Reviews – Page 13 – European Traveler

Beginner’s Budapest

By Don Heimburger
Photos by the author

The Eastern European capitals are becoming “closer” to visit each year with better airline routes, and in some cases, reasonably-priced tickets. It’s really not correct to call them “Eastern,” a friend of mine said, because if you look at a map of Europe, they are still close to the “West.” Consider perhaps cities in Belarus, the Ukraine and Romania as “Eastern,” he suggests.

So Budapest, a recent destination of mine and the capital of Hungary, was not particularly hard to reach, after I determined that a Rail Europe train ticket was the most economical form of transportation from Munich. It was, however, a 7 hour and 22-minute train ride from the Bavarian capital, but with trains being an easy and relatively inexpensive form of European travel, I opted for that.

FIRST IMPRESSION
My first impression of this city of about 2 million people (it’s much larger than Prague), came as I departed the train and walked among hundreds of train travelers to the door of the massive train station, where I met hundreds more people on the streets. The city seemed vibrant, active and alive. It also seemed like I should have studied the Hungarian culture a bit more before I arrived, just to ground myself better in what I was about to see.

Divided by the Danube, the city is really two cities in one—hilly Buda in which is located Castle Hill—and Pest, located on the east side, and flat. The most prominent building on the river is the Parliament Building, closed when I was there because of a national holiday. In fact, the whole area was roped off by the police.

My overriding concern about going to Hungary was the language: I didn’t know a word of Hungarian, and I found it hard to pronounce words. I did learn that “Utca” meant “street,” “Hid” meant “bridge,” and “Furdo” meant ”bath.” I also found as I went along that I didn’t necessarily need to know any words in Hungarian. Most of the shopkeepers, hotel personnel and tourist guides knew enough English so that I could communicate well enough.

GUIDEBOOK HELPS
I’d suggest picking up a guidebook at a local travel store before arrival, and then arranging for a city tour of the highlights before attempting to proceed on your own. The reason for the city tour is that because of the size of the city, you’ll not likely be able to find all the attractions yourself, or want to walk to them yourself.

The tour (www.cityrama.hu), will take several hours, but you will have seen the crème of the attractions of the city. If you plan to stay a few days, the Budapest Card provides free services or discounts at more than 100 places, from public transportation and museums, to thermal baths and restaurants.

The three-hour Cityrama “City Tour” costs 28 euro and includes free taxi pickup at your hotel. The tour starts at the Chain Bridge, which is especially beautiful at night; a romantic walk along the river near the Chain Bridge is memorable. The Parliament Building, built in 1896 for the city’s millennium celebration, features a unique Neo-Gothic design, and reminds one of its counterpart in London. At one time a large red communist star was anchored from the tallest spire. Guided tours are available in the portion of the building which was vacated by the House of Lords.

Behind the Parliament is Kossuth Ter, filled with monuments such as the one to Lajos Kossuth who led an uprising in 1848. The Museum of Ethography (focusing on folk art and country life) in the old Supreme Court Building houses artifacts from the pre-WWI days in Hungary.

Shops, theaters, cafes and more line the Andrassy Ut as the road connects the City Park where you’ll find the zoo with its playful buildings, the famous Szechenyi Baths with several different pools to soak in, the Vajdahunyad Castle (a replica of the famous castle in Transylvania), the Museum of Fine Arts, the Palace of Art and Heroes’ Square. At the baths, you’ll soak in water containing calcium-magnesium-hydrogen carbondate and sulphate-cloride.

I spent quite of bit of time in this area of the city, and would have spent more if the weather had cooperated. Heroes’ Square is where you’ll meet the most “historic” Hungarians in statue form; the very large open area has as its backdrop the imposing Millennium Monument. In the adjacent City Park is where the famous Gundel Restaurant is located (see sidebar). During the 19th century, citizens used to ride their horses in this place and take along a picnic lunch. In the winter, the lake is frozen, so ice skating is a popular past time.

In the other direction, the House of Terror, former headquarters of the Nazi-sponsored Gestapo and secret police, Budapest Opera House, with its neo-Renaissance architecture, fits well with the similarly-elegant neighborhood on Andrássy Avenue. Hungary’s greatest architect, Miklós Ybl, designed the building for the Millennium celebrations. Construction started in 1875 and the building was finished in 1884. Ybl oversaw the work himself with painstaking care. Hundreds of statues and paintings decorate the building both inside and out.

Another attraction in Pest is the Great Market Hall, a multi-level cavernous structure at the end of Vaci Utca, which should take care of most of your food needs if you’re looking for fresh meats, bakery goods, fruits or vegetables or paprika, and it will also satisfy your need for Hungarian souvenirs. This is a good place to hang out for a couple of hours and find lunch at one of the many fast food stalls,

At Buda Hill, you can walk up the hill (about 30 minutes), or take the chairlift to the top of Janos Hill (1,729 feet). The Erzsebet Lookout tower offers a panorama overview of the city below. The area is divided between the “royal” section and the civilian section, with Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion highlights of the civilian section. Streets that lead away from Trinity Square are dotted with Baroque-style buildings and mansions that hide Gothic ruins.

For a rest and refreshment, try ice cream or a pastry at the Ruszmurm Cafe or sit for a while at Kapisztran Square and listen to the bells of the Magdalena Tower. Be sure to see the Royal Place complex. Once the home of lords and royals, it is now the home to museums.

There are more than 200 museums in Budapest, some of which include the Hungarian National Museum, the Budapest History Museum, the Hungarian National Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Military History and the Ludwig Museum.

An interesting aspect of Budapest that many may not know about are the caves in the area. Monaco is the only other city that can boast a dripstone cave—Budapest has several open to the public: there’s the Palvogy, the Szemlo and Matthias Hill caves (qualified climbers only).

More highlights:

New York Cafe—The most ornate cafe of 320 that operated in the years preceding WWI, and it has remained the most elegant since. Gilded columns, reliefs and shining mirrors evoke the aesthetics of the early 1900s.
The square-shaped chocolate cake named after Jancsi Rigo, a gypsy musician, and its original creator Joseph Dobos, is a caramel-covered cake you’ll want to try while you’re in town.
Margaret Island, in the middle of the Danube, is a large, lovely park where you can escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

What have I left out? Actually quite a bit, but once there you’ll have plenty to do and see. Hungary’s capital is the hub of political, artistic and social energy. It’s full of history and grandeur, big bridges and wide boulevards. With impressive treasures and friendly people, Budapest is a spot you’ll not want to miss.

The New Etruscans

By Erla Zwingle
Photos courtesy the Italian Government Tourist Board NA

Say “Etruscan” to most people and they almost certainly know at least something about them: weird language, fabulous frescoed tombs, spectacular gold jewelry (lovers of trivia may also know that they called themselves “Rasna,” which may have meant “citizen,” that they gave the Romans the arch, and that their language had no “O”). This glamorous civilization began to be known about 968 B.C. and was a formidable economic and cultural power until its eventual decline and virtual disappearance in the 1st century B.C. — almost a millennium of indelible influence not only on the Romans, but on the many other Italic peoples who flourished on the Italian peninsula in the seven centuries before Christ. But recent excavations are revealing some surprising new facets of Etruscan life.

Below Massa Marittima, the hills that undulate toward the sea are brick-red from the copper enriching the well-named Colli Metallifere. On the forested slopes rising from the bright waters of the Lago dell’Accesa, archaeologist Stefano Giuntoli and his team have been working in an area of several dozen ettari (hectares), digging up the remains of clusters of small houses. These were the homes of Etruscans who, from the 9th to the 6th centuries B.C., managed the extraction and manufacturing of metals from the nearby mines of Serrabottini and Fenice Capanne.

HOUSES HARD TO FIND
“Houses are hard to find,” Giuntoli explained one sunny June morning; the air was already clinking with the music of many trowels in the stony soil. “The idea of the city was born by the Etruscans,” he said. “And the wealth of this city was due to extraction of metal.” Not only copper, but iron, lead and silver. The city of Vetulonia “had an explosion of wealth because of its bronze,” he said. “Traders came here from all over the Mediterranean. “

“This is the oldest and most extensive site we have,” he continued. “When the idea of a city began in the 6th century, walls come in. Long, communal retaining walls come in Etruria with the idea of democracy, not aristocracy. So here in Accesa it’s very strange to see only houses. Each area contained about 10 houses, which they put wherever they wanted, and its own cemetery. So it is a city, but an anomalous form of a city. A city of the 6th century had a wall, an acropolis, a temple, and streets. Here, no. It’s a strange thing for the period.”

Giuntoli’s team has opened five areas, and the entire site, open to the public as a Parco Tematico della Civilta’ Etrusca, can easily be visited in a morning. There are also some modest tombs dug in the earth, lined with stones, which have yielded treasures. “We’ve found many beautiful objects here,” Giuntoli said. “An iron axe, and a lance, and a strange bronze tool. And a small sort of decorated spatula.” One of the most striking is a 7th century woman’s bronze belt buckle made of two winged horses and sphinxes — common Middle Eastern motifs. Better yet, he shows me a piece of bucchero, a ceramic made only by the Etruscans and people of Asia Minor– dusty, but still distinctively black, and with the dull sheen that made it appear to be metal. It is part of a bowl that held food 2,500 years ago. “We also found a flint arrowhead from Neolithic times,” Giuntoli added, “put under the central post of the house to avert evil, part of the foundation ritual. Like laying the cornerstone. And we had never found tiny votive vessels in a house before — we usually find them in a temple. But we found some in that small room, to venerate the ancestors.”

Chiusi – Museo Nazionale Etrusco
Photo Courtesy Agenzia turismo Chianciano Terme – Valdichiana

CIRCULAR CAPANNA
In Area B, some houses larger than the usual one-room structures indicate how Etruscan society was changing. “Here the houses have walls of stone and tile roofs,” Giuntoli said. “For us, tiles are normal, but in antiquity the circular capanna (a kind of thatched hut) was normal, with a straw roof. In the second half of the 7th century in Etruria you see a rectangular house with many rooms and a roof of tiles. It must have been extremely important for the development of society, because one family could make a capanna, but a house with stones and tiles needs specialized workers who know how to make and to place them.” These workers, along with traders and scholars, also mingled the Etruscan culture with others. “We have a Greek man who worked here and made his fortune, so he was rebaptized with an Etruscan first name: ARNTHE PRAXIAS. And in the 5th century there was another person who had a Celtic last name, AVLE KATACINA.”

From the 5th century, the Etruscans began to struggle, then slowly decline, in the face of the growing power of the Samnites, Romans, Umbrians and Celts, the very people they once had taught. Accesa was abandoned in the 6th century, and commercial routes shifted to the Ionian coast. But in this unsettled period, the Etruscans continued to work, trade, and even fight. This is now visible on a hill outside Montalcino, where Dr. Luigi Donati has been bringing an Etruscan fortress to light.

“In November of 1990 I was walking along a trail from Montalcino to Sant’ Antimo,” Donati recalled, “and I saw on the map the name Poggio Civitella. It’s a name that evokes something, some place that was inhabited in the past. In these woods I saw this hillock, and you realized it wasn’t natural. Rummaging in the chestnut leaves, I found an Etruscan tile from the 6th century BC. So then I understood the name.”

ABANDONED VILLAGE
In the crunchy dry undergrowth, he showed me the remains of houses on the gently sloping sides of the hill; like Accesa, the village was abandoned in the 6th century. “There was a general crisis in the countryside then,” Donati explained. “It was like Italy in the 1960s–the people left the countryside for the city.” But in the second half of the 4th century BC, the Etruscans returned.

“Why was this fort born?” Donati asked. “It was a period of danger for the Etruscans. The Celts and Gauls came from the north, and the Etruscans felt the need to secure their territory, so this was a fort of the confine (border). There were many in the territory of Chiusi. This is our first chance to see an Etruscan fort in detail.”

What is surprising about this fort, among other things, is that it is circular. The builders exploited the previous village’s terraces to gain height, and constructed two walls, four meters apart and 150 meters around. The walls were at least six meters high. Most striking is the realization that they built it in a tremendous hurry to face some imminent danger. “The sandstone was quarried right here; we see the pick marks,” he said. “There were lines of men who passed stones hand to hand, and just put them down as they arrived. You can see it was built without care — they even put bigger stones on stop of smaller ones.”

From this vantage, the embattled Etruscans controlled all of Tuscany. On a clear day you can even see as far as Elba. But their days were ending. According to their sacred texts, the Rasna would live for ten centuries, and so it was. But now they are coming back to us. “Yes, it’s full of spirits,” Stefano Giuntoli admitted, smiling, in the woods at Accesa. “But we’re in amicizia (friendship).”

Wine Festivals Abound in Germany’s Historic Cities

From the first red wine produced along the Mosel River during Roman rule to the sweet Riesling for which the country is renowned, German wine is woven into the country’s culture and history.

Many member cities of the Historic Highlights of Germany are inviting travelers to experience this firsthand this fall with a series of wine-themed events, activities and offers.

In Mainz, more than 50 wine growers from throughout the region assemble during the first weekend in September for the annual Mainz Wine Market (photo at left). The event has craft stalls, rides, music and fireworks and, of course, dozens of wine stands. Wine-making goes back nearly 2,000 years in Trier, where several two-night packages feature special themes such as wine cultivation during Roman rule and a combination of World Heritage site visits and wine culture.

In Heidelberg, packages include the Heidelberg Wine and Chocolate Tasting with five wines from regional vineyards and five fine chocolates. Wine has long been central to life in Koblenz, located at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel Rivers, where the “Wine Village” welcomes visitors to enjoy a glass of wine in the quiet setting of half-timbered houses.

Würzburg, situated on the Main River, is home to several wine estates, where visitors can enjoy tours and wine-tastings—including the Juliusspital, whose 400-year old, 800-foot long wine cellar makes it one of the oldest and largest German wineries.

Historic Highlights of Germany suggests two “Dream Routes” that focus on wine. Click on “Dream Routes” on our site at: www.historicgermany.com

Prague to Goslar

This train ride features Eurocity, Intercity and Regional trains

By Don Heimburger
Photos by the author

My travel plans had taken me to Prague, and I wanted to visit the medieval town of Goslar, Germany near the Harz Mountains. I had time to get there, and opted for a seven hour train ride so I could relax, unwind and see the scenery. Besides, trains are magic, and it’s much more fun to see the countryside from a train than it is from 30,000 feet up in the clouds.

Leaving my Prague hotel early morning, I take a short tram ride to a subway, and 15 minutes later walk up into the light of day where Prague’s Holesovice train station awaits me.

My particular concern is that I can’t read a word of Czech: Nada. Rien. Nichts.

FINDING MY TRAIN
Waiting in line at the station to check the status of seating on my Eurocity train leaving at 6:40 a.m.—that’s correct a.m.—a man darts in front of me. I can’t even say “excuse me” in Czech. And I can’t get much information that I can understand from the railway clerk, who sends me to another office down the corridor.

But I eventually learn that EC 178 (Eurocity) to Berlin is on time, that I likely won’t need a reservation in addition to my first class ticket, and that I’ll need to wait a few more minutes before I go out onto the platform. Once I make it to the platform, people stream out a few minutes before the train is due in, and once the train is stopped, they all board relatively fast. You have to in Europe, or the train leaves without you.

I noted that the departure/arrival screen in the station–-not a large board like in most major European cities–was very small, and that there wasn’t room for more than several train listings at a time; perhaps not many intercity trains come and go from Prague.

ON BOARD
The car I sit in features good, comfortable seats–there are two first class cars, and I’m next to the on-board restaurant car. At my first class seat, tables fold down from the seat in front (like on an airplane), the chairs are adjustable, the windows are large in width and height, there are foot rests, and there’s luggage space above the seat. I could cross my legs and not block traffic as I sat in the aisle seat.

As the train pushed through Prague and into the countryside, I could tell me were accelerating, and the engineer was using his electric locomotive to give us “the juice.” I suspect we were doing at least 100 mph at times.

When meal time came—enough of the menu was in English, with the help of some of the German I know—that I didn’t starve.

There were plenty of beverages available from coffee, lattes and espresso, to tea, wine and beer. Or you could order a Pepsi Cola. Other foods available included croissants, cheeses, sandwiches, soups and a vegetarian plate.

Dresden was the first stop once the train crossed the border into Germany.

CHANGE IN BERLIN
At the new Berlin train station, I had 18 minutes to hoof it to track 13 from track 7 (on a different level of the station)…and the conductor told me and the schedule in my hand called for me to change levels in the station. From there I boarded an ICE train (Intercity Express) for Braunschweig, Germany and with a 26-minute wait there, I had plenty of time. From there a Regionalbahn train took me to Goslar, arriving at 2:08 p.m., right on time.

A big part of the trip is its predictability; you can nearly always count on Rail Europe trains to do what they say they’re going to do. And it’s fun riding, and watching the little towns, the historic castles and rivers fly by outside your window.

For more information and to get your ticket for an overseas train ride, go to www.raileurope.com.

Let the journey begin.

The Dazzling Las Fallas Festival

The winning falla, which cost more than 1.2 million to construct.

By Darryl Newman
Photos by the author or as noted

Valencia is probably best known as the birthplace of Valencia oranges and paella, but from March 15-19, you might think Spain’s third largest city was the birthplace of pyromania mixed with pageantry and celebrations. It’s the festival of Las Fallas, and it’s billed as one of Europe’s most spectacular events.

Fallas means “fires,” but is also the word to describe wooden-framed monuments that are placed in squares and key intersections throughout the city. The fallas depict current events, politicians and celebrities, and usually have a satirical tone. On the last night of the festival, the cremà takes place, the burning of all of the fallas, except the winning one.

HISTORY OF FALLAS
Why the burning? Over past centuries, carpenters cleaned out their shops by making bonfires of wood scraps. It coincided with St. Joseph’s Day, the patron saint of carpenters, on March 19. The wood scraps took on doll-like shapes and then became effigies reflecting whatever face was griping the neighborhood. Today the fallas still poke fun but appear as elaborate polystyrene (styrofoam) painted works of art that can tower as high as a six-story building and cost more than $1 million to construct.

MASCLETÀ
At 2 o’clock from March 1-19, there’s the daily pyrotechnic mascletà in the always-packed City Hall Square. For 10 minutes, about 250 pounds of gunpowder explode in a rhythmic cadence of deafening blasts. Different sound artists shoot off a concoction of giant firecrackers, thunderous smoke bombs and screaming rockets to wow the crowds.

The city hall falla turns into an inferno during the *crema*.

STREET FESTIVAL
Valencia’s Old Town, the largest in Europe, is the ideal place to stroll around looking at the hundreds of captivating fallas (pack comfortable shoes). To accommodate the over one-half million visitors to this coastal city, 700 streets are closed to traffic. Down any street, you may see a 100-member falla commission with women, children and men in 18th century ornate Valencian dress being followed by their lively marching band. The streets are also filled with other kinds of sound. Random firecrackers can be heard everywhere and don’t be surprised to see toddlers, yes toddlers, taking part in the fun.

On a food note, you might see paella being cooked over hot coals in the street. To quell any hunger, temporary food stands are also set up everywhere, serving hot buñuelos de calabaza con chocolate (hot pumpkin donuts with hot chocolate as thick as pudding). For a refreshing drink, you can try the local horchata from the tiger nut legume. It has a pear-like texture and a thirst-quenching sweetness.

Neighbors gather to cook paella in the street.

BULLFIGHTS
As with any good festival in Spain, there’s always a crowd at the Plaza de Toros (bullring). For nine days, the best bullfighters in Spain descend on Valencia. This year, two young superstars, José Tomás and Sebastián Castella, were on the billing among many other talented bullfighters.

It’s said that Spain hasn’t seen a bullfighter like Tomás in decades. He excites the crowd with his poise and fearless entanglement with the bull. Many of his passes let the bull in so close that it actually grazes him. Somehow, Tomás makes what is arguably a cruel sport seem like a graceful and courageous ballet with death.

FLOWER OFFERING
Amid the celebrations, there is a solemn aspect of Fallas as well. It is the procession of 105,000 Valencians from the edges of the Old Town to a 40-foot-high statue of Our Lady of the Forsaken, Valencia’s patron saint. Women carry bouquets of white, red or pink carnations that are offered to the Virgin. For two days, the flowers are placed in between wooden slats to fill in the pattern of her super-sized robe. The women become so emotional at seeing the Virgin that many are overwhelmed with tears.

NIT DE FOC
Every night there are fireworks leading up to the 1:30 am Nit de Foc (Night of Fire), the biggest fireworks show of the festival. Thousands walk across the bridges of the city to the Paseo de la Alameda to get a clear view of possibly the world’s noisiest and most colorful 22-minute extravaganza of fireworks. The sky is so bright with fireworks at the finale that it appears as if it is daylight.

CREMÀ
The last night is the cremà with 766 fallas burning throughout the city. At 1 am, the huge falla at the City Hall Square is the last to burn. It is doused with gasoline and packed with fireworks and loud explosives before the immolation. Within minutes it goes up in scorching flames. It’s a sad ending to the festival, but the burning is said to take away the past year’s negativity in order to make room for a new season.

The next morning, the streets are all clean and a calm takes over the city. It seems as if Valencia just simply turned over a fresh new page.

HOW TO GET THERE
Valencia is relatively easy to get to from the US. First, get yourself on a flight to Madrid, Spain’s capital. From Madrid, it’s a quick 40-minute connecting flight to Valencia. Iberia, the national airline of Spain, partners with American.

WHERE TO STAY
Valencia has over 100 hotels to choose from. I stayed at the Hotel Astoria Palace. It is the emblematic hotel of Valencia, ideally situated in the heart of Old Town and a few short minutes walk to the City Hall Square, cathedral and restaurant/shopping areas. Its central location is key for all the main events at Las Fallas.

The hotel itself has a long history of impressive guests from famous Spanish actors to bullfighters. Despite its 204 rooms, it has the elegant charm of a smaller hotel; it was recently renovated with a modern lobby and dining areas as well as with a spacious, high-ceiling bar. The rooms are classic Spain with rich wood furnishings.

During Fallas, the charismatic director Juan Torregrosa was present in the lobby and throughout the hotel to greet guests. He speaks English having had lived with a family in Arkansas for two years.

Vinatea, the hotel’s restaurant, features an extensive menu including a dozen unique rice and paella dishes. Its modern white setting with purple flourishes is the perfect place to dine and to try a bottle of wine from their extensive bodega.

WHERE TO EAT
If seafood is your thing, Civera, near the train station, is a must. You won’t believe their selection of shrimp and lobster in tanks to the scallops and dozens of different kinds of shellfish on display. All of their seafood is either from the bordering Mediterranean or Cantabrian seas. You can try the biggest oysters you’ll ever see — about the size of your fist. If you haven’t tried grilled sepia (local form of calamari) with olive oil, you’re in for a treat.

For a classic Valencian restaurant complete with paella and other typical rice dishes, try La Riuà. It’s one of the oldest establishments in the city with walls decorated with colorful and fascinating plates.

For artistic and mouth-watering tapas or pintxos, there’s Sagardi, a Basque tavern-like setting with an upstairs restaurant for dining including juicy T-bone steaks and popular fish like hake and cod.

WHERE TO START
Here are some key websites for Fallas and Valencia if you want to join in on the fun:
www.fallasfromvalencia.com
www.turisvalencia.es
www.spain.info