hungary that each class goes for a 2 or 3 day trip together every year with their "class-boss" (literal translation! - it's the homeroom teacher who is basically responsible for the class) and a couple of their teachers. I'm sure you could go with some of them. Oh, by the way, in Hungary, the same students are together every day in each of their classes, each student in the program has exactly the same timetable. <BR>If you wanna go somewhere for a weekend, you can chose any place in Hungary basically, they are all close enough. <BR>If you haven't kept in touch with Nancy--haven't seen my email to her, tell me and I'll send you a copy.

Christina Perri

Lindi! Thanks for your offer of help!! <BR> I would like to go to Prague for New Years eve. What is it like there? Any special celebrations? Any interesting customs around Christimas time? <BR> And I love food and to party. What kind of food is typical?...where are your favorite hot spots...local...not touristy?

lindi

Hi Christina, <BR> <BR>Are you sure you mean Prague? If you do mean Prague, sorry I can't help with that, I've never been there.