It's my penultimate week of the winter break, so more travelling has been squeezed in. The last 3 days were just spent in Budapest, the Hungarian capital. My first Eastern European experience of many more to hopefully come!
Bridge of chains spanning across the icey Danube.
Budapest is completely unlike any other city I've ever visited. Its architecture is very grand and imposing and the city seems refreshingly real. By that, I mean, its streets have a distinct character, and whilst some well known high street names like Starbucks are to be found, the city undoubtedly feels Hungarian.
Signs of the old soviet times still exist.
Not only that, but random people tend to only speak broken English, which is quite a challenge when you're needing directions or wanting to order food. Unlike French or Italian for example, which you might have a decent chance of being able to guess what a given word means, Hungarian is very different. Indeed the language has few relations (just Finnish and Estonian). Even the currency poses a challenge. The exchange rate of 1 Swiss Franc for 230 Hungarian Forints isn't terribly easy to work out in your head. It's a cool novelty though to have a wallet holding 35,000 HUF, misleadingly it gives the illusion of being wealthy...
The beautiful city by night: Hero's Square
A city I would wholeheartedly recommend visiting, a lot to see and do. First and foremost the '3rd best bar in the world' (according to Lonely Planet) Szimpla Kert has an awesome atmosphere, it's an apartment block that has been converted into a huge bar complex. And if you stay at the HomemadeHostel, you're bound to meet an interesting bunch of folk too! The outside thermal baths are also something you shouldn't miss, bathing in 38*C of water whilst the air around you is -8*C, is quite an experience!
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