Budapest, July 27, 2014

"Budapest is a prime site for dreams: the East's exuberant vision of the West, the West's uneasy hallucination of the East." (M. John Harrison)

Last day in this beautiful city.  Ken went off to walk some areas we had not seen.  The heat and humidity were intense.  A quick thunder shower cooled the air down, so that by the time we went out to tour the Opera House, we had a very pleasant walk under the trees of Andrassy.

The Hungarian State Opera House is a Neo-Renaissaince building built from 1875-1884. Although not the largest opera house, it is considered to be the among the most beautiful and to have the third best acoustics of the European opera houses.

The auditorium is horseshoe shaped and is a blaze of gold.  The former royal box is impressive.  The foyer, staircases and halls are richly decorated with marble of various colors.  There are baroque elements and musical themes in the statuary.  Busts of famous Hungarian comoosers abound, the most famous being Franz Liszt.  The vaulted ceilings are painted with frescoes.  Chandeliers and lamps gleam.  The overall effect is one of brilliant color, mainly gold!  Only the Empress's private rooms are more subdued, paneled in light carved wood.  The Empress had her own entrance, staircase, drawing room, bathroom and buffet.  The walls of the drawing room contain oil portraits of famous opera stars in costume.

After the tour, we were treated to a brief concert by a soprano in evening dress.  She sang: Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro" and the drinking song from Verdi's La Traviata.  Two excellent selections.  She was lovely and did not just stand there and sing.  She used a wine glass as a prop and she invited one of the tourists to waltz with her....fortunately he could waltz! 

We then went to the Alexandra Café (aka Alexandra Bookstore Café) in part of the old Paris Department Store for an early supper.  

The Paris Department store was built in 1909 on the site of a casino which burned down. It was a jewel of Art Deco design.  It suffered in WWII and the building was later renovated.  Inside, some of the original open floor plans can be seen.  The Alexandra Bookstore occupies the ground and part of the first floors.  The rest of the first floor is taken up by the Alexandra Café in the Lotz Hall, originally the casino's ballroom, which survived fhe fire and is named for the painter of the frescoes adorning the ceiling.

I had the most wonderful combination of foie gras, smoked duck breast, Roquefort and fresh figs...with the most delicious home-made bread, made with potato flour!  We caved and had very rich chocolate tortes for dessert!  Wow!

Then home to set the alarm for 5am!  But before we go, here are photos of the apartment, as described previously.

The bedrooms flanked the living room.