A Hungarian Adventure

A Hungarian adventure Europe is a haven for accessible cities full of charm, history and architecture. Graham Anderson visited Hungary’s capital, Budapest, and was won over by the city’s cuisine and cultural offerings. eno Juhasz, an enterprising and larger than life JHungarian rugby player, drove us from the airport to a grand Budapest hotel in the then searched among ugly tenements London black cab he imported on the Buda bank for a corral of for novelty-value taxi rides. It is, 19th century buildings that includes as far as my exhaustive Restaurant Kehli, a family restaurant research can tell, the only serving traditional Hungarian wheelchair accessible vehicle cuisine since 1899. But you for hire in Budapest. We don’t have to come this far arrived at Hotel Corinthia in across the city to find fine central Pest, the level east bank of the restaurants. Just along River Danube. The hotel facade and The tour Erzsebet Street from Hotel interior are grand indeed and we commentary Corinthia there’s the opulent checked into an accessible room that described a New York Cafe, with its has two marbled bathrooms (one fully complex fountain and extraordinary wheelchair accessible), a spacious history of gilded statuettes and lounge area and big comfy beds. occupation frescos reminiscent of Hotel Corinthia also boasts its own and rebellion, the ‘Belle Epoque’. And sumptuous Royal Spa, though sadly and revealed a bit further on, lurking behind an this is out of wheelchair reach. that 80% of the city was destroyed unpromising hotel facade, there’s The day started with an extensive during World War II. Fortunately, the Cafe Astoria Restaurant, which serves buffet breakfast featuring smoked Hungarian State Opera House survived a fine lunch. catfish and varieties of Hungarian and has been restored to its former Known as the ‘City of Spas’ Budapest sausage. We trundled 500m to elegance. For about £8 you can pay for has three thermal baths with disabled Andrassy Avenue, a stylish boulevard a private box for two people and watch facilities. The Gellert and Lukacs Baths running between the city centre and a stirring performance of Ferenc Erkel’s are temporarily closed for refurbishment, City Park. The main streets in Pest Bank Ban , by the Hungarian National so I visited the Szechenyi complex in have wide pavements with haphazard Opera. (with English captions City Park. The disabled changing cabin dropped kerbs at most junctions and thankfully). Once over a large step at was too small and there was only one crossings, but outside the central the entrance, a small backstage lift hoist serving the general pool only, not shopping area many restaurants and gives access to the fine auditorium. the thermal pools. But this was a small shops have one or two large doorsteps. Wheelchair access to the Opus Jazz disappointment as the city offers so At one of Pest’s major intersections, Club in the modern Budapest Music much more. If you are prepared to Oktogon, we boarded a tourist bus. Centre is easier once the ramp is found. tackle a few accessibility challenges, The £20 ticket for the hop-on hop-off We had a good view from our table then Budapest is a city to savour. Big Bus service allowed two days travel on the mezzanine, but oddly there Graham Anderson C6/7 on accessible modern buses to many was no lift to reach the toilets on the interesting sites: Heroes’ Square, Great lower level. For further information Market, Chain Bridge, Royal Palace, From Hotel Corinthia’s door, about some of the places Margaret Island and Citadel Hill in Buda, accessible trams run to Margaret Island, mentioned in Graham’s article, visit: a viewpoint overlooking the sweeping a 2.5 km long, 500 metre wide, popular www.corinthia.com curve of the Danube. A river cruise and landscaped park in the middle of the www.londontaxi.hu walking tours were also included with Danube. Enjoying the March sunshine www.opera.hu the ticket. we ventured along to the northern tip, www.bigbustours.com 36 l forward feature l HoLIdAyS & TRAvEL February 2015.

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