VACATIONS FROM HOME: TOURING BUDAPEST WITH ANDREA MAKKAY

THE IMPORTANCE OF TOURS
Andrea Makkay and Janet

You can do your research and read guidebooks until you are bleary eyed, and your paper cuts get infected. You can go online and watch videos about places you want to visit or catch a History Channel show about the ancient or recent history of your destination. You can even pull that dusty encyclopedia off the shelf. You can buy a map and look at photographs and read the menus of restaurants that whet your appetite. And, after all that preparation, you may feel you are ready to see everything at your chosen destination, and yet it is a guarantee you will miss something in your travels.

Unless you just want to idle away your time lounging poolside or lingering over an espresso in a faraway café, never underestimate the importance of being led on a tour.

TRAVEL v. VACATION

To lounge is a vacation. To explore and experience local customs is to travel. Both are very rewarding, but to get the most of your travels, a tour is recommended.

We’ve attempted to travel alone and though we have had some success, mainly because of Janet's meticulous planning, we still end up running around like headless chickens and missing things. Too often our reminiscing over past travel destinations is about opportunities missed. It is the nuance, the essence of a destination that requires a tour. Without a tour you’re guessing and a missed opportunity at a truly rewarding experience.

Raw cashew in Costa Rica

THAT’S A STATUE

Tours can be expensive though (and we don’t like spending extra money since we’ve already traveled so far to get to a place), but we have learned that the knowledge and experiences gained from a tour can usually be invaluable…usually.

Over the years we have taken group tours, walking tours, bus tours, van tours with several couples, and horse and buggy tours and our experiences have ranged from awesome to middling to flat-out disasters.

One tour in Costa Rica had us plucking the fruit of a cashew tree and listening to Howler Monkeys. A horse carriage tour in San Antonio had the cowboy clad guide who hailed originally from Brooklyn, New York pointing out “a statue made of metal”. A tour in Tenerife had us drinking wines from the Canary Islands with amateur vintners from Lanzarote, while another one pointed out the dive bars of Charleston, South Carolina. In the rain of York, England we simply circled this walled city a couple of times in a hop-on/hope-off double decker bus, periodically dodging raindrops after seeing something interesting. In Chester England we ran higgledy-piggledy in every direction for we had a very limited time before we had to go… In Split, Croatia we walked through the warren of alley ways of the former palace of Diocletian simply amazed we were even there.

I’m partially kidding about tour disasters. The urban cowboy in San Antonio did point out some good Mexican restaurants.

ANDREA MAKKAY

In all our travels though we have never taken an inclusive one-on-one tour. As we did our research about Budapest, we quickly learned there was a lot to see and the five days we allotted ourselves in this vibrant Hungarian capitol may have been wasted had we not hired a seasoned tour guide in Andrea Makkay.

It was the greatest travel decision we had ever made.

She was articulate, intelligent and spoke perfect English and was very engaging and enthusiastic in showing off her hometown of Budapest. She also adjusted our tours as we showed interest in various destinations, rather than taking a cookie cutter approach to showing us the city.

For example she learned we had already gone to the Opera, the Széchenyi Thermal Baths, Heroes Square and the City Park and so concentrated our tour in a different area of Budapest. We also expressed an interest in seeing Memento Park, a collection of Communist-era statues that had been removed from Budapest and now sit in the park just on the outskirts of the city, and she made that happen for us. She also learned I collect hand-held subway maps. I have them from Tokyo, Stockholm, Barcelona, Paris and London. She showed up with a metro map of Budapest, and then taught us how to buy our fare from a station kiosk.

We hired Ms. Makkay for two days. The first was an 8-hour tour by minivan and the second was a ½ day walking tour.

Of course, Janet made all the arrangements. Her research led her to Andrea Makkay and after a series of emails over availability and payment we asked Andrea to guide us through Budapest. The payment was tricky though. She wanted cash in Euros, not Hungarian Florins as that currency has been unpredictable.

Liberty Statue Budapest

Unsure we would be able to withdraw Euros from Hungarian ATMs we made arrangements to convert dollars into Euros with our local bank. We traveled to Hungary with the funds.

It was €480 for the full day with the minivan and driver and €140 for the half day walking tour.

To top it off she's famous! She appears in an episode of the History Channel's Cities of the Underworld, S1E6 where she talks about the secret caves of Budapest, and the hospital under Castle Hill that was also used as a fall out shelter.

Budapest is a fascinating city and she is a knowledgeable tour guide. If the road takes you to Budapest, be sure to contact Ms. Makkay.

ANDREA MAKKAY TOUR GUIDE BUDAPEST