KOGART

KOGART

This nice building is the KOGART house. Actually this is a center for contemporary art and restaurant. The project was founded by Gábor Kovács who was the first successful businessman in Hungary that donated a really large amount for an initiative like this. Though his activity is doubted by some of the representatives of contemporary Art in Hungary after the ages of “selfishness” he was obviously the first “rich man” of the 90′s who spent on something else but himself.:)

You can read more about the KOGART house here.

St. János Hospital

St. János hospital

There is a lot of tension around the health system in Hungary. Some hospitals got closed other became more central and emphasized. In fact most of the hospitals (and other health facilities) in Hungary are in terrible conditions. Looking at the St. János (St. John) Hospital’s building maybe you can recognize the XIXth century features of it.

At the corner

Budapest

Yesterday I have posted about a building like this from inside. Today you can see a similar building but from outside. This one is in Pest on the Andrássy street.

Yesterday we have reached the 100.000 views on this website. Wow! Thank you all!:)

The father of my grandfather

The father of my grandfather

This man is the father of my grandfather. He was born in 1888 in Kladovo which is a town at the river Danube at the Romanian, Serbian and Bulgarian border. He used to work as a sailor on the river Danube and in 1914 when the Ist World War has started he was with his ship in Budapest. Being Serbian citizen he got immediately arrested and deported. It seems it wasnt so bad to be deported because during the deportation he got married with a Hungarian woman (her photo you can see here).

Tropical?

Szabadság tér

I like this photo because the trees give a tropical athmosphere to it. I visit Isabella’s Naples DP almost every day and I am eager to see one day that really colorful and exotic place.:) Well, this photo was taken couple of weeks ago at the Szabadság square. I wouldnt say its a recent report on Budapest, because nowdays is everything gray and rainy in the city.:)

By the way…Isabelly…(sorry..mistype…I mean Isabella):) has Tagged me couple of days ago. So here are my (8) random facts. (Her eight facts are so interesting that I have left them in this post, too)!

These are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.
Here are some things about me you probably did not know:

1.

Isabella: I was born on a beach (long story!) on Friday the 13th. This should clue you in to how well my life is going ;-)
Zsolt: I was born in Budapest but I dont remember anything:)
2.
Isabella: I had a poem published at the age of 9. It was entitled “Shattered Dreams” (at 9???)
Zsolt: When I was 4 I wanted to eat only bread with butter and honey. My mom was so worried that she took me to the doctor. The doctor said: “Dont worry! He will stop it one day”….and I did:)

3.

Isabella: I am a decent cook but a dismal baker. I guess baking requires precision and exact measurements – that’s sooo not me…
Zsolt: I am so lazy that I rather paid for a cleaner lady to visit regularly and clean my home. After Zannnie arrived she kicked out the cleaner lady….but I am still lazy to do housework:)

4.

Isabella: I once danced with Robin Williams, the actor, at a night club in Jamaica.
Zsolt: Once (I was like 17) I was sitting beside a beautiful blonde girl on a bench. I didn’t have the courage to initiate a conversation with her, so we were just sitting there like two dead fishes…(does anyone have a time-machine?):)
5.
Isabella: I was detained at Frankfurt Airport on suspicion of espionage. Questioned, searched and released shortly after.
Zsolt: In 1988 at the Czech-German border a very fat Eastern-German boarder guard stopped us and while his colleague was investigating our car he requested me to follow him to an office. Being there alone he removed his belt. I thought he was going to rape me or something…but he just changed it to an other one…

6.

Isabella: I can never get through Chopin’s “Heroic” polonaise without crying (but then again I empathize with his longing for his motherland).
Zsolt: I used to play on guitar in a music group.
7.
Isabella: I have this uncanny ability to tell time…without consulting a watch. No matter when, day or night, if you ask me what time it is, I will be exact to the minute. (Can anyone else do that or am I a freak?).
Zsolt: Isabella is a freak!:) I have an uncanny (a word I never heard before):) ability, too. Anytime I leave my car in a mall’s parking house…I hardly can find it:)

8.

Isabella: Nobody makes me belly-laugh like John Cleese in “Fawlty Towers”.
Zsolt: I never learned English at school. Just by myself…so better not to hear my pronunciaton.:)
Now, it’s my turn to tag you, my blogger friends:
Elise and Khádi – Pilisvörösvár Daily Photo
Aigars – Riga Daily Photo

Café kör

Café Kör

Denton gave me an idea about supporting local businesses. So I decided to write restaurant/cafe/pub reviews from time to time on the Budapest DP or reviews on services/stores/places which I recommend to you based on my own experiences.

I shall start with a great restaurant in the Sas street (V. district) called Café Kör. Do not be misled by the name…it is rather a restaurant than a café. The reason why I recommend it to you is because of the cuisine. Its very tasty and beside the special dishes, you can find traditional Hungarian food also (for example töltött paprika).

Its not a large place, one of its disadvantages is that its pretty crowded especially during the evening and the tables are quite close to each other. Almost impossible just to drop in, you have to book a table in advance. At times some people are standing at the bar waiting for someone to leave.

The service is perfect, waiters (I havent seen any waitresses) are polite and well trained (they know how to open a wine, how to make you taste first etc.) and they speak English quite well. The price is slightly expensive, one dish is about 10 USD (2000 HUF) and they do not accept credit card payment:(

You can find this restaurant very close to the St. Stephen Basilica and maybe due to the central location, it is usually packed with expats living in Budapest. To see more photos you can visit here.

Király baths

Király fürdő

This post is a protest. Today I may have to post about the anniversary of the 1956 Revolution. But I won’t do it. You can read here why.

The photo I post today is an old building. A place for something more pleasureful. The entrance of the Király Baths.

A38 concertship

A38

The A38 concert and restaurantship is a uniqe cultural project in Budapest. It used to be a Ukrainian stone-carrier ship but since 2003 it is standing at the Petőfi Bridge being a part of Budapest’s cultural life. I was there last week for a press conference and I used the opportunity to take some photos inside, too:)

You can see and read more about A38 here.

Vár

varban.jpg

The uniqueness about this sculpture is that it is on the ground, from this perspective in this photo, you can tell I am not ‘tall enough’ to capture a view that show this piece of artwork well:) But I tried again to show you how beautiful it is in the zoomed close up version below (or you may click on this link to have a better view). The reason why I didn’t use the closeup at first is simply becos it can’t show exactly it is lying flat on the grass :)

Closeup of sculpture on the grass at the BudaCastleMy apologies for not being able to post on this DP for so long. I have been very busy with my work here in Budapest. It was hardship since the first day of work. Everyday is such a busy schedule, even by the time I arrive home, I only had some time to unwind.

This is the first long weekend for the October 23rd, 1956 revolution memorial national holiday here in Hungary, I am able to write this update post:) Maybe tomorrow you will see a post related to this national holiday. Meanwhile I wish you’ll have a good weekend.