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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm Colleen Kelly and this is Round Trip with Colleen Kelly.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You're go to podcasts for unforgettable travel stories, top tips, and all the adventures that you've been waiting for.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And today we've got our long-term friend, Suzanne Kenzer, who travels the world as a freelance travel journalist, but she's going to talk to us about Budapest Hungry.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm excited to hear a few of you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome back to Round Trip.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm calling Kelly and today we have one of our great friends, Suzanne Kenzer, a freelance travel journalist who just went to Buddha past or Buddha past as they call it and Suzanne, I'm so excited to have you on as always, but also to talk about Buddha past because I'm going there in August and I really don't know that much about Buddha past.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm happy to be here.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Hi, Colleen and Megan.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm excited you're going to go to Budapest.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I really, Budapest, Budapest, I love it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It was, it's been on my bucket list for a long time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it's a really great city to visit.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So why, why did you pick Budapest?
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's more affordable than other Western European cities, so it's easy to do a lot.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's a great value when you go there and you can see a lot in a short period of time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of people don't know about the city is that it's divided into two sections on either side of the Danube River and they're completely different parts of the city.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Buddha is on one side of the river, Pesh is on the other side, and you can see completely different sites on each side, and they look very different.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Is it when you just, so I know that, because I stayed like on the Buddha side when I went years ago, what's the difference between the two?
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[SPEAKER_00]: that's interesting that you stayed on the Buddhist side.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I was on the peshide and Buddha is where the castle district is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's more hilly and mountainous and there, so it's very, very picturesque.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It has more of a residential field to it, I think, although there's certainly restaurants and shops and hotels.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The pesticide is more congested, more lively, and there's also lots of attractions and restaurants and shops.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's flatter.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So they just have a really different feel to them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And they're just a river apart from each other.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So it's, I think it's fascinating.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So there's essentially like two different almost cities.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Is that really?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, two different cities joined Interesting.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so I remember I said like somebody said, oh, you should stay on this side, but I got and I don't remember exactly why I stayed on that side But but Budapest hungry.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think a lot of people.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you know, being like an American right
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[SPEAKER_01]: They we think of like Paris and Ireland and Germany, but not so much hungry.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So what what made you go to hungry?
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I heard you stayed also in this amazing hotel.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So let's talk about those two things like why hungry and then You know, and then how do you how you picked this hotel because it's supposed to be one of the best in the city for what's from what I understand So why hungry it it's a very bootpass is a very cosmopolitan city
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[SPEAKER_00]: even though it's an Eastern Europe, but it's part of the EU, they have their own currency, they have not adopted the euro, but so that is something to mention and keep in mind.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But can I stop you right there really fast because you said they have their own currency?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Is this does that make it more affordable because they're not on the euro?
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[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if I would say that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It is perhaps they use the Hungarian forint.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's abbreviation H-U-F, it's for their currency, and very few places except euros.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, here you have some of their currency or you use your credit or debit card.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But it's just, you know, I think it's, it can be overlooked by tourists on a first or second trip to Europe and it shouldn't be because there is so much to see.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it's such a safe city.
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[SPEAKER_00]: obviously you have to take the same precautions you would take in any city, but it's safe to get around and easy to get around.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And easy to get around.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You said it's very walkable city.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's walkable.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know
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if I would walk, you know, necessarily more than once or twice from one side of the river to the other.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's trolley, trams that go across and if you get the Budapest card, which just gives you a discount or free admission to a lot of attractions,
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I know those cards.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You can purchase them through the tourist board and then you can get into all sorts of attractions and there's discounts.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I actually use that in Austria, one of those cards.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And we got so many deals that wasn't funny.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was like walking into every all these places for free.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's deals for restaurants, sometimes shops and you can get the card online, but then you have to exchange the voucher at a physical spot where they sell the cards and then you just use it for you can buy it for different 24 hours 48 72 and it's really worth it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Wow, that's awesome.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I like I said, we had an Austria, but I didn't know you could do that in Budapest.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So tell us a little bit about, first of all, for me, a hotel is really important.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's part of my journey.
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[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people are like, oh, I just sleep there.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And that's all I care about, because I'm off exploring.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But for me, that hotel is part of my experience of my trip.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Tell us about where you stayed and how you pick this hotel.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, I agree with you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I couldn't agree more.
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[SPEAKER_00]: A hotel is, for me, it's sort of sets the tone for your trip.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't really, I don't like to stay in a cookie cutter hotel.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I want to stay in the hotel that gives me the flavor of where I'm traveling to.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And in a luxury hotel, you should be able to get that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If you look around, you can find a hotel that has that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We were on the pest side of Budapest.
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[SPEAKER_00]: but the hotel was a little oasis inside this inside the city.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's the Anantara Palace.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sorry Anantara New York Palace, Budapest Hotel.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's called Anatara, New York Palace in New York.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's a mouthful.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Anatara, New York Palace, Budapest Hotel, OK. And it gets its name from the life insurance company that was the first business that occupied that building back in the day.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so, but it is attraction, a tourist attraction in and of itself, because within that hotel is the New York Cafe, which is widely considered one of the most beautiful cafes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: in the world and I would have to agree.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So what did it like when you walked in?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because I've noticed this picture, I think, was at this hotel you said, correct?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm sure is, behind me is, I believe, is the New York cafe.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm standing up up a level and so you're entering from the hotel you'd be entering that way.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But the atrium to the hotel, which was covered by glass,
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[SPEAKER_00]: a cobblestone courtyard and it was, you know, covered when they, when they turned it into a hotel is covered by glass.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's this very beautiful place, very elegant.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The atrium is an area where you can get food, have high tea, they have an evening, you know, welcoming in the evening with a little music and a cocktail.
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[SPEAKER_00]: demonstration.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's just a very sophisticated and civilized place to unwind and sort of gather yourself before you head out or when you come back in.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it's just a really beautiful hotel with a lot of history.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I mentioned a New York cafe, a lot of the culturally,
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[SPEAKER_00]: influential people in Budapest would go to the cafe, literary grates and theater grates would go and have their coffee and a meal in the cafe.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so, and it's just this bellipock decor.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's beautiful.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And people will line up outside locals and tourists who are not staying at the hotel.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it is really long line to get in for a meal.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're staying in the hotel,
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[SPEAKER_00]: you can have breakfast every morning downstairs in the deep water cafe with huge buffet and you're seeing the decor from there or have dinner in the white salon and you can also all you're overlooking the New York cafe from there and it's just it's amazing it's beautiful it's just stunning so what what is it what did it look like in terms of because they see a lot of gold in that picture.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's very ornate and it's just like it's like being in a castle.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, it's
one of these, everyone wants to be in a castle.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if it does it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That sounds perfect.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's how it is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And they have live music at different times, you know, throughout the day, just for a few minutes, they'll have some string musicians or
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[SPEAKER_00]: you know, it's just, it's very festive.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, and the hotel itself is really beautiful.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Some of the rooms have private terraces overlooking the city.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There are, you know, it combines
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[SPEAKER_00]: modern, you know, creature comforts with this beautiful decor in the rooms and the hallway outside overlooks the atrium on every floor.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh my gosh, so it has a lot of history and all the greats that you said, you know, visited in state or eight maybe in the New York cafe, but then also is a gorgeous place to kind of just, you know, park yourself in Budapest.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It has a spa and a hotel gym and it has parking for a fee, but there's parking available.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You can't say that in many places and prove it best.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So that is for those who are renting a car and going elsewhere in Hungary, it's nice.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, so that is good.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes they don't have parking and that could be an issue in a lot of these cities.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I heard the word spa.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Did you say spa?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I did say spa, did you not try it?
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[SPEAKER_00]: I did, I did the signature massage.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it's the spa looks a little bit like your cocooned in a cave.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It has sort of a cave feel to it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's a pool and sauna and steam room.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's nothing like getting rid of your jet lag with a relaxing massage.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh gosh, yes, it always hits me when I get to Europe and I'm sure it hits you too.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Even though I think I'm going to be fine.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That jet lag, it's like, it hits you, so massage would be nice.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's high fall sleep though with the jet lag, but so.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think, you know, Budapest is one of the places where you need to get into that healing mentality because the city is really one of the other things the city is known for or their thermal spot.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I did that back the day.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I did the Hungarian bath baths and thermal spa.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I did that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It was because they're known for that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Where did you do you remember where you did that?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because there are you know what, you know, Suzanne, I was like, and I was in my 20s.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think it was whatever, like, whatever I found, I don't know.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It might have been where, but what?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, but we are famous.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There, well, they're known for their thermosposites said they have a lot of natural springs and wells in the city, and you can find if you go on to the tourism website, and if you hunt around elsewhere, the perfect, I'm sure, the perfect thermospat.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We went to one that was historic, I'm going to pronounce it incorrectly, but it's
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[SPEAKER_00]: such a nay baths, it's a huge bathing complex.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's the largest bath complex in Europe.
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[SPEAKER_01]: How do you spell that?
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's S-Z-E-C-H-E-N-Y-L.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's a tough one to the multiples.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It opened in 1913, and it's so it's a huge, beautiful building.
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[SPEAKER_00]: However, if you're not fond of bathing with multitude of people in crowded spaces, I think this might be one to overlook unless you go there first thing when they open.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's been very like bathing with lots of people because that's what I remember I thought it was going to be like a private thing No, we get there and there's all these people and they did have the men and women separated I do they still do that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: No.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Oh
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[SPEAKER_00]: You're wearing a bathing suit, but it is, everybody is moving between indoor and outdoor pools and sauna's and steam rooms and you're crowded in with other people.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I would recommend if you really want to try that particular thermal bath to go their first thing when they open.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You can pay extra money to have a separate little area room where you can leave your stuff rather than in a locker and change what you're going to be with other people when you're bathing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Well, when and when and wrong, when and hungry, my husband just didn't want to join him.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That thermal bath actually also has something unique.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They have a beer bath experience where you're soaking in a tub filled with therapeutic yeast if used in the water.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you drink unlimited pints of beer while you're doing that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like that, like they actually give you beer and a cup, like you're not drinking it from the...
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[SPEAKER_00]: You're not sitting in beer, you're sitting in water that's infused with the yeast that's used in beer.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But you're drinking beer so it's beer-themed and if you really love beer, it might be a nice thing to experience.
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[SPEAKER_01]: What Hungarian bears is like legendary.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that would be really fun.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Although you'd have to go back to the hotel and have a nap after that, I'm guessing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So what else did you do in Hungary?
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[SPEAKER_01]: So you did, wait, did you do the beer theme?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Or, we did not.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But we still have people doing it, but we took a pass.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I think it could be kind of funny for social media posts on that one, but okay, so you did the thermal bass and then what else did you do it, it was like on your list to do and boost the best.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We did a walking tour of the city, and again, I recommend, I think, I recommend this every time I'm on your podcast on your show, but I really think doing a walking tour is a good way to, it's a good way to walk off jet lag, but it's also to get to see things you might not see if you're on a bus or you're on a driving tour.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and part of our tour utilized public transportation to get across the river in a short amount of time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But I really recommend it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We did a tour of the Jewish, what was once the Jewish quarter of the city, which is really worth seeing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They're the Dohani street synagogue.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's the largest in Europe.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And even if you know nothing about Judaism, it's a beautiful building.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It has a Byzantine Morish sort of the old to it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You can see the two dome towers from most of the city on the past side.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I recommend it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And we did it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You have to do a cruise on the Danube River.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yes, that's right.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If we get the river goes right through the city.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It goes right through the city.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You can do a tour of the river, I think, at any time of day.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But we really, I really recommend doing it at night.
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[SPEAKER_00]: To see the city lit up from the river is, it's really special.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Beautiful.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Wow.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And how did you find this tour and the cruise?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Um, you can find the cruise some cruise options on the tourism website and, uh, otherwise I would just Google, Dan, you river cruise Budapest and a couple of companies will come up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Um, they're very touristy and they have commentary that you can listen to while you're if you sit inside and we really wanted to just sit outside.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They give you a cocktail and you just,
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[SPEAKER_00]: glass of beer or wine or soda and you can you just listen to the you know you listen to the commentary or take pictures it's especially the parliament building you really want to take pictures of that at night from the river.
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[SPEAKER_01]: so beautiful.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm assuming just kind of envisioning it right now.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's got to be gorgeous.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, it's really amazing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And for that matter, another thing a must for people to see when they're in Budapest is the Parliament that I just mentioned.
17:18.452 --> 17:19.713
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, why is that important?
17:20.433 --> 17:23.776
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the third largest Parliament in the world building.
17:25.678 --> 17:27.500
[SPEAKER_00]: beautiful neogothic building.
17:28.441 --> 17:33.085
[SPEAKER_00]: It's very ornate inside and it is, it's just stunning.
17:33.426 --> 17:40.813
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't even, you have to go inside to see their dome hall, which you'll see on a tour is beautiful.
17:41.153 --> 17:43.175
[SPEAKER_00]: I drop it and leave you there.
17:43.195 --> 17:44.577
[SPEAKER_01]: And they allow you to go in this.
17:44.597 --> 17:47.560
[SPEAKER_01]: This is not like a government building you can't tour.
17:48.056 --> 18:03.888
[SPEAKER_00]: correct you can go in and they the dome hall the hung the hungarian holy crown is in it's in with it and close within glass but and it's guarded two soldiers guarded all times but you can get close to it and take pictures of it it's it's really amazing.
18:04.270 --> 18:05.311
[SPEAKER_01]: What is the holy crown?
18:05.451 -->
18:07.673
[SPEAKER_01]: What is that like, like an actual crown?
18:07.993 --> 18:08.313
[SPEAKER_00]: It is.
18:08.393 --> 18:13.498
[SPEAKER_00]: It's an actual crown that was once worn by Hungarian royalty that's in this case.
18:14.899 --> 18:19.462
[SPEAKER_00]: And the, their grand staircase is also stunning.
18:20.423 --> 18:25.345
[SPEAKER_00]: It sounds silly that you would be want to see it come inside to see a staircase, but it's beautiful.
18:25.985 --> 18:37.709
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a beautiful or an eight-stairway, which is, and you can see the upper old house hall, which is no longer used by Parliament, but it's used for conferences, and it's also stunning, beautiful.
18:38.409 --> 18:40.049
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's all worth it to do.
18:40.069 --> 18:44.391
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's one of the key attractions I would say.
18:44.951 --> 18:53.189
[SPEAKER_01]: Would you say like was it, you know, like World War II was a lot of Hungary preserved or not bombed?
18:53.349 --> 18:54.773
[SPEAKER_01]: Why is it still standing?
18:55.154 --> 19:00.777
[SPEAKER_00]: So a lot of things have had to be reconstructed.
19:00.938 --> 19:08.122
[SPEAKER_00]: For example, another thing I was going to mention, the Chain Bridge, which is this beautiful bridge that goes from the past side of the river to Buda.
19:09.143 --> 19:10.403
[SPEAKER_00]: It's worth walking across.
19:10.984 --> 19:12.805
[SPEAKER_00]: It's got stone lions on either side.
19:12.905 --> 19:13.685
[SPEAKER_00]: It was destroyed.
19:13.805 --> 19:20.369
[SPEAKER_00]: It was built open in 1849, and it was destroyed in World War II, and then they reopened it in 1949.
19:22.012 --> 19:36.226
[SPEAKER_00]: okay so they had to rebuild a lot of these beautiful they had to rebuild them yeah and i mean the same thing if you go to the uh uh Buddha the castle district which is another thing you have to do to see the Buddha castle and um
19:37.887 --> 19:42.648
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of attractions to see walk along the fishermen's bastion.
19:42.689 --> 19:47.250
[SPEAKER_00]: It's called where it's the promenade outside the castle overlooking the river.
19:48.790 --> 20:00.994
[SPEAKER_00]: The state Stevens Hall inside the castle was completely destroyed during the war and they reconstructed it exactly to look the way exact replica of what it was,
20:04.612 --> 20:13.754
[SPEAKER_00]: to lose that, it's devastating to lose such a gem within a city, and it is, you absolutely have to go see that.
20:14.034 --> 20:17.395
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, you have to see a castle anytime you go to Europe, I have to see a castle.
20:17.535 --> 20:26.317
[SPEAKER_00]: So the castle is, it's, it's beautiful to go inside and see things like St. Stephen's Hall, as I mentioned, it was, uh,
20:27.600 --> 20:31.724
[SPEAKER_00]: re-constructed renovated after the after it was destroyed during the war.
20:32.124 --> 20:48.119
[SPEAKER_00]: It's beautiful to see but within the castle also are some attractions like the Hungarian National Gallery so you can see artwork from Hungarian artists all manner of artwork and the the Budapest history museums within the castle.
20:49.148 --> 20:54.070
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, so you might want to spend a day there, half a day showing the castle, would you say?
20:54.610 --> 20:54.910
[SPEAKER_00]: I would.
20:54.930 --> 20:55.150
[SPEAKER_00]: I would.
20:55.170 --> 21:00.632
[SPEAKER_00]: You can book a tour of a walking tour of the castle district and you can launch there.
21:00.672 --> 21:08.175
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a terrace cafe at the on the Fisherman's Bastion that sort of promenade has a cafe.
21:08.195 --> 21:08.875
[SPEAKER_00]: You can eat there.
21:08.915 --> 21:10.996
[SPEAKER_00]: There's other places to eat over in the castle district.
21:11.776 --> 21:16.857
[SPEAKER_00]: and then go into the castle and go to see the National Gallery and the History Museum.
21:18.117 --> 21:28.520
[SPEAKER_00]: There's also Matthias Church, is a very old church that's on that side in the castle district, and the stained glass windows and frescoes are really beautiful.
21:29.060 --> 21:32.260
[SPEAKER_00]: Wow, you can easily spend a half a day there.
21:32.720 --> 21:36.901
[SPEAKER_01]: And was it walkable or in terms of your hotel?
21:36.941 --> 21:37.641
[SPEAKER_01]: Was your hotel pretty
21:41.164 --> 21:44.985
[SPEAKER_01]: you could walk there or take public transportation to a lot of these attractions.
21:45.606 --> 21:50.508
[SPEAKER_00]: Many attractions, yes, to the castle district on the other side, it would be a bit of a walk to get a control.
21:50.588 --> 21:53.209
[SPEAKER_01]: OK, OK, but there's plenty of attractions.
21:53.549 --> 21:54.089
[UNKNOWN]: You're right.
21:54.849 --> 21:59.251
[SPEAKER_01]: Wow, OK, so what would you tell people?
21:59.271 --> 22:02.872
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, what advice would you give as somebody's like, I've never been to Hungary.
22:02.892 --> 22:08.254
[SPEAKER_01]: Should I go or should I tack on it onto like maybe my trip to let's say Paris?
22:08.454 --> 22:09.035
[SPEAKER_01]: What would you tell them?
22:10.438 --> 22:13.720
[SPEAKER_00]: I would tell people, you definitely should go to Budapest.
22:14.400 --> 22:22.164
[SPEAKER_00]: People a lot of people tack it on to Prague or another city in Eastern Europe.
22:23.824 --> 22:25.085
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's worth doing that.
22:25.925 --> 22:29.727
[SPEAKER_00]: I would plan to allow at least four days in Budapest.
22:29.747 --> 22:30.187
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, that's fair.
22:30.207 --> 22:31.108
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's a lot to do.
22:31.960 --> 22:32.721
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot to do.
22:32.741 --> 22:38.064
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there's there are all sorts of I also I didn't mention on the castle side.
22:38.084 --> 22:41.486
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a very historic finicular that you can take up to the top of Castle Hill.
22:41.506 --> 22:44.768
[SPEAKER_00]: So you don't have to walk up this
enormous hill to get to the castle district.
22:45.388 --> 22:50.431
[SPEAKER_00]: You can take a finicular up and down and it's it's been around for more than 150 years.
22:50.451 --> 22:50.512
[SPEAKER_00]: So,
22:53.253 --> 22:54.414
[SPEAKER_00]: It's it's well-used.
22:54.775 --> 22:55.956
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that sounds better.
22:55.976 --> 23:02.682
[SPEAKER_00]: It sounds a little faster, you know And we haven't even touched on all of the food you need to try.
23:02.982 --> 23:03.242
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
23:03.262 --> 23:03.602
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
23:04.103 --> 23:05.244
[SPEAKER_01]: Hugger and Gulosh.
23:05.664 --> 23:09.328
[SPEAKER_00]: I know about that Yes, you have to eat Hungarian Gulosh.
23:09.488 --> 23:12.931
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's hearty fair and people don't necessarily I don't think
23:14.017 --> 23:28.550
[SPEAKER_00]: think about cuisine when they're thinking about going to Budapest, but you have to try the Gulosh, which is made with beef, and vegetables, chicken, paprika, which is made with a local paprika, which you should bring home.
23:28.950 --> 23:30.712
[SPEAKER_00]: It's something that you can paprika.
23:30.952 --> 23:32.173
[SPEAKER_01]: Did you say paprika?
23:32.714 --> 23:33.214
[SPEAKER_01]: Paprika.
23:33.234 --> 23:33.995
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
23:35.416 --> 23:39.599
[SPEAKER_01]: We call it there.
23:40.520 --> 23:50.007
[SPEAKER_01]: I see my husband's more of the chef and the cook in this house, so But that's really I know that there's Hungarian spices that are really important like you just said you have to
23:51.228 --> 23:54.652
[SPEAKER_00]: And in three food, the Longo Sh is how they pronounce it.
23:55.012 --> 23:56.654
[SPEAKER_00]: It's spelled L-A-N-G-O-S.
23:57.274 --> 23:59.376
[SPEAKER_00]: It's this deep, fried flatbread.
24:00.077 --> 24:10.627
[SPEAKER_00]: Usually with cheese and sour cream on top, but you can get it with anything, savory and sweet, and you can pick that up at, you know, little restaurants and stalls throughout.
24:11.428 --> 24:14.531
[SPEAKER_00]: Budapest and just walk with it or eat it inside.
24:15.172 --> 24:17.334
[SPEAKER_00]: That's really something that you have to try.
24:17.474 --> 24:26.363
[SPEAKER_00]: And then what they call chimney cake, I won't even pronounce it in Hungarian, but it's something you can get for dessert.
24:26.543 --> 24:31.308
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a spiral, like a doughy spiral cylindrical cake.
24:33.498 --> 24:36.759
[SPEAKER_00]: The only thing we had that would be comparable would be like waffle, waffle cones.
24:37.339 --> 24:39.680
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's called the server or cinnamon.
24:39.900 --> 24:44.541
[SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes it's dipped in chocolate and we had it dipped in chocolate and served with ice cream.
24:45.182 --> 24:47.382
[SPEAKER_00]: Ooh, very, very decadent.
24:47.963 --> 24:49.223
[SPEAKER_01]: So that sounds great.
24:49.483 --> 24:54.105
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, and the food that I know that the food is a big part of that culture, correct?
24:54.925 --> 24:55.285
[SPEAKER_00]: It is.
24:55.545 --> 24:57.286
[SPEAKER_00]: It is a big part of the culture.
24:57.506 --> 25:01.507
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's, again, it's very hearty.
25:03.515 --> 25:10.559
[SPEAKER_00]: Hungarian, you know, like, let's see, like, party, yes, very filling.
25:11.800 --> 25:21.164
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, you know, you then you walk it off as you're exploring the city, you walk off all of that filling rich food.
25:21.644 --> 25:23.245
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it sounds incredible.
25:23.385 --> 25:26.487
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember I did have Hungarian goolash back in the day.
25:27.287 --> 25:40.896
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, and to this day, I, this is really silly, because this is years ago, I still think about that on Gary and Gulash and actually my husband, I tried to like recreate it, but just takes like what I thought it did then, um, but it's hardy food.
25:41.096 --> 25:43.118
[SPEAKER_01]: I agree with that and filling and.
25:43.738 --> 25:45.039
[SPEAKER_01]: Good, really good.
25:45.720 --> 25:51.024
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so the food is excellent there as far as like like more hearty type food, right?
25:51.045 --> 25:58.411
[SPEAKER_01]: Other than any other is there other foods that you can get there like because it's a very meat-driven culture, correct?
25:58.811 --> 26:07.519
[SPEAKER_00]: It is and you can get, you can still get other European influenced, you know, cuisine, Italian, French, you can get everything, but
26:10.138 --> 26:12.319
[SPEAKER_00]: You want to try the local cuisine, if you can.
26:13.580 --> 26:19.082
[SPEAKER_00]: Another dessert to mention is a sponge cake, which is layered with walnuts and whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
26:19.463 --> 26:21.263
[SPEAKER_00]: You'll find it in every menu for dessert.
26:21.504 --> 26:23.965
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's delicious.
26:24.505 --> 26:25.285
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh my gosh.
26:25.365 --> 26:28.867
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, you'll have to be walking off all these desserts for sure, but you can do that.
26:29.487 --> 26:34.550
[SPEAKER_00]: So right here, the hotel we stayed at is a restaurant called Ghetto Gullias.
26:35.850 --> 26:45.974
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's walking distance from our hotel and they had a lot of local Hungarian dishes in a very broad menu.
26:46.494 --> 26:47.714
[SPEAKER_01]: What does that can you say that again?
26:47.754 --> 26:49.475
[SPEAKER_01]: The name of the restaurant.
26:49.675 --> 26:50.855
[SPEAKER_01]: And the name of the hotel as well.
26:51.376 --> 26:57.838
[SPEAKER_00]: So the restaurant is Ghetto Gullias, G-E-T-T-O, and then G-U-L-Y-A-S.
26:58.920 --> 26:59.421
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
26:59.961 --> 27:09.133
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just not that far, three to five minute walk from the Anantara, New York Palace, Budapest Hotel, which is where I stayed.
27:10.174 --> 27:12.998
[SPEAKER_01]: And what was that restaurant like and how did you find that restaurant?
27:13.928 --> 27:19.531
[SPEAKER_00]: I
actually do, as I do for most of my trips and I recommend people to do before they travel.
27:19.591 --> 27:37.460
[SPEAKER_00]: I did a lot of research online, restaurants that were highly recommended, but also that people were talking about and reviewing patrons, and Ghetto Gullias came up a lot along with other restaurants like Stand Beastro, which is on the Buddha side.
27:38.420 --> 27:42.042
[SPEAKER_00]: We did want to get over there at least for one dinner on the other side of the river, and
27:43.563 --> 27:48.025
[SPEAKER_00]: was a very elegant restaurant with very, very good food.
27:49.625 --> 28:06.872
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I wanted to get to some Jewish restaurants in the, what was once the Jewish quarter of the city, Mazel Tov and Rosenstein were restaurants that, but really just had Hungarian dishes and other European
28:07.990 --> 28:10.453
[SPEAKER_00]: cuisine on their menu.
28:10.533 --> 28:21.086
[SPEAKER_00]: But you should look for restaurants that have a broad, you know, a menu with a lot of offerings, you know, a lot of choices, and that are highly regarded.
28:21.307 --> 28:25.432
[SPEAKER_00]: And I recommend making reservations, months and advance for some of these.
28:25.999 --> 28:27.459
[SPEAKER_01]: really months in advance.
28:27.479 --> 28:29.240
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm glad you said that because I'm going in August.
28:29.740 --> 28:31.480
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they're that popular.
28:31.500 --> 28:32.961
[SPEAKER_01]: That's probably a popular time to go.
28:33.341 --> 28:33.641
[SPEAKER_01]: Awesome.
28:33.661 --> 28:34.841
[SPEAKER_00]: They are very popular.
28:34.881 --> 28:35.781
[SPEAKER_00]: You're Concierge.
28:36.161 --> 28:40.442
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're staying at a hotel with a Concierge team, it can help you with those reservations.
28:40.602 --> 28:46.404
[SPEAKER_00]: But again, even going that route, I would recommend making them as far as advances you can.
28:46.764 --> 28:47.284
[SPEAKER_00]: You can always.
28:47.324 --> 28:47.704
[SPEAKER_00]: Good to know.
28:48.763 --> 28:56.008
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you can always cancel, but you're right, if it's popular time of year, you know, make those reservations and speak in a popular time of year.
28:56.308 --> 29:01.231
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going in August, so I think a lot of Europeans are in vacation in August, so I don't, I imagine it's going to be busy.
29:01.611 --> 29:03.993
[SPEAKER_01]: What would you say would be a good time to visit hungry?
29:04.893 --> 29:08.294
[SPEAKER_01]: because I like I again I'm going to August might be very busy.
29:08.314 --> 29:10.835
[SPEAKER_01]: Is there another time to go or what would you suggest?
29:10.975 --> 29:28.660
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that the shoulder season for much of Europe and we to pass this included is a good time to visit and by that I mean fall, September and October when families are kids are back in school and families are not traveling as much or spring late spring.
29:29.220 --> 29:32.802
[SPEAKER_00]: kind of April into May before everybody's out of school.
29:33.223 --> 29:37.705
[SPEAKER_00]: Those are easier times to get into attractions and into restaurants.
29:37.985 --> 29:40.947
[SPEAKER_00]: It just won't be as crowded and the weather is still pleasant.
29:41.668 --> 29:44.249
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, the weather is really nice since September and October.
29:44.269 --> 29:48.552
[SPEAKER_01]: I imagine in Budapest and April's you cut the flowers going on.
29:48.692 --> 29:49.272
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm guessing.
29:50.033 --> 29:50.453
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
29:50.933 --> 29:53.175
[SPEAKER_01]: So okay, where can people find out more information
29:57.958 --> 29:59.700
[SPEAKER_01]: This looks so pretty.
30:00.101 --> 30:03.725
[SPEAKER_01]: The hotel, and also Budapest Hungry in general.
30:04.486 --> 30:12.637
[SPEAKER_00]: So you can find more about Budapest in general at their website, which is BudapestInfo.htu slash the end.
30:16.483 --> 30:25.969
[SPEAKER_00]: And for the hotel, just go to unantara.com and you can navigate through there to their Budapest property.
30:26.449 --> 30:29.031
[SPEAKER_00]: And book that spa, hopefully, if that's available.
30:29.591 --> 30:30.772
[SPEAKER_01]: Another thing to do in advance.
30:31.873 --> 30:35.415
[SPEAKER_01]: Was there anything else you wanted to add, Suzanne, about Budapest hungry?
30:35.495 --> 30:37.156
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it's fascinating to hear this.
30:37.216 --> 30:41.279
[SPEAKER_01]: And again, I'm going to be there in August, and it's been like 25 years since I was there.
30:41.319 --> 30:41.519
[SPEAKER_01]: So,
30:42.375 --> 30:45.956
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't wait for you to go and I hope all of your listeners will go as well.
30:46.777 --> 30:55.900
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I would just recommend trying to plan your itinerary in advance and hit as many of the museums and attractions as you can.
30:55.980 --> 30:58.261
[SPEAKER_00]: I should mention one other attraction.
30:59.421 --> 31:01.882
[SPEAKER_00]: And Rashi Avenue is the main thoroughfare.
31:02.282 --> 31:03.263
[SPEAKER_00]: It's it's the main
31:04.143 --> 31:05.644
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, street that you walk down.
31:06.064 --> 31:23.653
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, everything is a very elegant and it is a world heritage site in addition to At the end of the street where it meets city park is heroes square, which you also have to go to during the day and at night, which has statues of Hungarian.
31:24.553 --> 31:46.667
[SPEAKER_00]: rulers and it's it's beautiful to see to walk down there and take a look at it and also the Hungarian Opera House is on that street and you absolutely can go to their website and book uh to get a ticket to a performance ballet opera classical music or just to a tour of the Opera House, which you can do, but it's stunning.
31:47.267 --> 31:48.668
[SPEAKER_00]: I think you need more than four days.
31:49.228 --> 31:49.489
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope.
31:51.072 --> 32:02.656
[SPEAKER_01]: Very, all the things you've told me, like 40s, I don't think it's enough, but it's a good taste of like hungry and I like the idea to have tacking it on to another trip you may have, may not have just to change things up.
32:03.056 --> 32:16.941
[SPEAKER_01]: Suzanne, I always love hanging out with you and hearing about your travels because you travel so many places and you've got me inspired about, would have passed, would have passed when I go there in August, but I think I've got only two days.
32:19.017 --> 32:25.146
[SPEAKER_00]: I love sharing it with you and I look forward to hearing about your impression of the city when you get back.
32:25.526 --> 32:26.568
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, for sure.
32:26.688 --> 32:29.151
[SPEAKER_01]: Anantara, Anantara, New York Palace.
32:29.632 --> 32:30.513
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll put that on my list.
32:30.994 --> 32:31.515
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
32:33.636 --> 32:36.439
[SPEAKER_01]: that was so great to talk to Suzanne about Budapest hungry.
32:36.539 --> 32:45.767
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been on my list as you know, I'm going in August after many, many years and I've excited to try the food and stay at the hotel and maybe add a few extra days and I thought I was going to have.
32:46.608 --> 32:52.093
[SPEAKER_01]: So thanks for listening to Round Trip for more inspiration, follow us at Round Trip Colling Kelly on all socials.
32:52.393 --> 32:56.855
[SPEAKER_01]: You can also visit us at roundtripkellingkele.com for more information and travel articles.
32:57.316 --> 32:59.296
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you like to get in touch with us, we'd love to talk to you.
32:59.637 --> 33:01.678
[SPEAKER_01]: Go to roundtripkellingkele at Gmail.
33:01.798 --> 33:07.260
[SPEAKER_01]: And finally, if you like what you hear, please follow, subscribe, and leave us a comment, as you listen.
33:07.341 --> 33:10.302
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, thanks so much for your support, and I will see you next time.