The destination: Budapest, Hungary… in a bright-red, brand-new Audi A3…

AS Audi A3 Hungary-01

Munich, Germany.

There’s no shortage of places to chow down here in Bavaria, but that’s not really what I had in mind.

Sometimes you just hanker for some good, old fashioned, home cooking and the desire makes distance no object.

According to Google Maps, the drive to some tasty yet simple food fare will take approximately six hours and five minutes, and is about 684 kilometres. One way. That’s not including the approximately 8,300 kms travelled to get to Munich, Germany.

The destination: Budapest, Hungary, where I’ll have one night to spend with my grandparents – grandma Ilona and grandpa Pál Lencsés.

I’ve got the use of a bright red 2015 Audi A3 and a full tank of gas, so why not?

Considering I’ll be there less than 24 hours, words like “ambitious,” or “motivated,” or even “crazy” might describe my reasoning. But heck, if it means I get a home cooked meal, I’d travel all night.

Relatively speaking, I’m so close to them. I couldn’t let the opportunity go to waste.

And anyone who loves their grandparents’ cooking will sympathize.

Getting me there doesn’t involve security screenings, boarding passes, the hospitality of flight attendants or the company of an Airbus. With my bag tucked away in the trunk, my destination set into the GPS, it was go time.

This particular A3 came equipped with Audi’s new MMI Touch with hand-writing recognition infotainment system and the MMI Navigation plus. Instead of spelling out the address using the dial and twisting the wrists back and forth, you can just trace out the letters with your finger on the dial’s face. I will warn you, if you have bad penmanship like me, the system might pick up on a different letter than the one you had intended!

Regardless, getting the hang of it is relatively easy, and really kind of fun, too.

Throughout the drive in Germany, I shaved a few minutes off here and there. The speed limitless zones certainly helped. Perhaps that’s why I opted to take the car rather than fly.

A chance to drive quickly – in certain sections – AND get a delicious meal at the end.

The A3’s swift characteristics hail from its 1.8L, direct injected and turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. With a healthy dose of 170 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque, I had everything I needed.

The competency of its front MacPherson Strut with Lower Wishbones and 4-link rear suspension with separate spring/shock absorber arrangement at highway speeds is confidence inspiring. It doesn’t waver with the speed and feels firmly planted. And for a small-ish vehicle, that’s always a good thing.

The Audi A3 itself isn’t boring by design, but the long drive is. Especially on the most, direct route. Knowing that I would get to spend some quality time with my grandparents, and the A3, kept me going. With the speed limits decreasing and the flow of traffic considerably worsening, I knew I was getting close. It was just nearing dinner. Perfect.

Before devouring my grandma’s famous crepes – complete with homemade apricot jam with apricots that grew in their summer home’s backyard. My grandparents tightly embraced me. I’m not sure who was more excited to see whom, though their attention was split between hugs and admiring the red chariot that brought me to their home in one piece. I can’t blame them. It is quite the sedan in regards to styling. And that colour just can’t be missed.

As I walked through the courtyard and along the path to their apartment, I caught a faint whiff of what had been baking throughout the day. I knew that the crepes, and myself, would soon be gone.

In this case, you can’t help buy devour yet appreciate the goodness a “home” cooked meal can have. The family then gathers around the dinner table, says grace, and digs in.

Was it worth it? – That as obvious of an answer as is the response to, “Do you want seconds?”

The meal was priceless but the 2015 Audi A3 1.8 TFSI has a starting of $31,100.

Check out the Question of the Week and if you want more info about the A3, visit www.audi.ca.

Contact: alexandra [dot] straub [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca

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Grandma’s Famous Crepes

Ingredients:

2 eggs

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

6 heaping spoonfuls of flour (can be substituted with rice flour for gluten free!)

Dash of baking powered

300ml milk

300ml soda water

50ml Oil

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Mix and let it sit for 10 minutes

Fry in pan on medium heat

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Makes 20-25

One thought on “How Far Would You Travel for a Home-Cooked Meal?

    Géza Benkő says:

    Hi Alex !

    I liked to read about your visit with your grandparents in Budapest. I tried to phone you, but the phones on your paper are to complicated — (push this – push that, etc.) —

    It would be nice to talk to you, because I was also born in Budapest, I am in Canada since 1956. My Phone Number:
    (250)-727-3821 . — Please give me a phone call — if you have a minute – or send me your phone number.
    – – – Greetings from your reader, Géza. – – –

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