3 Coffee Houses Not to Miss in Budapest

I wish I had started my days earlier in Budapest so I could have consumed more pastries.

I’d heard about the city’s multitude of fancy coffee houses, but still I was unprepared for the amazing pastries and lovely places I encountered. During the 19^th century, at its peak, Budapest had more than 700 coffee houses. Now, that’s a lot of coffee!

My first stop was at the Alexandra Bookstore, a modern-looking bookstore cum wineshop, until you ascend the escalator to Lotz Terem Café on the second floor. Your eyes immediately gravitate toward the breathtaking ceiling, painted in a bold Renaissance style by Károly Lotz in 1910. (His paintings also decorate the rooms of the Parliament building.)

I could imagine plunking myself down in one of the café’s armchairs, nestled in a corner with a good book and a strong latté and spending a whole afternoon here. Nearby, a handsome Hungarian man was playing classical piano music. This place is the ultimate bookstore!

At Lotz, I ordered a latté and a slice of the infamous Hungarian Dobos torte, a five-layer sponge cake with chocolate buttercream and garnished with a hard caramel glaze. The cake was invented by Hungarian confectioner József C. Dobos, introduced at the National General Exhibition of Budapest in 1885 and presented to the Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph I and his wife. Now, this cake is definitely one for royalty!

On my second day strolling around Budapest’s Fisherman’s Bastion and Buda Castle, I dragged hubby to the nearby historical, quaint coffee house of Ruszwurm. This is one of the city’s oldest pastry shops, opened in 1827 by Hungarian confectioner Ferenc Schwabl. The interior of this cozy and always crowded shop, named after its owner Vilmos Ruszwurm, from 1884 to 1922, even has some of the original 1840s Empire-style furniture.

Ruszwurm isn’t a place to linger long as plenty of other tourists are waiting to grab a seat and sample another decadent bite of Dobos torte. However, I think it’s worth waiting for a table to taste a delicious bite of history.

A decadent chocolate cake for hubby and another slice of Dobos torte for me at Ruszwurm in Budapest.

My most expensive coffee house visit was at The New York Café (New York Kávéház) located on a picturesque boulevard inside the luxurious Boscolo Budapest Hotel (formerly the New York Palace). One of my Istanbul friends, Elaine, had urged me to go to this café, telling me that I would love it. She was right!

As soon as I walked inside, I took a step back in time and was greeted by gorgeous frescoes on the ceiling, gilded columns and stunning crystal chandeliers. This café, originally built by the New York Life Insurance Company as its local head office in 1894, once served as the local hangout for Hungarian writers, newspaper editors, poets and artists. Luckily, the building survived World War II, Communist rule, a sporting goods shop conversion, neglect and finally was restored to its original splendor in 2006 and converted into the Boscolo Budapest Hotel.

Interior of The New York Café in Budapest.

Since I was solo, I treated myself to a fancy lunch of mixed greens with grilled rabbit, a glass of Hungarian white wine and of course, dessert, a sublime piece of “crunchy nut cake.” This sweet confection contained layers of a hazelnut dacquiose cake, a praline mousse and caramel glaze – at least that’s what I determined. This is the type of dessert I would have made at any of the restaurants I previously worked at in the U.S.

Service is a bit harried here, but I took it all in stride and enjoyed my 90 minutes of people watching and leisurely lunch. The atmosphere and delectable dessert was well worth the 10,000 HUF ($45) price tag!

My only complaint is the nearby table of five older women that only ordered pasta and coffee drinks. If you’re going to visit the New York Café , you damned well better order dessert. You’d be crazy not to!

Budapest has dozens of coffee houses throughout the city, but these were three I visited and would return to in a second.

Locations:

Alexandra Bookstore, Andrássy út 39, near the Oktogon metro stop, Budapest

The New York Café (New York Kávéház), Erzsébet körút 9-11, Budapest

Ruszwurm, Szentháromság St 7, near the Buda Castle, Budapest

 The amazing pastry display case at the Lotz Terem Café in Budapest.

Read More

Istanbul: It All Began With Gezi Park

For nearly two weeks, I’ve been glued to my Twitter feed and Facebook updates via my friends in Istanbul and throughout Turkey.

Since I called Istanbul home for nearly three years, it’s been heartbreaking to watch all the news unfold about the Gezi Park protests, which started on May 31, and not be there. Several of the protests occurred literally in our former backyard of Beşiktaş. The tear gas would have seeped into our apartment building.

A view of Gezi Park in Istanbul's Taksim Square as seen from the Intercontinental Hotel's bar. Taken in February 2013. 

I want to march with my friends. I want to proudly wave my Turkish flag. I want to be çapuling on the streets too.

(For those who don’t know, the Turkish prime minister negatively referred to the protesters as çapulcu which means looters. Since then, the term has taken on a life of its own for the nationwide protesters. My friends are çapuling through the Istanbul streets every night – banging their pots and pans, blowing whistles and standing up for their rights. They are not looting. On Twitter, the term has spread via hashtags, including #çapuling, # çapulcu, #capuling, #chappuling, #everydayimcapuling and #everydayimçapuling. There’s even a YouTube video: Every day I’m çapuling.)

I wasn’t going to write about the protests, but I don’t see how I could NOT write about them either. The nationwide protests are not just about a small park being destroyed for a shopping mall anymore.

At the heart of the matter is fundamental rights that us Americans take for granted – freedom of speech and the right to peacefully assemble. Everyone should have these basic rights. Instead, these people are shot down with tear gas canisters, plastic bullets and water cannons because they are standing up to the government for these rights and much more.

Green Space

Before we left Istanbul, we re-visited the Istanbul Sapphire, the city’s highest building in the Levent neighborhood. Although there are many locations to view this beautiful city, the Sapphire gives you a different perspective since you can see all the way to the Black Sea, Sea of Marmara and along the Bosphorus. 

My husband’s Turkish colleague, an Istanbul native, joined us on the viewing terrace and remarked that most of the city’s remaining green space is cemeteries. How sad! She’s right! The city is a concrete jungle.

Here you can see the "green space" of the cemetery in the Şişli neighborhood. 

For a city of 15 million people, it has very few parks, and Gezi Park is one of the few remaining green spaces in the middle of this crowded city.

Looking north, I guess there's still a little green space left by Maslak too.

As Istanbul continues to grow and expand, developers buy up any remaining green space and turn it into high-rise apartments. The city doesn’t seem to have any urban planners especially as construction begins for the city’s third bridge over the Bosphorus and the third airport. More than 2 million trees would be destroyed for these projects and could be a ‘threat to the city’s future,’ according to news accounts I’ve read.

I have to wonder, at what cost, does a city like Istanbul continue to develop? Will the new bridge and airport clog up the city even more? Will there be any parks left for my friends’ children to play in? Will Belgrade Forest even remain?

Although I’m no longer living in Istanbul, my heart is still there.

For more Gezi Park updates from local residents, please follow these sites:
The Istanbulian

The Turkish Life

Turkish Awakening

Bulent Journal
Istanbul For 91 Days

Read More

Top 10 Tips to Enjoy Széchenyi Thermal Baths in Budapest

Imagine sitting in a comfortably hot 100-year-old thermal pool while snowflakes fall softly around you.

That’s what we did in mid-February when we first visited Budapest. No visit to this lovely Eastern European city is complete without a stop at one of its infamous therapeutic baths, in particular at Széchenyi Thermal Baths. This bath, first built in 1913 and expanded in 1927, is one of the largest spa complexes in Europe. There are three outdoor pools, 15 indoor pools and 10 sauna/steam rooms – all with varying temperatures.

Romantic and steamy is what the Széchenyi Thermal Baths looked like in February.

In May, we returned to Budapest and paid another visit to Széchenyi Thermal Baths for two reasons. First of all, you can’t help but enjoy yourself here. The buildings are gorgeous, built in the neo-Baroque style as much of the city itself, and the baths are relaxing and a little romantic. Secondly, we wanted to improve upon some of the first mistakes we made.

So here are my Top 10 Tips to Enjoy Széchenyi Thermal Baths in Budapest:

1. Rent a cabin instead of a locker. If you are a couple or with good friends, this makes the most sense as far as sharing space together. We also felt our goods were secured safely behind the automatic locked door.

2. Bring your own towels, swimsuits and flip flops. During our first visit, we forgot to bring towels and flip flops. We had to wait in a long line for 30 minutes to get towels and then were told we could pay only in cash. (Who carries cash in their swimsuit?) Towel rental costs 4500 HUF (about $20) each. Be sure to return the towels in the same long line to refund your money. OR skip the lines and bring your own Turkish beach towels which is what we did the second time. Our feet simply suffered on the cold floors.

Another tip: bring a plastic bag to store your wet suits and towels in after you’re done.

3. If you rent a cabin, you will receive a plastic watch that you must scan on a small box located on the wall on the first floor. The scanner will give you the number of your cabin, which also could be located on the second floor. This was confusing at first because we didn’t know where to go and no staff was around to assist us.

4. Skip the Thai massage. We thought a couple massage by two Thai women would be relaxing, but then we both ended up being twisted into pretzels and aching afterwards. Save your money for a special dinner instead.

5. Allow at least two hours of relaxation time at the baths. Honestly, if the sun's rays were warmer, I could have stayed there all afternoon.

6. Explore. Wander around the different pools and see which ones you like best. We found the indoor ones to be a bit chilly for our liking. I guess the idea is you take a dip in the hot thermal pools and then cool off in the others. I didn’t try the sauna/steam rooms as I can only tolerate them for about 10 minutes, and one boasted temps of 60 C (140 F). Hot momma!

7. In the summer months, you can avoid long lines at the entrance by buying vouchers at the tourist information offices around the city. You also receive a 10 percent discount if you have the Budapest Card.

8. Don’t drink beer in the pools. We were able to sneak in one beer each before we saw the guards making rounds and yelling at the mainly British stag groups near us.

9. Bring your own shampoo and other toiletries as you won’t find anything here. I wanted to clean up quickly before hopping back on the metro, and I needed to dry my hair since it was little on the cooler side outside.

10. Most importantly, relax and have fun. My husband and I spent two hours lazily floating by each other and people watching. The baths were exactly what the doctor ordered!

Have you been to any of the thermal baths in Budapest?

 

Location:

Széchenyi Thermal Baths ( Take the metro to the Széchenyi stop).

1146 Budapest Állatkerti körút 9-11

+36 1 363 3210

Website: széchenyifürdő.hu

Read More

Budapest’s Great Market Hall: Photo Post

Everywhere we travel, I always try and stop by farmers’ markets, especially if they are outdoors.

In fact, I should do another post about all the world markets we have visited in addition to the Turkish pazar photos that I regularly share.

Last weekend, while my husband worked in Budapest, I explored the city and re-visited the 117-year-old Great Market Hall (Központi Vásárcsarnok). This three-storied market, located on Fővám Tér in the 9th district, is the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest. The brick building was designed and built by Hungarian architect Samu Pecz around 1896.

Many of the stalls were filled with spring produce such as asparagus in white and green colors, strawberries, green and red onions, rhubarb, greenhouse tomatoes and bright red cherries. I also found bags of spicy and sweet paprika, jars of local honey, tins of goose liver, barrels of pickles, bottles of Palinka (Hungarian fire water or fruit-flavored brandy) and lots of links of Hungarian sausage. (I certainly have moved to a pork-centric part of the world!)

I weaved in and out of the bustling afternoon crowds, taking photos as I went along. I tried to stop by one of the lángos stands (a deep-fried flat bread made of potato-based dough) for a late lunch, but the crowds were too pushy at 1:30 p.m. At least, I enjoyed one of these Hungarian specialties in February when we first visited Budapest. If you go, go early!

Here's the Hungarian lángos I ate back in February. Delicious!

Last time, I stocked up on bags of morel and oyster mushrooms (so cheap), both versions of ground paprika, a jar of chestnut honey, as well as Pick (brand) csipos (spicy) sausage and jars of Eros Piszta - a super spicy paprika spread, which goes great in soups.

If you are a local Hungarian, the market is also THE place where you would buy freshly baked breads, local cheeses, cured meats, chicken, fish, beef and pork.

But as a tourist at the Great Market Hall, I recommend simply savoring all the sights, smells and sounds. And just remember, drinking is allowed as early as 10 a.m. here as I saw many people doing last time.

Jó étvágyat! (Bon appétit in Hungarian)

 

Last but not least, you gotta have a photo of the pork butcher!

Read More

Expat Life: Week One in Warsaw

As Polish Lot flight number 136 descended into Warsaw, I stared out in disbelief at the 6 inches of snow on the ground!

This was Easter Sunday, March 31. It should NOT be snowing, I thought.

This is what it looked outside my window as we first landed in Warsaw on March 31, 2013.

We had just left (my heart) in Istanbul where we had a gorgeous weekend frolicking among the lale at Emirgan Korusu and walking along the Bosphorus. We said farewell to dear friends and enjoyed a totally Turkish sendoff at a boisterous meyhane in Taksim.

Now, the Whirling Dervish-swirling snow seemed like a cruel joke. Welcome to my new expat life in Warsaw!

I already felt devastated about leaving Istanbul, and the snow only added to my mounting depression. I turned to my husband, mockingly, but half seriously, told him I was leaving him. I was getting on the next plane and returning to my beloved Istanbul.

In reality, I stayed. I still love my husband, and it wasn’t his fault – really! Our moving choices were either Warsaw or return to a “normal” life back in NYC. We would prefer to stay abroad as long as we can, so the choice was a so called easy one.

Our first day in Warsaw was Easter Monday, so nearly every store was closed, even Starbucks. We briefly ventured out in the blustery snow to find food and coffee at a local coffeeshop. At least, a caffè latte is the same in every language.

Looking back, now the snow looks kinda pretty as seen here in the Old Town of Warsaw.

At some point, I shed a few tears. I was depressed and still a little angry at my husband.

Later on, I thought about the older expat ladies I know back in Istanbul. I wonder what made them give up everything they knew as familiar in the U.S. and move to Turkey some 40 and even 50 years ago. Now, that was an amazing feat for these pioneering ladies who loved to tell me about bringing back their own toilet paper from the U.S.

My older girlfriends, Connie, Elaine and Charlotte, in Istanbul have shared many stories about moving to Istanbul in the 1960s and '70s.

I cried the next two days as well. I slept in as late, swaddled in the down comforter, as I could in our hotel room at Hotel Bristol. I figured the longer I slept, the less time I would have awake to face my new reality in Warsaw.

By day four, I only let a few tears slip and mass messaged friends through Facebook and e-mail. I told myself to buck up and make the best of it. I ventured out again in the snow and discovered a piece of American familiarity at Brooklyn Burgers & Wings on the main street. It’s probably no surprise that this burger joint is owned by an American expat.

After explaining with difficulty that I wanted my burger red in the middle, I settled into a booth and grappled by cheeseburger with both hands. I ordered a Dr. Pepper to drink. I laughed to myself as I listened to rap from the early ‘90s - artists such as the Beastie Boys, Notorious B.I.G. and Blackalicious – play in the background. As rapper Ice Cube once sang, “Today was a good day.”

My familiar American burger found in Warsaw as seen from my Instagram account @mytravelingjoys.

On day seven in Warsaw, I boarded a plane again. I was heading back to the U.S. for two weeks to see family and friends and attend a wedding. I couldn’t wait to be “home” and be in a place where I could be understood.

Fast forward – we’ve now been living in Warsaw for seven weeks. There are no more tears or snow. We’ve settled into a comfy apartment with a fabulous terrace at a fraction of the cost we would have paid in Istanbul. I’ve planted a bunch of herbs and flowers outside, and I’m back in the kitchen cooking homemade dinners and even mini rhubarb-strawberry pies. There’s tons of green space, and we can rent bikes and explore the numerous trails.

Zoomed in view from our new terrace at dusk in Warsaw. 

I still miss my friends, but I’m starting to get out there and make new ones. That’s what expat life is all about.

Yep, I think it’s going to be a good day or a good time here in Warsaw too.

Read More

My Turkish Joys has Moved to My Traveling Joys

In My Love Letter to Istanbul post, I announced that we have moved our expat life to a new location – Warsaw, Poland.

This move had been in the works for a few months, and I’ve been trying to figure out how  to best adapt and make some changes to the blog. Since we are no longer living in Turkey and we may be on the road for awhile, I decided to change the name to My Traveling Joys. I think this name serves as a good blanket for what I write about here – travel, food, living as an expat and my every day adventures.

In my new city, I’ve slowly been discovering new “joys” such as Polish pierogies, local beer, the daily farmer’s market at Hala Mirowska, bountiful pork products and lush green spaces. It’s kind of ironic to go from pork-deprived Istanbul to pork heaven here in Warsaw. I no longer have to fill my suitcases with pork and “smuggle” it across country lines to our apartment. However, I’m sure I’ll be bringing pork to my friends in Istanbul when I return to visit later this summer.

Polish must-eats - meat and cabbage filled pierogies topped with bacon"gravy" at Zapiecek Restaurant.

Beautiful baby beets found at Hala Mirowska in Warsaw.

Upon first glance, Warsaw doesn’t reveal its beauty as openly as Istanbul does. The Vistula River appears quite gloomy and muddy compared to the glistening Bosphorus.

The red roofed buildings in the background signify Old Town in Warsaw.

But as you walk through the Old Town area, you can’t help but marvel at the beautifully restored buildings and want to stop for a local beer and sit under an umbrella and people watch. Unfortunately, nearly 85 percent of Warsaw was leveled by the Nazis during World War II. The hard working Poles have spent many, many years trying to rebuild their city. I’ve got a lot of exploring to do here.

Local artists set up in the large, open square in Old Town, Warsaw.

A view of old and new Warsaw as seen from the viewing terrace at the Palace of Culture in Warsaw.

I hope you’ll continue to follow my new expat adventures here in Poland. Don’t worry as I’ll still be sharing some of my Turkish stories, and who knows where my travels will take me in Eastern Europe.

Here’s how you now can find me:

Tweeting - @MyTravelingJoys

Instagram Photos - @mytravelingjoys

Pinning - @mytravelingjoys

Email - mytravelingjoys@gmail.com

My Facebook Fan Page is still at My Turkish Joys because I haven’t figured out an easy way to change it without starting a whole new page. Any advice?

Thanks to all my loyal readers for reading me every week! I truly appreciate all your comments, retweets, repins and likes.

Cześći!

Joy

Read More

My Love Letter to Istanbul

Dear Istanbul,

I never intended to fall in love with you, but I did.

At first, I knew nothing about you. You seemed so far away, foreign and mysterious from my small town roots in the U.S.

You remind me a bit of my beloved NYC because you are a vast, cosmopolitan, energetic and diverse city.

But yet YOU are different and exotic. Maybe that’s what caught my attention.

Bit by bit, I got to know you. I slowly unraveled your history as I wandered through your uneven cobblestone streets, your lively neighborhood pazars and your historic sites.

The Bosphorus that cuts right through you is hard to resist – whether I’m sitting seaside with a çay or a beer, having brunch with friends or taking a vapur to the other side.

I don’t remember when, but one day it just hit me. I had butterflies in my stomach. I couldn’t stop smiling. My heart was racing.

I realized I was in love with you. Don’t worry – my husband knows!

I love exploring your nooks and crannies. I never know what surprises will be in store.

Sometimes I discover an abandoned building sagging with age but still beautiful on the outside such as my most recent discovery of the Sağır Han. I can’t help but wonder who once lived and worked there and what stories the building could tell if it could talk. Were they yabancılar like me?

I love revisiting my same shops in Eminönü for my spices and nuts and the same stalls at my pazar and being called abla (older sister). You’ve finally accepted me and embraced this yabancı into your folds.

Spices at my favorite spice store - Ucuzcular. 

But like true love, there are days that I hate you, Istanbul.

I hate the taxi driver that won’t listen to my directions even if I repeat them in Turkish. I hate the old lady who practically pushed me over while trying to get on to the bus. I hate the cars that try to run me over as I cross the street. I hate the person that always stands on the left-hand side of the escalator as I’m trying to walk up. 

I hate the crowded bus and dolmuş during rush hour. I hate the disorganization of getting on and off public transportation. I hate your maddening, congested traffic. I hate that I can’t fully converse in Turkish.

Every now and then, just like a former lover, you’ve even made me cry, Istanbul. You made me want to bury my head in my pillow and never step foot outside again.

There are truly great days here as well as truly crap days – just like anywhere in the world.

But then such a simple moment will happen as I cross the Galata Bridge and I see the fishing boats along the Golden Horn and the sun reflecting off the top of the Süleymaniye Camii and I’m awed by your beauty.

And then I fall in love all over with you again.

Love, Joy

(Dear readers, I’ve loved living in Istanbul for nearly 3 years. In April, my husband’s job had us relocate to Warsaw, Poland. I’ve been in transition mode and finally am settling down in my new country. There will be some changes, but I hope you’ll continue to follow my expat and travel adventures here! Since I'm no longer living in Turkey, I've changed the blog name to My Traveling Joys.)

Sunset cocktails at Mikla's rooftop bar admiring the view of the Golden Horn in Istanbul.

I never tire of seeing the bridges lit up at night!

Read More