So – tour done! We climb down Castle Hill and make our way out into the Jewish Quarter because there are lots of restaurants as well as the Ruin Pubs. Oh, the Ruin Pubs – these are houses that fell into disrepair during the Communist era and were never repaired for years. After the “liberation,” entrepreneurs bought these houses and then – instead of rehabbing them – as they would in the states! – they just basically kept them as they were (all broken down, with graffiti, old furniture cast offs and odd memorabilia) and opened them up as pubs!
They are supposed to be amazing. So we are on the hunt. It is a long walk – seriously – from the Danube, but we’re doing it (we are saving our precious few bus passes – more on that later). On the way there is some very interesting sculpture. We don’t’ quite get this one, but…it’s interesting….
We get to the main area for the pubs, but can’t find any that are open –during the day you can walk right past them and never know they are actually functioning pubs – they just look like derelict buildings.
Most of them are on or around Kazinczy street – but as we walk around, we see nothing open. It’s early – so maybe they are all night time places – and we’re pretty bummed. But – whatever – we need food and there are plenty of restaurants – although the Kosher place we see isn’t open yet – bummer! I really wanted to see if someone could cook Kosher food well (ok, so I’m channeling my youth which was not filled with delicious Kosher cooking – let me tell you!). On down the road we go – and end up with American food at Brklyn. Great place – with this awesome upstairs area that is away from the smoking (at least there is a separate smoking area here!), which is warm and nice and the food selection is perfect of snacking – which is what we want after our heavy lunch.
We end up with sandwiches – Ed with a Pastrami – his favorite – me with an excellent Chicken, Fig and Brie on a seeded wheat roll. Excellent all around.
We hang out for a while, eating, surfing the web, getting emails – then head out in the cold to find the bus stop up here. On the way, we pass the Kosher restaurant (now open) but also their bus! It’s a VW bus with a table for 2 set up in the back – how cool is that? Can we reserve it???? Wouldn’t that be great for a romantic Kosher dinner for 2?
Heading down Kazinczy to Rackozi for the bus, we stumble upon Szimpla Kert (Simple Garden) – which is the pioneer of the Ruin Pubs. This place is amazing, great, incredible, just weird and wild! I’ll let the pictures tell you the story – there is a Trabant car – sort of like a Lada - in the garden (we didn’t see it because that is the smoking area and we didn’t go out there), there is bizarre paraphernalia, like the big rabbit thing in the gift shop area, hookas to rent, odd pieces of furniture, you name it – we got a beer and wine, hung out for a while, then wandered all around – upstairs and the bathrooms – what a great experience.
Totally Great!!! So, back we troop to the bus. Hop on the #8 and hop off again in about 20 minutes. Public transportation is the way to go! We walk up our lovely little lane…
…to our apartment and spend the rest of the evening relaxing and hanging out.
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