Even on a global scale, there are few capitals that have been located in such a wonderful environment as Budapest. In addition to the surrounding mountains, this is mainly due to the Danube, which divides the city. There is nothing special about crossing the Danube from one side to the other on foot, by car or by public transport today, but this was not the case before, until the construction of the Chain Bridge in 1849. Sending gift baskets in Hungary became a popular service very early on, because people always had a need to send a gift to their friends and loved ones on the other side of the river. Perhaps it goes without saying that the gift delivery in Budapest did not start with people sending premium champagnes (it wasn't until the 19th century) and chocolate specialties to each other, but rather embarking on a conquering journey with the good old pork, vegetables and herbs.
Sending gifts in Budapest and the golden age of boaters
At that time, sending a hamper in Budapest was not an easy thing, and it certainly did not lack danger, especially when the river was in a bad mood and decided to flood the city with its waves. Since there was no permanent bridge in the city, it was only possible to cross it by boat, there was a separate occupation for boaters who transferred either people or products from one side to the other. So the gift sending in Budapest started with water and boaters, very few people could say that they had such a means of water transport. However, those who had a boat could make a living from it by offering various services to the citizens of the city, which included sending gifts basket in Budapest. With the exception of winter, business rumbled all year round, except when the river flooded the surrounding neighborhood, and even in winter, work had to be stopped only when the ice thickened up and people could walk from one side to the other on foot.
Sending gifts in Budapest in bourgeois times
For some reason, there was a habit that one did not visit the other in person if wanted to give him a gift, and even after the bridges appeared, there remained businesses that continued to deal with it. Gift delivery in Budapest boomed even more with the civilization, but at that time it was no longer the main role that belonged to the pork chops, but to the certain champagne we had already talked about, or to the magnificent flower bouquets. Champagne has to be taken literally, because when the drink specialty appeared in our country under the influence of France and Russia, it really became the main character of gift delivery, and if it was sent by a man to a woman, the flower bouquet couldn’t be missing.
