A challenging afternoon in Budapest

The amazing architecture of the building itself, the vast "paprika" (red pepper) stalls together with the fruit stands, the sausages, salamis and meat offers were truly exceptional. We were attracted by the enchanting atmosphere of the Great Market Hall of Budapest from the first minute. The construction of the building started at the very end of 19th century, it was one of the most modern indoor markets at that time. 

Today locals do their everyday shopping here in the 10 thousand square meters market. They buy fruits, vegetables, bakery products, honey, and all kinds of meat on the first floor and might have a snack on the second. Visitors can try fruit juices, the typical "lángos" (a deep fried flat bread made of a dough with flour, yeast, salt etc.) some "pogácsa" (small, bite-size savoury scone or puff) or even goulash soup or other vegetable soups.

Having finished our journey in the planet of groceries we headed to the Buda Castle, to the other side of Duna (Danube) river. We drove thorough the Liberty Bridge, from where there we had a breathtaking view to the Buda side, the river with the bridges and ships.

Buda Castle is situated on the southern tip of the Castle Hill, and is one of the most prestigious buildings of the Castle District and of Budapest. The district is famous for its Medieval, Baroque, and 19th-century houses, churches, and public buildings
The historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings was first completed in 1265. The castle is a part of the Budapest World Heritage Site, since 1987.
Buda Castle hosts one of the most spectacular wine festivals each September. The Budapest International Wine Festival is a great opportunity to get an overall impression of Hungarian wines, taste some local grape varieties and get to know the winemakers themselves within a short period of time. We visited the site and tasted our first glass of „fröccs” (Spritzer, white or rose wine with soda water) on the terrace.

It is always fun to experience, what foreigners enjoy during the first days of their visit. Antimo was amazed by the diverse colours of the “paprika” vegetable. There are yellow, pale white, red, orange, purple, green kinds, some of them is very hot, some not. The red ones are consumed both fresh and grinded as a spice in a form of a powder. This latter one is the base of all traditional Hungarian food together with the onions. He also liked the yellow trams, the sculptures, the fountain of the Buda Castle and the amazing view from the Savoya –terrace and especially the friendly, welcoming people. You need a local to find hidden “treasures”, like the sculpture of General, András Hadik on the horse, near the Trinity Square. University students strongly believe that touching the balls of the horse means top grades.
We finished the day with the “entrance level introductory course on Hungarian gastronomy” and had chicken soup, roasted duck and “rétes” accompanied by a selection of Hungarian wines.

More experiences followed the next day in Eger and Tokaj.