Capital Calling – Budapest

In Search of Turkish Spices

I had fabulous day out with the Eric yesterday! We took the long drive into Budapest, the capital of Hungary and realised how I had become very accustomed to empty roads and very little traffic in the countryside!

Driving in the middle of the capital alongside tram lines and bright yellow trams was a hair-raising experience! Pedestrians frequently crossed the main roads with no regard to moving traffic and the general crazy driving of other motorists made me hold my breath more than once!

Imposing buildings lined the streets with little cafes and shops housed at street level. Lots of things to take photos of but I had to keep my eye on the road! I was navigator along with Sat Nav man!

Finally we reached our destination in one piece, car parked and we both let out a huge sigh of relief!

This was the Turkish food market I had found on the internet and hoped it would sell everything we needed.

👌https://www.facebook.com/TroyaTorokelelmiszeruzlet/

We usually get our herbs and spices from England but the Covid-19 Pandemic had put a stop to that. Our supplies were running low and it was a good excuse for a day out and to get into the city.

The Turkish supermarket was located in the heart of the 8th district of Budapest, one of the oldest districts in the city and occupied a prominent corner position, so easy to spot.

Thankfully our efforts were not in vane and the long journey was forgotten as soon as we entered the store. We were not disappointed and bought far more things than we had intended too!

Above the herbs and spices hung these amazing Turkish lanterns in lovely colours suspended from the ceiling, the shelves were filled with numerous Turkish nik-naks…. I felt like I was in Turkey!

The store had a well stocked Halal butcher and a fabulous bakery selling enticing sweets and mouth watering breads.

By now we had filled our trolley with lots of wonderful products and breads and hams for us to eat for our lunch. Shopping had made us hungry!

I had looked on the map to find somewhere close by to have something to eat before heading off home again. I was delighted to find a huge park that was also a cemetery just around the corner.

This was Fiumei Road Cemetery and park…56 hectares full of rich fauna and flora. Also perfect to have our picnic.

A beautifully peaceful park with an added bonus at the entrance, a useful information centre that gave me a map providing a little history about this huge majestic cemetery in the heart of the Budapest city….in English!

It would not usually be a place that I would have taken photographs but I was mesmerised by the fantastic stone sculptures on the tombstones. Each one told its own personal story.

Those buried here are prominent personalities of the Hungarian nation dating from 1849. Most of the tombs have historic value and were created by reputable architects and sculptors.

Inside the entrance this was painted on the ceiling. Spectacular!

After walking through the many avenues of trees and pristine shrubs I came across these two wonderful memorial creations.

With our car laden with fresh lamb, Turkish breads and all the herbs and spices we needed to last us another 6 months we headed off home.

We pulled off the road for a break and came across a hidden beauty…I just had to photograph it! Set back from the road was a massive fishing lake looking tranquil in the afternoon sun. This was Lake Adony. It was also a chance to eat fallen apples from the laden trees surrounding it. A perfect way to end our successful day trip to Budapest.