Lunch on the hill

Today is Sunday, it was cool and breezy.

We traveled into the Danube Bend to have lunch with our new friend Viktoria, her husband Tamas and daughter Dorthea.

The traveling was easy. We jumped on the subway and rode to Batthyany ter where we bought tickets for the HEV. When we arrived in Budapest we bought a 30 day pass, but when you leave the city limits of Budapest you must purchase a sort of add-on ticket. The procedure was fast and easy, 305 HUF each way.

The HEV is an electric suburban railroad, neat and tidy save the graffiti on nearly every window. It left the station on time and we rattled up along the Danube toward Szentendre. Viktoria and Tamas live near Szentendre. The route is similar to the suburban rail routes in Chicago or Philadelphia. You see the backs of auto dealerships and building material yards. The ride was not as scenic as the guide books promised.

After a 40 minute ride we reached the station and Viktoria met us. Viktoria is also my English student and she had described the road from their house into Szentendre as well as a brief description of the house but…. Their house is a work of art and design beyond Viktorias description. It’s one of those places that you sort of get the feel will be a museum someday, maybe like visiting a Frank Lloyd Wright house and having Frank give you a tour. I had a hundred questions but the language barrier was tough. Tamas only speaks Hungarian and German.

Tamas is a retired university professor; he had taught heating and air engineering and decided over 25 years ago to build this house. It’s built into the side of a hill, has some modified dome lines, a little yurt thrown in but entirely hand built by Tamas, no plans were ever drawn.

The house has dirt walls covered with stucco that are 30” thick. It is heated by a small wood fired boiler that he says is really not necessary, there is a beautiful stove that is covered in handmade tiles.
The stove can be used for baking on the kitchen side and heating on the living room side.

It is a work in progress as all great works are.

Tamas made his special venison stew and Dorthea, they call her Dorka, cut vegetables and baked a cake. The meal was great; we sat outside in the garden. Tamas likes wine. We drank 2 Hungarian homemade wines. A nice Tokai as well as an Egri Bikaver.

I’ll let the photos speak for the house. The meal was great, the hospitality was great, the wine was great.

Back to the station and back to the flat in a bit over an hour.