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<blockquote data-quote="BillB" data-source="post: 1169042" data-attributes="member: 9985"><p>By day, the Hungarian parliament building is magnificent, another memorial to the time that Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the inheritance of the Hapsburgs. Shortly after we docked a number of us set off for the market which we were told was just behind the quayside where we were moored. A short walk brought us to it - an enormous, two-storied building, literally no more than 300 metres away. So large was it that we decided we would all split up and go our separate ways until it was time to return to the ship for lunch.</p><p></p><p>Being a keen cook I always like to amble around the food stalls - fruit and veg, meats and sausages - but keeping the bakery items for a quick look at the end. Bakeries are too tempting and their offerings too high-carb for a low-willpowered diabetic, so I like to leave those till last when I have only a short time left.</p><p></p><p>The main item to intrigue me was the radishes on sale at several stalls. I stopped dead when I caught sight of them as they were simply the largest radishes I had ever seen. A bunch of radishes would require two people to carry home. (Yes, I’m exaggerating - but not by much.) When we lived in Spain the radishes were large, but pygmies compared to the Hungarian ones. And they seemed to be quite normal as nobody else but the tourists thought they were out of the ordinary. Think of a nice, red radish, slightly larger than a tennis ball. Now you have an idea. One of my favourite snacks is a piece of blue cheese with a couple of radishes, but one of these radishes would have required a couple of pounds of gorgonzola to accompany it.</p><p></p><p>Another item different from those we were used to were the parsnips - long and thin with the top being no more than an inch in diameter. I’m still not sure how to cook them - probably give them a good wash, trim the foliage and the long, stringy root and cook them in boiling water with a little salt.</p><p></p><p>The variety of salami was also amazing, though I don’t like the taste of salami and never eat it. Nevertheless, the different varieties were probably as varied, if not more so, than in Italy.</p><p></p><p>Ham was another product that was available in numerous forms. There was, of course, the regular ham normally called York ham, but the other varieties seemed endless, from the dried hams to the Parma types, then those preserved by salting. Had we been at home I would have bought several types, just to try them out. They all looked delicious and their aromas were mouthwatering.</p><p></p><p>Pastry shops abounded, as did sweet shops but this time my willpower was strong and I was able to look without being consumed by longing.</p><p></p><p>It seemed no time at all that lunchtime was close at hand and we hadn’t had time to climb to the upper floor, but I wasn’t too downcast about that as it was mostly handbags and leather goods. Jackie isn’t a great one for shopping, not even for handbags (am I a lucky man, or what?) so we left the market and made our way back to the ship to freshen up and make our way to the restaurant.</p><p></p><p>We were both looking forward to the afternoon tour of Budapest that was on the schedule and we collected our cameras, jackets and umbrellas in case of rain soon after we had eaten and made our way to our bus.</p><p></p><p>For those who have never been to Budapest the city used to be two cities separated by the Danube. They were called, not surprisingly, Buda and Pest. They became one city in 1873 and it is known as Hungary’s Primate City. Here endeth the lesson.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, our bus took us on a tour of the city before dropping us off at Heroes’ Square, a monument to the Hungarians who lost their lives during the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. This is a beautiful memorial which attracts people from all over the world. We wandered around the square, listening to our guide over our little receivers and earbuds. We also saw a “beerbike”, one of the most comical vehicles I’ve ever seen. Passengers sit on each side, facing inwards and pedalling away while the vehicle goes ahead with the passengers travelling sideways. The price of the ticket includes glasses of beer for the pedallers. Thus the passengers get a tour of Budapest, a fair amount of exercise and numerous glasses of beer. Many people stopped and stared in astonishment as the first one they had ever seen passed by. If you want to see what a beer bike looks like have a look at <a href="http://www.beerbike.hu" target="_blank">www.beerbike.hu</a>. You can find a version in English on the home page (just click on the Union Flag).</p><p></p><p>From Heroes’ Square we rejoined our bus which took us to several churches, then to the Citadel, which is an old fortress with a magnificent outlook over the city. We had time to wander around, take photos and even relax a little.</p><p></p><p>Our next stop was St Matthias Church, another spectacularly beautiful creation, which we reached after a stroll through a very pleasant area of streets lined with traditional shops. Close to the church we found Fisherman’s Bastion, another delightful building of elegantly curved turrets and battlements from which the visitor has an unparalleled view over the Danube and the city, with the parliament building inexorably drawing the eye.</p><p></p><p>After we had come back to earth from viewing this sublime view we stopped for a coffee where over the course of 20 minutes or so we were joined by many of our fellow travellers until it was time for the bus.The drive back to the boat took us past some of the great buildings that have gone up since the fall of communism. I had had no idea in advance just how remarkably beautiful Budapest is and we agreed that it should be on everyone’s bucket list.</p><p></p><p>We got back to the ship in time for a quick scrub up and then to adjourn to the bar for an aperitif before dinner. Boy, does a Glenfiddich taste good after an outing like that!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BillB, post: 1169042, member: 9985"] By day, the Hungarian parliament building is magnificent, another memorial to the time that Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the inheritance of the Hapsburgs. Shortly after we docked a number of us set off for the market which we were told was just behind the quayside where we were moored. A short walk brought us to it - an enormous, two-storied building, literally no more than 300 metres away. So large was it that we decided we would all split up and go our separate ways until it was time to return to the ship for lunch. Being a keen cook I always like to amble around the food stalls - fruit and veg, meats and sausages - but keeping the bakery items for a quick look at the end. Bakeries are too tempting and their offerings too high-carb for a low-willpowered diabetic, so I like to leave those till last when I have only a short time left. The main item to intrigue me was the radishes on sale at several stalls. I stopped dead when I caught sight of them as they were simply the largest radishes I had ever seen. A bunch of radishes would require two people to carry home. (Yes, I’m exaggerating - but not by much.) When we lived in Spain the radishes were large, but pygmies compared to the Hungarian ones. And they seemed to be quite normal as nobody else but the tourists thought they were out of the ordinary. Think of a nice, red radish, slightly larger than a tennis ball. Now you have an idea. One of my favourite snacks is a piece of blue cheese with a couple of radishes, but one of these radishes would have required a couple of pounds of gorgonzola to accompany it. Another item different from those we were used to were the parsnips - long and thin with the top being no more than an inch in diameter. I’m still not sure how to cook them - probably give them a good wash, trim the foliage and the long, stringy root and cook them in boiling water with a little salt. The variety of salami was also amazing, though I don’t like the taste of salami and never eat it. Nevertheless, the different varieties were probably as varied, if not more so, than in Italy. Ham was another product that was available in numerous forms. There was, of course, the regular ham normally called York ham, but the other varieties seemed endless, from the dried hams to the Parma types, then those preserved by salting. Had we been at home I would have bought several types, just to try them out. They all looked delicious and their aromas were mouthwatering. Pastry shops abounded, as did sweet shops but this time my willpower was strong and I was able to look without being consumed by longing. It seemed no time at all that lunchtime was close at hand and we hadn’t had time to climb to the upper floor, but I wasn’t too downcast about that as it was mostly handbags and leather goods. Jackie isn’t a great one for shopping, not even for handbags (am I a lucky man, or what?) so we left the market and made our way back to the ship to freshen up and make our way to the restaurant. We were both looking forward to the afternoon tour of Budapest that was on the schedule and we collected our cameras, jackets and umbrellas in case of rain soon after we had eaten and made our way to our bus. For those who have never been to Budapest the city used to be two cities separated by the Danube. They were called, not surprisingly, Buda and Pest. They became one city in 1873 and it is known as Hungary’s Primate City. Here endeth the lesson. Anyway, our bus took us on a tour of the city before dropping us off at Heroes’ Square, a monument to the Hungarians who lost their lives during the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. This is a beautiful memorial which attracts people from all over the world. We wandered around the square, listening to our guide over our little receivers and earbuds. We also saw a “beerbike”, one of the most comical vehicles I’ve ever seen. Passengers sit on each side, facing inwards and pedalling away while the vehicle goes ahead with the passengers travelling sideways. The price of the ticket includes glasses of beer for the pedallers. Thus the passengers get a tour of Budapest, a fair amount of exercise and numerous glasses of beer. Many people stopped and stared in astonishment as the first one they had ever seen passed by. If you want to see what a beer bike looks like have a look at [URL='http://www.beerbike.hu']www.beerbike.hu[/URL]. You can find a version in English on the home page (just click on the Union Flag). From Heroes’ Square we rejoined our bus which took us to several churches, then to the Citadel, which is an old fortress with a magnificent outlook over the city. We had time to wander around, take photos and even relax a little. Our next stop was St Matthias Church, another spectacularly beautiful creation, which we reached after a stroll through a very pleasant area of streets lined with traditional shops. Close to the church we found Fisherman’s Bastion, another delightful building of elegantly curved turrets and battlements from which the visitor has an unparalleled view over the Danube and the city, with the parliament building inexorably drawing the eye. After we had come back to earth from viewing this sublime view we stopped for a coffee where over the course of 20 minutes or so we were joined by many of our fellow travellers until it was time for the bus.The drive back to the boat took us past some of the great buildings that have gone up since the fall of communism. I had had no idea in advance just how remarkably beautiful Budapest is and we agreed that it should be on everyone’s bucket list. We got back to the ship in time for a quick scrub up and then to adjourn to the bar for an aperitif before dinner. Boy, does a Glenfiddich taste good after an outing like that! [/QUOTE]
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