At long last, I made it to Budapest, and set to work
discovering the Hungarian capital. Day 15 was therefore full of new
experiences, all well suited to my little challenge.
My first impression was that, linguistically-speaking, I was completely screwed.
Although pretty much everyone I met spoke at least some English, I do
not know one single word of Hungarian.
Having studied French, German and Italian, I have managed to get by on
pretty much all of my holidays in recent years.
Budapest was a very different kettle of fish. Like a true Brit, I initially resorted to
over-exaggerated hand gestures and loud monosyllabic questions to survive. For a linguist, this is essentially shameful sacrilege
and I’m sure that all of my former French teachers would have looked on with
typically Gallic looks of disdain. Luckily
enough, Owen, my welcoming host for the week and Budapest’s latest internet sensation, speaks impeccable Hungarian and succeeded in teaching me a couple of
words (ok, literally two).
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| The Impressive Hero's Square |
Like a true tourist, I hit the streets of Budapest early on
Day 15. Brandishing a comically
cartoon-like map, I stomped up and down Andrassy
Ut, one of the city’s central boulevards, which also happens to have World
Heritage protection. Understandably so:
it’s very pretty, for a road. Andrassy Ut also hosts many of Budapest’s
top tourist attractions: the spacious Hero’s Square and City Park at the
northern junction, the famously morbid Terror Museum, the grandiose Opera, as
well as many stunning coffee shops. Owen
and I visited one of these classy cafés, whose gilded frescoes and plush
seats look like they’ve been taken straight out of The Ritz. Our greedy order of large Cappuccinos and two
big slices of cake came to the grand total of 1,800 Hungarian Forint. For the record, that’s about £5. Remember, we were in one of Budapest’s most
costly coffee shops. I know what you’re
thinking: WTF?! With prices like that, I
lived like a king for the week. Lavish
lunches for Owen and myself, hefty tips all around and plenty of presents for back home. Equally, with beers costing about £1.50,
nights out were just as lavish. See Day 16.
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| Alexandra Cafe's Stunning Ceilings |
Of course no trip to Budapest would be complete without a
trip up to the city’s famous castle. In
theory, it’s a major tourist trap: Hungary’s answer to the Eiffel Tower or
Buckingham Palace. It may have been that
I visited the castle at around 7pm (the hillside views of Budapest at night
were a treat), but I was one of the only people up there. Walking up in complete solitude made me doubt
if I was in the right place, but even when I got up the hill, I only saw one or
two others. Rather odd, to say the
least, but this lack of tourism actually worked in my favour. Let’s just say my earlier coffee with Owen reared its
ugly head up at the Castle. With all the buildings locked for the evening and
nobody around, I was in luck. Yes, Ladies
& Gentlemen, I have done a clandestine wee on Hungary’s most important
building. Well, not on it. Behind a tree. 100 feet away. But still: CONTROVERSIAL!
With its complicated history of both
oppression and opulence, Budapest is a fascinating city. This background of diversity is impossible to miss: the architecture alone is a smorgasbord of beautiful Viennese structures, Renaissance
palaces and imposing Communist concrete blocks. It’s a treat for the eyes, and this transcends
any bewildering language issues which frequently came my way.
DAY FIFTEEN: Get acquainted with Budapest. KÉSZ!
Peace & Love,
Rich xx
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