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

Café Alibi is quickly becoming a favorite place ... and that's saying something considering that Budapest is known for its great cafés. Small tables, cozy nooks, and soft lighting create a relaxing and intimate atmosphere that encourages you to unwind, talk long, and enjoy. And unlike some cafés, Alibi has the menu to match. From the milkshake with fresh fruit to the coffees to the main courses, everything we sampled was superb. It's easy to see why the café boasts that "there are so many satisfied and faithful customers, who can really feel that the Café Alibi is their haunt."

This rather new place (it opened in 2000) is on Egyetem Tér which is between Váci utca and Kalvin Tér so even its outdoor seating has a great neighborhood feel to it. Check out their website for a glimpse at their menu, but sign up for their newsletter for a heads-up on the weekly specials--plus you get a free coffee.

For more information visit the official website: Café Alibi

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

The Astoria Hotel's Mirror Café & Restaurant boasts of its "unique blend of antique and fresh, traditional and modern," and rightfully so. Unlike many of Budapest's other elegant cafés, the Mirror survived the wars and communist regime fairly unscathed. Yet this is not its only source of pride, for the true blend of the traditional and modern comes from the kitchen in its fusion of Hungarian and international delicacies. The duck was a favorite amongst our group. Visit the café's website, to view its menu (both the site and menu are available in Hungarian, English, and Deutsch.) And while such delicious foods and sophisticated ambiance do not come cheap, the café's coffee and dessert menu is comparable to Centrál Café and cheaper than many of the tourist-geared coffeehouses (kávéház) on the nearby shopping street Váci utca.

So if you're near the Astoria stop on the piros metro (Red M2), the newspapers and magazines in Cafe Mirror beckon you to come and relax with a cappuccino or hot chocolate and torte. If it's around meal time, why not try one of the fusion dishes and experience this delightful blend of traditions.

For more information visit their website: Astoria Café Mirror

From my photos at Flickr Produced by Kayakman Media

Don't wear uncomfortable shoes. A stroll on Széchenyi-island in Városliget, Budapest could be short, but why when you can walk wide tree-lined paths. Play catch in its park. Stop on the foot bridge over a narrow part of the lake (yes, it's man-made, but so what, it's nice) and enjoy the feeling that you're not really in the middle of a large, busy city. You can even rent a row-boat in the summer if you'd like. Or ice-skate in the winter.

Of course, one of the main attractions is the Vajdahunyad Castle. It's not a genuine castle, but rather a complex of buildings that incorporate architectural styles from the Middle Ages to the Baroque period. Ignác Alpár designed it as part of the millenarian celebrations in 1896 (It had been 1,000 years since the Magyars had migrated to Hungary)

Originally intended as temporary exhibition pavilions, the castle proved to be so popular with the public that between 1904-6, it was rebuilt using bricks to create a permanent structure. The architectural styles follow each other chronologically, so that Romanesque is followed by Gothic, then Renaissance, and then Baroque; yet the individual styles are masterfully linked together to give the impression of a single cohesive design. Even still, the architectural student will note that authentic details from twenty renowned buildings of historical Hungary are present. Budapestens named the entire complex after the main Renaissance replica (the Hungarian castle in Vajdahunyad, Transylvania) which is seen prominently from across the lake.

While the Castle and grounds are themselves worth the stroll, especially when accompanied by an ice cream (available at several of the entrances), there's other treasures to be found. In front of the castle is a statue of Alpár depicted wearing the robes of a master architect from the Middle Ages. Possibly better known is the statue in honor of the unknown author of Hungary's first history books, /*Gesta Hungarorum*/. Superstition says that if you touch the pen that the statue Anonymous, also called Magister P, holds you'll receive good luck. Also part of this picturesque retreat is the Museum of Agriculture, which has been housed here since 1897 and is the largest in Europe, and Ják Templom (look for more on this quaint church later.)