Day Four - Budapest, Hungary

We were up early enough this morning to have breakfast before boarding the motor coach at 8:30 a.m. for a trip to the Hungarian State Opera House. This venue was built in the 1850s. Following a tour of the Opera House we gathered at the center of the main staircase and after being given a glass of champagne were treated to some operatic arias from two singers (András Laczó and Anikó Bakonyi ).

After leaving the Opera House we were taken on a driving tour of the Pest side of the city ending at the famous covered market. Along the way we passed the buildings that were homes for Zoltán Kodály and Franz Liszt.

We arrived back at the hotel at noon and the two of us had a nice quiet lunch in the hotel restaurant. Then at 1:30 p.m. we were off for a tour of the Vigado Concert Hall which is actually located only a few blocks from the hotel. This particular concert hall was one in which Franz Liszt performed many times. At the end of the tour of the concert hall we were treated here to a piano concert by Lászlo Váradi playing the music of Liszt.

Arriving back at the hotel at 3:00 p.m. I attended a one hour pre-concert talk in preparation for the private concert our tour group will be attending this evening. Darwin used this time to take a nap!

Around 5:15 p.m. we walked around the area near the hotel to find a place to eat dinner, finally settling on Evidens Bistro where each had stuffed cabbage which was delicious.

[It was another beautiful day to enjoy eating outdoors as is the case with most of the restaurants.]

Having gone out this early for dinner we still had time to stop back by the hotel room and relax for about a half hour before we needed to be in the lobby for the 7:00 p.m. departure for tonight’s private concert which was at Nador Hall. This is a small concert space in the building that houses the Institute for the Blind. When we entered I was delighted to see the concert hall had a small pipe organ. The program for the concert was chamber music performed by the Kodály String Quartet and Csaba Király on pinao. Fortunately the pianist was also an accomplished organist and so he played a piece by J. S. Bach on the organ as an addition to the program. It was wonderful!!

Following the concert we were bussed back to the hotel where we had our night cap before heading back up to our room to pack for tomorrow’s transfer to the river boat and the conclusion of day four.