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artists such as Liszt, Bartók or Kodály. The Jazz wing bridges. As we crossed one the guide said, ‘be careful.
rooms were funky with black and white checked chaise Here there are no pedestrians, only survivors.’ The
longues and lime green and gold touches; the room guide led me to citadels and UNESCO World Heritage
played jazz standards and Hungarian improvised Sites and explained Budapest’s complicated history.
music. The Contemporary wing rooms were full of bold “We lost the war because we were always on the
colors and pop art and played the best songs from the wrong side,” the guide admitted.
60’s through the present. My spacious room was in the We walked by the house where the magician,
Opera Wing with lilac and gray furnishings, a plushy Houdini, originally named Eric Weisz, was born. His big-
bed and a Murano Venetian chandelier. Puccini played gest trick, the guide said, was leaving Hungary at four
in the background. years of age and moving to the west. Budapest actress
I grabbed my camera and headed out for a private Zsa Zsa Gabor had nine husbands. When asked how
tour arranged by the hotel. A block away was the good a housekeeper she was, she replied, “Very good.
Basilica of St Stephen, Hungary’s first King, where the Whenever I divorced, I kept the house.” Ernő Rubik,
church bells were chiming with such strong vibrations inventor of the Rubik’s cube, is still in Budapest, a pro-
I could feel them in my body. Budapest has a flat fessor. We walked past stalls selling packs of paprika,
downtown area and a more hilly area linked by eight the premier spice of Hungarian cuisine, originally used

218 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018