Having attended Rosh Hashanah services in Bratislava, we decided we wanted to try something different for Yom Kippur. After a little research and a good amount of deliberation, we chose Budapest as our destination for the weekend.
Jenn and I both are of the opinion that it doesn't really matter where one prays. Praying can be done anywhere. This is exemplified by the many synagogues in the US that hold high holiday services at churches due to the extra seating capacity. For us, it was not about the enhanced spiritual experience the synagogue in Budapest would provide, but more about just being a cool and different experience. It's not often one can attend a high holiday service at one of the largest synagogues in the world. So, as we like to say, we got our Jewish on.
The Dohany Street or "Great" Synagogue was built in the 1850's and is the largest synagogue in Europe. With three floors of seating, it holds around 3000 people at full capacity. We had viewed the exterior of the building on a previous trip to Budapest, but since it was Passover, it was closed, and we were not able to enter. Today, as long as we had no camera and were there for some reflecting and atoning, we were welcome.
We arrived around 9:45 and there were very few people there even though the service started at 9. We sat separately as it is an Orthodox synagogue where men and women are required to sit apart from one another. As opposed to the synagogue in Bratislava and other Orthodox temples I've been to, there was no screen or any other kind of separator. I sat on the end of one pew and on the other side of the aisle, Jenn sat on the end of hers. So, we weren't far apart. People slowly filtered in as the service progressed (just like in the US) and there was the usual socializing that is expected as for many this is the only time they attend synagogue so it's a time to catch up with the others who they see annually for the High Holidays. From that standpoint, it felt like home.
The sanctuary was beautiful and incredibly maintained. It was designed in the Moorish style, which means in a lot of ways, it looks and feels like a mosque. The walls are marble with stained glassed windows along them, the ceiling consists of multi-colored tiles, chandeliers hang from the ceiling and everything is gold trimmed. There is a fine line between tacky and tasteful, and it strattles it, but it pulls it off. Here is a picture I copied from the web since they didn't allow cameras inside.
The service itself was different than other Orthodox services we'd attended. The main difference being that there was an organ and a choir. Surprisingly, the organ and choir were really good and had a very positive effect on the service and the whole experience. Normally, I find a choir really distracting in a Jewish service. In general, the service was a lot more participatory and involved the congregation. If not for the Hungarian, this easily could have been a service at a conservative synagogue in the US. We were able to recognize many of the prayers in Hebrew, but the Hungarian sermon was lost on us, but if I know my sermons it was either about Israel or giving money to the synagogue.
I was left to my thoughts, which this time of year usually center around the Saints, Longhorns, and fantasy football. I hope it doesn't come across as shallow, but these are things I think about. I doubt even the greatest thinkers are thinking profound things every second of every day. Besides, Yom Kippur is about focusing on yourself and reflecting on the past year. You can apologize, forgive, and forget, but beyond that, you can't change other people. You can only look at yourself and change the things you identify as areas for improvement. Of course there are things about myself I'd like to change and I thought about those too. There is no need to list them here, but rest assured, I'm working on them.
I also thought about Jenn, my friends and family, and the amazing opportunity we have to live in Europe for the year, both from a professional and personal standpoint. We are living for every moment and appreciating every single opportunity available to us.
We stayed for a few hours, then walked around the city a bit, before heading back to the hotel. The weather was cool, but the sun was out, making it really nice for a Yom Kippur stroll. We spent the afternoon resting back at the hotel before heading back to the synagogue for the closing service.
For breaking the fast, Jenn exclaimed she was ready to "get her Gundel on." We had made reservations during the week at Gundel. Arthur Frommer put it very well saying it's "Budapest's fanciest, most famous, probably most expensive, and most overrated restaurant." It's an old (established in the 1800's) restaurant that is still clinging to another time when people got dressed up to go out to eat and there were places like this for special occassions and long, lavish meals. This place was the complete opposite of trendy.
The service started out great, as the wait staff seemed intent on making it a memorable dining experience. Jenn started with the mushroom soup and I had the traditional Hungarian goulash soup. Both were okay, but i liked mine better than she liked hers. As a 2nd course, we shared warm ewe cheese strudel topped with truffles, surrounded by honey. We both really liked this dish. The flavor combination went together really well. For our main course, Jenn had the small portion of the Chateaubriand beef filet with these zucchini rollup things on the side that were pretty good. I had the Gundel Tonalky, their signature dish, which was strips of beef with mushrooms, asparagus, and fois gras, all mixed together. It didn't blow me away, but it wasn't bad.
None of the food was bad, but as mentioned above, it's a pretty expensive restaurant, so it definitely raises expectations. The service also fell apart after the beginning of the meal. After our entrees were delivered to the table, we had to flag down and beg waiters to take our plates and then again to get dessert menus. It takes an awful lot for us to be unhappy with the service at a restaurant, but believe me when I say this was particulary bad. Let me put it this way, if I have to put on a coat and tie to come eat at your restaurant, the service better be good.
We began talking to the man sitting by himself at the table next to us who was leading a large tour group that was sitting on the other side of the restaurant. Since he eats there all the time, he wasn't interested in his dessert which came as part of the set menu he and the group were eating, so he insisted we eat his dessert sampler. We reluctantly obliged. We also ordered the chocolate souffle cake with bourbon vanilla ice cream which was decent.
It was a good meal (not great), but still an okay way to break a fast and a nice evening out in Budapest.
After a good night's sleep, we headed to the center of town and had the Kugler breakfast (orange juice, breakfast pastries, and hot chocolate) at the famous Cafe Gerbaud. Everything was pretty tasty. We also bought some sweets to take back with us on the train, as is our M.O.
We also picked up a Hungarian bottle of wine on the way out to bring over to the Yeagers tonight who are having us over for a barbecue. Charles also works for Dell, is American, and came over at the same time as us to Bratislava. We've been friends since we started the expatriation process together. We've become close with him, Geneva (his wife), and their two children, Alexa and Dylan. It should be fun.
Jenn and I both agreed it was a great way to observe the holiday. She suggested maybe we should make it our thing now to every year observe the High Holidays at a different synagogue around the world. That seems like an awful lot of effort just to pray, but we shall see.
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