European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 7, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                ?&&&wi3fflffiffiaqigmiss in ornate Neo gothic parliament building �fy., to tour boar maps ivs Evjy Down the Danube River in front off i to Lac  at re shirt spas Lor $20 or so double.1 rooms Lelene holds for 570 to Smi a Nihl. Till bargain Price s Are Only part of it attraction ii City is made for exploring with its two halves  and inst split by the Serene gently Eirving tube River. On the Hillier West Side Buela. Urdu a ?s Ami museums look Down on the i t and across a got ii filament building out lasses Ever thing else along e Banks of the Danube for sightseeing As Well As shopping for native indic mfrs and dining in Small local restaurants Long Riding cobbled Streels. Luda is a logical Starling ice. A huge Brone figure of St. Gellert with Cross hand crowns Wellert Hill a Limestone Cliff that nos taller than in really is 4-15 feel High. Paths Lead to the Citadel on the top of the Hill now est aural Hostel and wine cellar Vilh a Terrac e for Miner concerts. The View of the i Ity is Brilliant specially it night when a Bridge one of seven Anning the Danube glows like a Christmas lament with countless twinkling lights. Castle Mill stretching toward the Danube from Ylli it i Lill. Has enough Lowers turrets parapets anal ilk ways it make Disney s Cinderella Castle look e n shapeless Pili of Sand. Camle Hill s main attraction is the Royal i Alace. Till in Hie 17lh and i both centuries and rebuilt alter Odd War ii. Now housing the museum of natural Islo Ryanal the hungarian National gallery the a e is a work of Art with grand staircases Lim Menno Marble floors and spectacular frescoes. Not far away tourists crowd along several Levels of e i is Hermeni s bastion a Neo romanesque fortified wer taking pictures of the Danube and parliament id haggling with persistent merchant women Over ind embroidered napkins and tablecloths. In alleys id courtyards nearby surrounding the massive 700 Aroll Matthias Church Street musicians and Rve Yors of snacks enl Erlain and feed the swirling issues Winter and summer rain or Shine. A modern luxury hotel the Budapest Hilton c Lings the Side of Castle Hill will Many of us rooms Edo oking the Danube. Ii does t look like a hotel in the outside and for Good reason in the 11th Lury it was a dominican monastery. The Hilton s Brick facade blends harmoniously with the neighbourhood a spider web of narrow streets lined by tiny shops restaurants and apartment buildings in ochre Gray and while. Horse drawn carriages and women sweeping leaves in her Uiel streets visually transport the area to another time pest the commercial Center is busier More i crowded anal decidedly less elegant although a few gems Sui h As the Nigado concert Hall is. Stephen s Basilica and the hungarian slate opera i Louse ire tucked amid the colourless Gray Jumble ii the sidewalks Are As jammed As those along the champs i ulysees in , then the streets Are worse1, a hopeless Langle of soviet made Lada 1200s and other nondescript cars All the same Sie and shape but in Rifle real colors. Pollution controls Are unheard of smoke belches from buses and cars Coaling windows with a translucent film. Happily for visitors who find tin.1 fumes troublesome some of Pesl s Streels Are pedestrian Only ii luding a Large Swath of the main shopping District. Prices for everything Are below bargain basement Levels Wilh bookstores and re Ord shops doing a travel restrictions Lor those associated Willi the u s. Military in i Europe travel to an fast bloc c out re like i Iun Garv requires a few extra precautions. Sari us regulations govern travel to any of id communist controlled countries meld my i Hungary and to nine other designated countries. I i essensi1. The traveler must notify unit Security personnel Well before departure allowing enough Lime to St Heddle and attend a mandatory briefing within live Days of returning. The traveler must Complete a trip questionnaire and be Deb need i he Breting outlines the Security a Ards of sue h travel and suggests Ommon sense Rule s  to Lessen the Rhame of a compromising incident. I he Rule s Are not limited it Active duty somelier a military banking facility. I hey also apply to family members and certain contractors and Host nation employees. Usai i. Has a similar re Gula Liem. Is particularly big business Long playing albums Cost less than $1, including classics on the Deutsche Gramma Phon Label and to oddities such As Kenmir Imio sinus Lvii / res Elf. Clothing May not suit High fashion tastes and the workmanship might be less than perfect but the Price is certainly right Las Swain and porch lain Are among the Best in the.1 weird especially the exquisite delicately Hanel painted i Len and showpieces crafted in Hungary. Western style hotels e n ibis Side of the River in Lude the waterfront Duna inner Continental and Budapest i Wyatt Complete with an atrium lobby and Glass elevators. European style hotels include the Astoria Lar Sebel and Taverna. Two other hotels the Pamaela Graef and Thermal margins get enjoy a wooded re shirt Selling on an Island in the Danube just Newirth e f the City Center. The Best Way the feel truly i hungarian if Only for an e Vemi ing is by plucking into one of Budapest s Many line restaurants on either Siele of the River. In Cool weather the Pfoor May be partially blocked by a heavy plastic or velvet curtain to keep the warm air in you Leel As it you re entering a secret hideaway. I lighting May be dim giving .1 warm glow to darkly panelled Walls tables always with starched while Linen cloths and napkins Antl Elf Len with Bezique is of fresh Flowers Are Likely the be fillet. People enjoy their Femel and wine As a launching Paul Lor Lively Long winded discussions Many on political topics. Matyas Pinch a Wood panelled Luw of the Century cellar restaurant Kne wife r its fish dishes and Gypsy orchestras is one such Eli covery. Carp is served eight to life rent ways cold Morello c Herry setup is a spi t . 1 he gilded i lung Ria with Marble tables is another favorite res Laurall serving Bouillon with liver dumplings and Chicken in paprika Cream sauce. At Budapest restaurants dinner becomes an evening entertainment and the Bill is Worth a standing ovation. Tour people can Dine Well with appropriate wines desserts and lips for s20 to $10. Hotel restaurants Are costlier but still a bargain c compare d the those in other european capitals. As a t Crossroads cily blending socialism s new style with hints of the West Budapest is something special. At limes it has a surrealistic air like a movie of i ump Asil Ustel to be. Lust when you expect Arlemie Dietrich to appear around a Corner hat Askew and coat parted to  a shapely leg you Sec some Lhing else a woman in jeans and running Shea s coming out of Mcdonald a maybe or Adidas. I hat s Budapest. September 7, j989 stripes Magazine 13