It is only a few short paces across the hot cobblestones of Deak Tér from the elegance of Gundel's - renowned for mouthwatering gateaux and sumptuous ices - to the cool marbled platform that marks the terminus of Europe's first mainland underground railway.
Here bright yellow Földalatti trains arrive promptly on schedule to hasten you along beneath the length of the fashionable Andrássy Street on a journey through the heart of Budapest.
One stop up the line and you will find, tucked away in an unassuming corner in a warren of pedestrian subways, the most unusual museum you are ever likely to visit. Leaving the rowdy, bustling subway and the 21st century behind you, you step onto platform nine and three-quarters and an age of leather, wood, pungent oils, and clocks that go reassuringly tick-tock. Alongside gleaming restored carriages a display of wonderful exhibits retells the story that led to the building of this marvellous underground wonder that received the blessing of one of the most powerful Emperors of his day.
It is only a further six stops up the Ferenc underground railway, and only two stops from the end of the line, and you arrive outside one of the most opulent swimming pools in the world. Housed in a building that could easily match London's Albert Hall for sheer breathtaking elegance are the zéchenyi thermal baths. While plump old men play chess on floating Wonderland chess boards, children splash and shout amidst the thermal waters first discovered in this city by the Romans and later by the invading Turks.
The rich history is a reminder of the diversity of cultures underlying the foundations of this magnificent and ancient city at the very heart of the new Europe.
Bob Donaldson
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