Exploring Budapest

Moving to a new city is always a challenging experience, especially when you know very little about the place you are going to live. However, this apparently challenging situation can turn into a new undisclosed set of opportunities. Among them, you get the chance to come into contact with another culture, way of life and traditions, to discover an unknown part of history, admire the city architecture and, of course, have a little fun while you’re in there.

Views of the Parlament and the Chain Bridge

That’s what happened to me as I arrived in Budapest two weeks ago, barely knowing anything about the city but ready to merge in its vibrant city life. Here are some of the most interesting things that I have noticed since I arrived here, not in order of importance.

The Royal Palace

Architecture. I have been told that there is a peculiar saying here in Budapest stating that if you look up at the buildings, you can see miracles. And since the very first day I can say that it’s true. It’s awesome that, while walking down the street, if you look up you can admire the beautiful decorations adorning the façade of the surrounding buildings.

Kurtoskalacs. These sweet cakes are usually roasted over charcoal, basted with melted butter and topped with a variety of ingredients, from chopped walnuts and chocolate to powdered cinnamon (my favourite!). I love how their sweet smell embraces you like a blanket as you pass by a booth or come out of the metro station. It might have been a very bad day, but their sweetness will always cheer you up!

Language. The language barrier is one of the main obstacles foreigners are confronted with when first arriving in Budapest. As a language student I am clearly interested in learning a new language, though I find Hungarian a very challenging one, since it differs slightly not only from my mother tongue and from the other languages I have learned so far. Nonetheless it is really fascinating to hear how people speak in the street and I would love to learn a little bit of it, even though they might be short phrases and spare words.

The Children train

The Buda Hills. Magnificent and still, they dominate one of the sides of the Danube and are home of the Castle, its gardens and the Liberty statue. But if you want to push further and discover more, the best thing to do is to take a trip with the Cog and Children railways. The latter is very special indeed: created during soviet times, it was run by children belonging to the Pioneers group. After a standstill soon after the fall of the Soviet regime, it was restored and today is still run by children, like in old times. Also the train and the stations have maintained their old fashion and taking a trip with this train alongside the Buda hills is a delightful experience. If you take a stop to János hegy (János hill) and climb up the hill, you can reach the Elizabeth lookout, the highest peak in Budapest, from which it is possible to admire the city and its surroundings.

The Children train

Ruin pubs. Last but not least, you have one of the specialties offered by Budapest in matter of fun and nightlife: the so called ruin pubs. Those pubs have been created anew from old abandoned buildings and made one of the most characteristic and attracting places of Budapest. One of their distinctive features is represented by the furniture: in pubs like Szimpla Kert and Ellátó Kert you can find a vast array of old chairs, tables, sofas and lights, all mixed up without any apparent correlation, which clearly accounts for the fashion of the place itself. These are the perfect places to go to get a drink and have some fun in the evening, since they usually host concerts of local bands and dj sets.

Ruin Pub "Szimpla Kert"

This is my - really - brief list of what I am starting to discover and appreciate about Budapest and I hope to learn much more! 

This post was written by Silvia Buia