Budapest, Introduction, December 2003 – January 2004

Budapest. Bridge over the Danube

Budapest, Introduction, December 2003 – January 2004

After leaving the town of Visegrad, we biked the last 45 km. (27 mi.) to Budapest, following the second half of the Danube Bend through the Borzsony and Pilis mountain ranges and through the Serbian town of Szentendre. It was dark by the time we got to Budapest, Hungary’s capital.

We called every hostel in the city before narrowing it down to two hostels. One was at the very top of Budapest’s highest hill next to the citadel. The other was outside of the city center, but on flatter ground. The decision wasn’t hard. We headed towards flatter ground, in Pest. We got lost. Ended up on an island. Didn’t even know Budapest had an island. It was more like a labyrinth. It took us a while to find our way off. The only living thing we passed on the island was a red Santa standing 20 feet high and swaying in the wind.

We finally found our way off, only to be intimidated by the immensity of the city by night. After going in circles, crossing the wrong bridge (there are eight in Budapest), and being thrown off by one-way streets, we eventually found the entrance to the bridge which had been eluding us. God only knows how we could have missed it. The thing was gigantic – never-ending. We cycled up the ramp and then found that five lanes of traffic converged onto the bridge. Our entrance had been from the left, so we had to somehow make our way to the right lane. It wasn’t fun (it was scary, even!), and I was more than relieved when we got to the other side and found a sidewalk. We saw a lot of the city coming in by this direction: Buda, Pest, and another larger island (Budapest was formed from the three cities of Buda, Pest, and Obuda in 1873). Our first impressions of the city were formed by the huge bridge over the black river, some church steeples on the hillsides, and large neon lights in the sky of large commercial companies such as Nokia, Sony, and Sofitel.

Most of all, the word that came to mind was “big.” After crossing the bridge into Pest, we had to merge onto an 8-lane road. More like a highway. We’d never before seen a highway run right through the middle of town. It was as if I-95 ran straight through center-city Philadelphia. Trucks drove beside us and I tried not to concentrate on the buses that seemed only inches away. Every time a tram passed beside us and the overhead wires produced an electrical spark and the accompanying loud crackle, my heart would skip a few beats as if the electrical shock had been sent through me.

We were very happy to finally reach the hostel. It was a special place. Music 24-7, a game room with billiards, foosball, and chess. Walls, bathroom doors, ceilings covered in graffiti, poems, and drunken lines written by former guests. A constant swirl of smoke hanging about. Anything and everything could be found there to make your drunken nights even more pleasurable. If not memorable. While only one person worked the reception, there were never less than half a dozen friends hanging out – drinking, smoking, and either dancing or chilling to the music.

2 months partying and visiting Budapest!

There were a lot of parties at the hostel, especially during the holiday season. Though full in the summer months, the hostel was mostly empty while we were there. Though some more guests arrived around Christmas and then for the New Year, there were only two other people staying at the hostel when we arrived. So the staff pretty much had the place to themselves, to hang out and party with friends. We had a fun time with them, listening to and dancing to music, going to clubs and the bath parties. We tried Unicum, the national drink which is 40% alcohol and made from over 40 different herbs. Most guests here thought it was Yeggermeister’s big brother – stronger and more bitter. It’s okay going down and then the aftertaste sets in. You get used to it after a bit. The Hungarians swear by it. They claim it’s good for your health. The best part is watching the faces of all first-timers as the taste first hits them. I saw more than one person run from the room as they tried to hold it down!

At the hostel, there was Jeff, the handsome Frenchman who makes a wicked curry, and his cute Hungarian girlfriend Viki; friendly Andi, and her boyfriend Jay from New Orleans, laptop attached like a third arm; Krisztian, with his mohawk, chain, and street music; Attila with his blond dreds and addiction for computer games; Nedda, the student with a good sense of humor; and Hajnika, the petite Hungarian with a ready smile. Also, Mark, the Brit rocker with full-body tattoos, including one of the entire rock band Kiss on his back (his nickname is the “Teddy Bear”); Adrienne, the Swiss-born Hungarian who makes a mean fondue; Melinda, with her English boyfriend Fred and little dog Godzilla; Eszter, the lively-spirited Hungarian with bright red hair who showed us her skills in Indonesian and belly-dancing; and blond-haired Peter with his radiant smile. And I can’t forget Janka, probably the most spoiled dog in the world, with all the attention she receives. And Helga, the pretty dog who stayed with us for two weeks and whom I fell in love with.

Stephane and Jeff, the two French chefs, ruled the kitchen, spoiling us with homemade meals. The meal they made for Christmas Eve – chicken in a wine sauce, grilled vegetables, and potato pancakes – was one that I’m going to ask for every year from now on for Christmas. Somehow, if I had made the same meal, with exactly the same ingredients, it just wouldn’t have come out the same. It must be that special French touch!

We originally planned on staying about ten days, but ended up staying an entire month. Initially, we stayed longer because I had been confined between the four walls of our bedroom for more than a week after I came down with the flu just after we got there. Then, we decided we needed to get out and see what was going on in the city, which is Hungary’s capital. After all, there is a lot going on in Budapest. One-fifth of the country’s population (2 million) live in the city and 1/3 work there. Then, we fell in love with the city and the people we met and decided we needed to stay longer.

Budapest is a great town once you figure out how it is laid out. After our initial experience navigating its highways, Stephane (our map-reader and guide) found quieter streets and backroads that we could follow to get to the city center or elsewhere in town. He also found ways to avoid the many cobble-stoned streets, which rattled our brains in our heads. So we avoided all highways from then on. Traveling around in the city became easy and stress-free. Going out became fun.

To find out more about our goings-on in Budapest, please read the following Journal Entry, “Budapest, Going Out.”