MARKET DAYS

 

You know I love me a good market!

Just about a ten-minute walk from Warbucks flat and not far from the Danube River is Budapest's Great Market Hall...housed in a stunning three-story neo-Gothic building that date back to the late 18th century...and in size rivals Philadelphia's own Reading Terminal Market.  The ground floor features food stalls of all sort...selling everything from the freshest of produce of all kinds, cured meats, most of the butchers, cheeses, candies and pastries, caviar and Fois gras, mushroom and truffles, spices, pastas and oils...even wines. You'll catch whiffs of sauerkraut and vinegars as you descend into the basement where the fishmongers and seafood is sold, as well as pickled vegetables. There is also a selection of game down there and stalls selling kitchen utensils. The big staircases in the center of the market take you to level three, where you'll find huge selections of sausages and langos. At the borozos, marketers down shots of Unicum...and NOT from me... accompanied by shoddy wine. There are also many stalls selling handy craft, folk art, knicks-knacks and handmade linens.

I loved the place. We had a few days with no plans, and I accompanied Warbucks, like they were just a usual day. I tasted my first few spicy Hungarian Goulash's and chicken paprikas here. The nice thing is, the locals Warbucks was telling me, do their entire grocery haul here, several times a week or even daily...as the "grocery store" is not a huge thing there, like in the US. There are certain things at the Great Hall to be tried, and to get the feeling of living there, this shouldn't be missed. I was very thrilled by the experience and delighted by the smells, selection, and the fun of watching everyone shop and look over their selection while wheeling and dealing.

Our goulash for lunch one day with some cold brew

As you can see, Warbucks enjoyed not only Unicum, not pictured btw, 

while I was there, but also a good 8".