Feszek Artist Club, Currently, the Flamingo Restaurant - Budapest, Hungary
The train ride from Vienna to Budapest was delightful. Seeing the green green grass, the abundant fields, the bright aqua sky and the majestic trees lining the open roads soothed me and lifted my spirit.
It was relaxing and it especially made us happy to see the vast number of gigantic windmills standing proudly on the farmers' fields, stretching their mighty hands skywards, turning the invisible air currents into useful energy for its inhabitants of the land.
I was amazed at how many windmills and how widely they were used in the region where we were traveling. I wish more and more countries would learn how to harvest wind power and make use of that natural energy.
We got to Budapest from Vienna after a little more than 2 1/2 hour ride on the OBB train.
As soon as we alighted from the train, we were approached by some taxi drivers who offered to take us to our hotel.
Eventually we settled on one who offered to take us for a fixed fee of 15 Euro.( We found out that it should be only 8 Euro.)
We checked into city Hotel Unio.
As soon as we entered the lobby, we thought we were in a movie set of the 1920 - 30's.
As we opened the door into our room, it was unmistakably as if time had stood still.
The old fashion parquet floor arranged in a v shape, old but clean, the unusual high ceiling that one only sees in old buildings, the antique furniture set off by Victorian light fixtures
and the huge thick golden picture frame with farm house painting hanging above the double bed all screamed that this was a room with past history.
We unloaded our luggage and went out for dinner. Many interesting restaurants lined the street and we chose to have Turkish food and had it served outdoors.
It was a pleasant breezy evening. With the two of us, we ventured out into the side streets close to the busy main thoroughfare.
We were careful not wander off too far from the lights. Lots of side streets were dimly lit, very different from where we were the night before - Vienna.
As we were about to turn back towards the main street, we saw some bright lights ahead from an old building with its doors wide open and lots of pictures hanging in the lobby.
It was a little past 9pm, might be an art gallery still open, we thought. We went in and admired the old pictures hanging on the walls. A gentleman came out and welcome us warmly, inviting us into the Flamingo Restaurant ( located at the corner of Dob Utca 57 and Kertesz Utca 36) .
We were hesitant, not knowing what to expect. From the outside, it looked sleazy, more like a cheap casino or something suspicious rather than a restaurant. We also just ate and had no intention of eating again. The man urged us to go in and just take a look We obliged since he was very sincere and warm.
He led us through the doors and into the backyard dining area.
Wow! It was like Alice entering the wonderland. The place looked very elegant!
It was a restaurant with a big backyard dining area softly lit with lights hanging from the second floor balconies. Old fashioned wall scones and street lamps added to the ambiance of this garden dining room. A couple of old trees were lit up with miniature lights adding a feeling of festivity to the place. In the background, a three member band playing classical music of Mozart and Beethoven. The atmosphere was magical, an unexpected pleasant discovery of such an elegant setting just steps away from our hotel.
Tal, the gentleman who invited us in and the restaurant owner, came over and explained to us about the history of this beautiful place. The Feszek Artist Club was established in 1901 by 100 Budapest artists. It was a social gathering place of artists, writers, painters. sculptors and celebrities; it also provided a place for presenting the artists' ost recent work. By 1926 the club became the centrum of the artist life of Budapest, having its own bridge and football team and it was a privilege to become a club member.
As Tal explained this, in my mind's eyes, I could see elegantly dressed artists gathering and discussing their work on the tables scattered in this lovely garden. It must have been quite a place to be at the time.
The waitress handed us the menu which contained choices of good selection of local dishes and the prices were very reasonable - 15 Euro for a three course meal! If you are watching your budget, you could order a la carte which are much cheaper. Too bad that we just ate. This would have been a wonderful place to spend the entire evening enjoying some local food and great music.
We ordered a couple of drinks and enjoyed this lovely place for a short while during our first night in this marvelous city which transported us temporary back into the past.
Sometimes in life, we come across some magical places and treasured moments not by meticulous planning but by chance. The Flamingo Restaurant in Budapest was such a place upon which we stumbled.
R.T.
Budapest, Hungary
Aug.7, 2012
 |
| View from our train ride from Vienna to Budapest |
It was relaxing and it especially made us happy to see the vast number of gigantic windmills standing proudly on the farmers' fields, stretching their mighty hands skywards, turning the invisible air currents into useful energy for its inhabitants of the land.
I was amazed at how many windmills and how widely they were used in the region where we were traveling. I wish more and more countries would learn how to harvest wind power and make use of that natural energy.
 |
| Hotel Unio, where we stayed in Budapest, Hungary |
We got to Budapest from Vienna after a little more than 2 1/2 hour ride on the OBB train.
As soon as we alighted from the train, we were approached by some taxi drivers who offered to take us to our hotel.
 |
| A beautiful Post Office building - across from our hotel in Budapest |
Eventually we settled on one who offered to take us for a fixed fee of 15 Euro.( We found out that it should be only 8 Euro.)
 |
| Dining Room of Hotel Unio, Budapest |
We checked into city Hotel Unio.
As soon as we entered the lobby, we thought we were in a movie set of the 1920 - 30's.
As we opened the door into our room, it was unmistakably as if time had stood still.
The old fashion parquet floor arranged in a v shape, old but clean, the unusual high ceiling that one only sees in old buildings, the antique furniture set off by Victorian light fixtures
and the huge thick golden picture frame with farm house painting hanging above the double bed all screamed that this was a room with past history.
 |
| Beautiful old but well kept buildings are everywhere in Budapest |
We unloaded our luggage and went out for dinner. Many interesting restaurants lined the street and we chose to have Turkish food and had it served outdoors.
It was a pleasant breezy evening. With the two of us, we ventured out into the side streets close to the busy main thoroughfare.
We were careful not wander off too far from the lights. Lots of side streets were dimly lit, very different from where we were the night before - Vienna.
As we were about to turn back towards the main street, we saw some bright lights ahead from an old building with its doors wide open and lots of pictures hanging in the lobby.
It was a little past 9pm, might be an art gallery still open, we thought. We went in and admired the old pictures hanging on the walls. A gentleman came out and welcome us warmly, inviting us into the Flamingo Restaurant ( located at the corner of Dob Utca 57 and Kertesz Utca 36) .
We were hesitant, not knowing what to expect. From the outside, it looked sleazy, more like a cheap casino or something suspicious rather than a restaurant. We also just ate and had no intention of eating again. The man urged us to go in and just take a look We obliged since he was very sincere and warm.
He led us through the doors and into the backyard dining area.
Wow! It was like Alice entering the wonderland. The place looked very elegant!
 |
| Feszek Artist Club, where the Artists Used to Gather - Currently, the Flamingo |
Tal, the gentleman who invited us in and the restaurant owner, came over and explained to us about the history of this beautiful place. The Feszek Artist Club was established in 1901 by 100 Budapest artists. It was a social gathering place of artists, writers, painters. sculptors and celebrities; it also provided a place for presenting the artists' ost recent work. By 1926 the club became the centrum of the artist life of Budapest, having its own bridge and football team and it was a privilege to become a club member.
 |
| Feszek Artist Club - a unique restaurant giving patrons a glimpse into its glorious past |
The waitress handed us the menu which contained choices of good selection of local dishes and the prices were very reasonable - 15 Euro for a three course meal! If you are watching your budget, you could order a la carte which are much cheaper. Too bad that we just ate. This would have been a wonderful place to spend the entire evening enjoying some local food and great music.
We ordered a couple of drinks and enjoyed this lovely place for a short while during our first night in this marvelous city which transported us temporary back into the past.
 |
| Standing outside of our Budapest hotel |
R.T.
Budapest, Hungary
Aug.7, 2012
With the two of us, we ventured out into the side streets close to the busy main thoroughfare. painting adelaide
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