A Night in Budapest

Wow!  What a night!  We arrived in Budapest around mid –afternoon yesterday & set off to find the Square.  The sound of singing led us on & we followed till we found it. I must admit, Bill’s footsteps slowed considerably as he realised that what he was hearing was a soprano, singing an operatic aria.

When we arrived at the source of the song, we found a stage set up at the front of the Basilica & the entire square, as well one of the closest streets, was jam-packed with chairs. We estimate that at least 2 or 3 thousand came to enjoy the night.

Right near the stage, just to one side, was a cafe that had a spare table in full view of the stage.  We sat & ordered a drink & asked the waiter about the music.  There was to be a concert that evening at 7.30.  As this was now 4.30 & we weren’t going to miss the concert, and we wanted front row seats, which had all been taken in the area of the chairs, we decided to see how long we could stay at the table before we were asked to leave.

It’s amazing just how long a drink will last in these circumstances!  We kept the seat, had four drinks- mine were all sparkling water- I love that stuff! And just one glass of Hungarian sparkly wine which was very nice- but not as good as our Italian prosecco. Bill has been doing a great deal of research on the various beers wherever we’ve been & he had a local beer & a local wine, which both held up. 

After a while, we ordered an antipasto plate to share & much later on had some chicken, so all in all we were there, at the table, at the front of the crowd, for almost 6 hours!  And what an experience it was! We got to hear not only the concert, but also the practice with all the musicians and singers in their jeans & shorts.  Then later, they returned in their evening dress for the real deal.

Section of Crowd at Budapest Concert

 The concert featured the Hungarian Orchestra plus singers and musicians of all categories of music, from classical, to Hungarian national, to jazz and popular music.  The main guest artist was a violinist who was amazing.  We were just enthralled.  Most of the classical music I was familiar with, but not the national songs or pop/jazz.  However, the tune is always the same, no matter the language, so with the arias and the songs from musical theatre we were OK.

While we waited for the concert to begin, we had the added enjoyment of watching the crowd.  We could both just sit on a park bench and watch people for hours & we had plenty of opportunity here.  And from the front!  

Music is miraculous.  It joins people of all nations, creeds and languages and as we sat at the table at the cafe, eating and drinking with the local residents and people from all around the world, for a few hours we were not locals or foreigners, but one group, drawn together through our love of music and the beauty of the night.  The stars were shining, the weather was hot and the music was fabulous.  What a night to remember! And it would be the only time in our lives that we have been to such distinguished night dressed in shorts and runners!

View of stage from our table area

Basilica lit up for the concert

So...Bill has redeemed himself!  He stayed & listened to the concert- mind you, he had plenty to keep him happy- food, wine & people watching- so he really didn’t suffer.  And I will bring him again next time, because I really like him & as he says, he pays for stuff!

We’re off today, to explore the sites of Budapest.  Sun is shining, the crane on the next door building is roaring, the men on the worksite are shouting, so it’s time to get out of here & do some fun stuff.

Ci vediamo!