Postcards from the Pearl of the Danube, part three

Our time in Budapest was preciously short, but here are five additional snapshots from the beautiful Hungarian capital.

I posted a story to the EDGE Media Network late last night about the Hungarian Parliament's approval of a new constitution that includes a ban on marriage for same-sex couples. I plan to write additional stories about LGBT activism in Hungary, Budapest's gay scene and the Széchenyi Baths for EDGE and other publications in the coming days and weeks. Stay tuned...



A sausage stall in Budapest's Central Market on Friday, April 15.



The view from Rókusfalvy Fogadó's terrace in Etyek on Sunday, April 17.



An Etyek vineyard on Sunday, April 17.



Menza in Budapest.



Kávé (coffee) at Menza in Budapest.

Bushwick in the Hungarian countryside?

One can find reminders of home in the most unlikely places--including Hungary!

The producers of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" constructed a New York streetscape from the 1990s at Korda Studios outside Budapest. The loading docks are reminiscent of the Meatpacking District before models, celebutantes and those who either love or hate them made the neighborhood so damn trendy. The run down factories with dated advertisements on their brick facades; the apartment buildings adorned with cast iron fire escapes and a local bodega, however, are genuine slices of Bushwick in the Hungarian countryside. The only thing missing from this set are the increasing number of hipsters who continue to penetrate deeper into the neighborhood, but one can certainly argue their absence is not necessarily a bad thing.

Postcards from the Pearl of the Danube, part two

The Hungarian Parliament building from Buda Castle on Saturday, April 16.



The Hungarian Parliament building from Buda Castle on Saturday, April 16.



Buda Castle on Saturday, April 16.



Inside Matthias Church at Buda Castle.



Inside the Buda Castle's labyrinth.



Slicing bread at Essencia's cooking class on Saturday, April 16.



The Széchenyi Baths on Saturday, April 16.



A circus of sorts across the street from the Széchenyi Baths.



Buda from the Palace of Arts' roof on Saturday, April 16.



Ötkert’s bathroom’s doors.

Kávé and Dobos in the Guilded Age

The only journalists who were at the aptly named New York Café on Friday, April 15, were six writers from the five boroughs and their Hungarian guide. It was easy, however, to imagine journalists, artists, intellectuals and other Budapest literati sipping kávé (coffee) while enjoying dobos and reading Le Monde or La Repubblica in another era.

Postcards from the Pearl of the Danube

Even though today's weather in Budapest was far from ideal for sightseeing, the Hungarian capital certainly proved itself as the Pearl of the Danube.

Today's itinerary included a welcome reception at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, lunch at Onyx Restaurant and a tour of the Hungarian Parliament building. A special thanks to American Airlines for a comfortable, non-stop flight from New York to Budapest.



The Danube River in Budapest from American Airlines 158.



Buda Castle from the Pest side of the Danube.



Peppers anyone?



Onyx Restaurant's parsley cream soup with roasted potato, sour cream and trout caviar.



A memorial outside the Hungarian Parliament building pays tribute to those whom Soviet troops killed as they crushed the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.



Inside the Hungarian Parliament building.



A Herendi porcelain vase inside the Hungarian Parliament building.



The Hungarian Parliament's meeting hall.



Looking from the Hungarian Parliament Building towards Lajos Kossuth Square.