From my photos at Flickr Produced by Kayakman Media

Szamos Marzipan Museum and Confectionery
(Marcipán Múzeum Cukrászda)

Some times you just have to ignore the parental dictate to not play with your food. Or maybe there's an exception to the rule when it comes to marzipan. Especially since some compare this confection to eating a sweet play dough. Regardless, not far from Budapest in nearby Szentendre there's a museum that celebrates what can be done when you play with this food.

Marzipan consists primarily of sugar and ground bitter almonds, though occasionally it is flavored with rosewater. It may be best known as the overly sweet part of some wedding cakes. But flowers and such on a cake is nothing compared to what's been created by two master Hungarian confectioners, Mátyás Szamos and Károly Szabó. Surrounded by "pictures" of Hungary's kings and queens, is a 160cm tall model of the Parliament building. Elsewhere you'll find international famous personalities (one's even life-size!) and cartoon figures, dinosaurs and other animals, a fairy tale carriage, a pirate ship, and more. Everything is sculpted entirely from marzipan and some pieces took 200 hours to create.

Which may mean you will be longing for a taste after your tour is finished, so it may be a good thing that the entrance/exit to the museum is through a marzipan shop. And if you've got a sweet tooth you can easily spend more in the shop than you do for the admission to the museum since it's fairly cheap.

From my photos at Flickr Produced by Kayakman Media

Standing guard over the intricately concaved door of the Ják templom stand statues of Christ and ten of His apostles (the other two watch from the towers.) This former Benedictine abbey, currently it's St. George Parish Church, was built at the beginning of the 13th century and is the most famous church of Hungarian Romanesque architecture.

However if you can't make it to the Western Transdanubia area of Hungary soon, visit the small-scale replica that's part of the Vajdahunyad Castle complex in the Városliget near Heroes Square in Budapest. Granted the interiors may not hold all the artistic treasures of Romanesque frescos and Gothic statues as the original, but you're sure to find the same calming, cool quiet -- unless of course a concert is being performed.

From my photos at Flickr Produced by Kayakman Media

You just don't know where to look first when you enter a Tiszta Szoba. Dozens of plates on the wall create a motionless kaleidoscope. A ceiling high stack of bedding that reminds you of peppermint candy . Or the never-ending tulip pattern that weaves its way about the bright blue furniture. The collection of so many colorful objects in a small room can be overwhelming, yet knowing that you are surrounded by a family's heritage and pride is even more awe-inspiring. It's not as if mom and dad popped into a local Ikea or Tecso (think Wal-Mart/ Target), even if there was one (there's not), and stocked up on colorful plates and furniture just for fun. No, these pieces are made by hand and passed from generation to generation. Which is why we felt privileged to visit one family's Tiszta Szoba (literally "clean room") during our visit to the Kalotaszeg region of Transylvania. This area is one of the few places that this Hungarian tradition is preserved.

A traditional Cifra Szoba (fancy room), as it is also known, is typically furnished with painted furniture with the mákófalva motif of the upside down tulip, is decorated with embroidered pieces and painted plates that were wedding gifts, and stores the family's costumes for festivals. And even though it creates a riot of colors-- admittedly red is dominate--it's easy to see why one would collect all these hand-made treasures in one room. An outsider might see it just as a way to preserve a folk-art tradition, but if you could have seen the pride of our hostess you would know it's more than that. It's not cold history, it's loved memories.

From my photos at Flickr Produced by Kayakman Media

Take a step backwards in time and experience something of a Hungarian fairytale--complete with living folk art traditions, organic farming, and unspoiled natural beauty--simply by visiting a village in Székelyföld and the Hargita Mountains.

The traditional rural architecture with its porches, carved wooden peaks, and decorative Székely-style gates are among the first items that will capture your attention. As you spend more time here you'll also notice that Hungarian folk art in the forms of painted furniture, pottery, embroidery, stove tiles, and even straw hats are still being produced by the local cottage industry. In the fields around the villages, farming is still generally being done in the traditional way using natural fertilizers, horse and plow, simple tools, and human labor. For a while even these eastern Transylvanian villages are not untouched by modern life, you're still more apt to see horse-drawn carriages than cars.

The exceedingly beautiful Hargita Mountians, with peaks as high as 1,800 meters, dominate the heart of Székelyföld. Most of this land is still natural, covered in forest, and totally wild with the exception of a few villages, thermal spas, and ski resorts. There are some developed trails, as well as a number of old lightly-used wagon trails that are good for day hikes and backpacking trips alike. The Homoródalmás area offers over 125 caves for spelunkers to explore and many cliffs for rock climbing. Horseback riding, mountain biking, snow shoeing, and cross-country skiing are also possible in the Hargita.

This region is like a perfectly preserved Hungarian country paradise, awaiting vacationers who are seeking mountain adventures, who love farm-fresh Hungarian cuisine, and who want to get in touch with time-honored folk traditions.

From my photos at Flickr Produced by Kayakman Media

Around August 20th tourist season begins to wrap up and children get ready for school, but first comes the celebration of St. Stephen's Day (Szent István napja), the celebration of the day King Stephen was crowned and the Hungarian (Magyar) state was founded back in the year 1000.

In Budapest, some of the festivities occur at Castle Hill, including the weekend-long Festival of Folk Arts (Mesterségek Ünnepe). Skilled craftsmen and women from all regions of Hungary come to show, sell, and demonstrate their talent and passion at preserving tradition. Booth after booth colorfully displayed felt work, lace, hand-painted wood pieces and pottery, puppets, kids' toys, porcelain pieces and baskets, and so much more. One of my personal favorites was the historic maps and Hungarian poems printed on authentic feeling parchment. And as you may have picked up from other posts, another favorite thing of mine is Hungarian food--so I was delighted to see the kürtőskalács (chimney cake). paprikáskrumpli (paprika potatoes), and kemencés kenyérlángos (a pizza-like lángos).

Whether it was a chance to enjoy the food, watch the dancers and musicians, or to admire the skilled artisans at work, the event was well-attended, even crowded at some points, and a healthy mix of nationals and tourists. Festivities wrapped up with an air-show on Monday afternoon (which I got to see them practicing on Saturday) and fireworks that evening.

If you find yourself in Hungary at this time year, you will not want to miss the chance to celebrate Hungary's birthday and enjoy the festivities on Castle Hill and the Danube.