My friend Anto in Pennsylvania—husband of my former design partner and dear friend, Carmen—urged me on several occasions to rent the film Gloomy Sunday, telling me he and Carmen were sure I’d absolutely love it. The first mention of the name, Gloomy Sunday, was a turn off. My mood at the time wasn’t responding to anything that sounded more depressing than what was going on in my life at the time, mainly some unresolved medical issues. Months later, Carmen and Anto brought the subject up again, saying, “Loretta, you’ve really got to see this film,” and proceeded to fill me in a bit more on the scenario. This time I was intrigued, simply because of their persistence, which was a little unusual. Since I didn’t subscribe to Netflix, I decided to see if I could find it on Amazon. I did, at a reasonable price—less than $25 back then, in 2009, as opposed to today, when I did a search, contemplating buying it for a friend, and found it would set me back a whopping 150 bucks, or more. Anyway, I made the purchase 8 years ago, watched the DVD… and watched it again. Then, when my daughter Gitiim visited me in Charlotte that Christmas, she sat down with me, and we watched it together. Besides the appealing, atypical cast of characters played against the backdrop of 1930s Budapest, the beginning of the Nazi era, on through the post-Holocaust period, I was drawn by the charm of an intimate little restaurant, noted for an exceptionally delectable dish of “beef rolls” that attracted locals, and visitors from far and wide, alike, including a few of the new invaders of Hungary, some German Nazi officials, one of whom fits prominently into the tragic bent the movie’s storyline takes.
In 2010, when the subject of a trip abroad the following spring first came up, I kept Budapest in mind, thinking some way, some how, we could perhaps squeeze a few days to this city with the Danube running through it, into our schedule. For inspiration, I downloaded various versions of Gloomy Sunday, the movie’s theme song, known as “the suicide song”, made a compilation CD of 5 or 6 renditions, and played it repeatedly, over a period of months, as I sat at my computer, researching, and plotting the course of our trip. As it turned out, Budapest fit nicely in the circle between Krakow and Milan, which preceded Madrid, the city on the tail end, from which we flew home to the States.
In 2013, we returned to the beguiling Budapest, but this time making it a central focus of our journey, and not just a side trip. What made this Budapest leg of the trip more fun this time around, was the added company joining us. My daughter’s paternal aunt, Lalam, originally from Uganda, and a German resident for over 40 years, flew to Budapest from her home in Munich. What’s more, we had the pleasure of meeting up with other relatives, Gitiim’s first cousin, Emmanuel, and his Hungarian born wife, Venusz, residents of Buda, the Castle Hill side of the city divided by the Danube. Being together and enjoying the company of our extended family in this totally fascinating city with such a rich history, was a rare and memorable treat, and most definitely a highlight of our 7½ week, 10 city tour.
From Liberty Square (Szabadsag Ter), a view of the Hungarian Parliament Building
Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom), also known as Church of Our Lady, a Roman Catholic church located in the Castle district, in Budapest, Hungary
— Hungarian Parliament Building, and Matthias Church
— View of the plaza from the steps of St. Stephen’s Basilica (Szent Istvan Bazilika)
The overnight train from Krakow to Budapest – Keleti Station
Budapest Keleti railway station
View of Budapest’s 5th district, from our hotel room
Apartment building near Szabadsag Ter (Liberty Square) in Pest’s 5th district.
Across from St. Stephan’s Basilica.
St. Stephan’s Basilica in Pest, Budapest, Hungary.
Main portal – St. Stephan’s Basilica
Detail of main portal – St. Stephan’s Basilica – St. Istvan depicted in frieze above portal.
Detail of the dome atop St. Stephan’s Basilica
Inside Saint Stephan’s Bacilica – Cathedral dome mosaics designed by Karoly Lotz
Side portal, St. Stephan’s Basilica.
Side portal – St. Stephan’s Basilica, Budapest
Detail – The 12 apostles are depicted on the main portal – St. Stephan’s Basilica.
Inside Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest
From the steps of St. Stephan’s Basilica
St. Istvan Plaza (plaza outside St. Stephan’s Basilica).
The Plaza outside St. Stephan’s Basilica.
Dining near St. Stephan’s Basilica (Szent Istvan Bazilika)
The plaza outside St. Stephan’s Basilica in Budapest
Szent Kozma & Szent Damján – Budapest, Hercegprímás utca 14
Near St. Stephen’s Basilica.
Hercegprímás utca, near St. Stephen’s Basilica
Gelato Rose near St. Stephan’s Basilica.
Along Hercegprímás utca 14, near St. Stephan’s Basilica, in Budapest.
Deák Square, in Central Budapest
Deák Square, in Central Budapest
Deák Square, in Central Budapest
A gathering of dogs at Deák Square, Budapest
So well behaved, as they wait at Deák Square
Lining up to board the bus
Perfect view!
Street Librarian – Deák Square, in Central Budapest
Chain Bridge, linking Buda and Pest
Sightseeing on the Buda side of the Danube
Liberty Bridge or Freedom Bridge (Szabadság híd)
Along the Danube
Our gracious host, Peter, during our lunch cruise on the Danube
View from a small cruise boat, on the Danube River
Shot as we cruised the Danube – 2011, in Budapest
Outside a building in Pest, Budapest.
Frieze above building entrance in Budapest, Hungary.
Detail – Decorative surface of a building in Pest, Budapest, Hungary.
NEW YORK CAFÉ – Budapest, Erzsébet krt. 9-11, 1073 Hungary
Gitiim dining at the New York Café, in Budapest.
For starters – New York Café, Budapest
New York Café, in the Boscolo Budapest Hotel, – Budapest, Erzsébet krt. 9-11
New York Café, Budapest
New York Café, Budapest
Dessert, irresistible, at the New York Café, Budapest
“House of Terror” – Budapest, Csengery utca 37-4
“House of Terror” is the former HQ of communist Hungary’s secret police
The Dohány Street Synagogue, in the 7th district of Budapest. Also known as the Great Synagogue or Tabakgasse
Hotel Gellert, Pest, Budapest
The Danube runs through Budapest, separating Buda and Pest, once 2 cities
Castle District, Budapest
Castle District in Buda, Budapest
Playing Bach – Buda Castle district, Budapest
In Buda’s Castle District.
Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom), also known as Church of Our Lady, a Roman Catholic church located in the Castle district, in Budapest, Hungary
Detail of Matthias Church in the Buda Castle district, Budapest, Hungary
Gitiim stands before the statue of her 1st cousin 31 generations removed, Saint Stephan V (Szent István) of Hungary and Croatia.
Depiction of St. Stephan on the base of his monument, outside Matthias Church in the Buda Castle district
Detail on the base of the monument to St. Stephan, outside Matthias Church in the Buda Castle district
Aunt Lalam & niece Gitiim – outside Matthias Church, founded by Gitiim’s maternal 24th great-grandfather Bela IV Árpádházi, King of Hungary
Detail – Matthias, in Budapest, Hungary.
Entertainment at Cafe on the terrace of the Fisherman’s Bastion Budapest
Budapest
A view of the Hungarian Parliament Building from the Budaside of the Danube
Dóza György monument, by Istvan Kiss, 1961, located below Buda Castle.
Detail of tile work on Buda Calvinist Church, on Buda side, in Budapest.
Inside Patta Negra tapas bar.
Venusz and Manny at tappas bar, PATTA NEGRA, in Budda.
Emmanuel, Venusz, Gitiim and Lalam outside Pata Negra, Pest, Budapest.
The Liberty Bridge, Budapest, Hungary – View from Pest
Café Piaf – Budapest
Café Piaf – Budapest, Fõ utca 25
Chagall Cafe menu
Venusz at Chagall Cafe
Lalam at Chagall Cafe, in Budapest
Loretta Alexandra 