hungary games

the chain bridge linking buda with pest

synagogue in pest (one of the few that survived the war)

streets of pest

a random old castle

hero square

terror museum

outside parliament

crossing the chain bridge

emil says:


budapest is ok.  i would not go so far as to suggest one not come here but i would not suggest a precious 1 week vacation be used in this fashion either.  it is filled with unique habsburg-esque barogueness mixed with a flury of drab 'n' sad soviet influence. the russian tanks left here only about 20 years ago so i get the sense folks are still rebuilding and rediscovering their selves. a fitting phrase might be 'budapest looks like prague did 20 years ago' and i get the sense that city planners are trying to make a push towards the coveted tourist trade. i am sure that as prague gets even more overrun with tourists budapest will surely see some needed spillover. one can see this in pest where vast stretches of the city's main avenues are littered with rather modern commercial ventures but sadly there just does not seem to be enough bodies to consume the goods.  it is almost spooky.  the castle type structures on the buda side are fantastic and the bridges spanning the twisting danube river are seriously lovely. add a sweet detour to a 100 year old funky hungarian 'bath' consisting of thermal springs in various lukewarm indoor/outdoor pools/ponds in varying states of hygenic acceptability filled to the brim with all sorts of chernobyl babies and 300 pound masseuses named 'igor or ivana' and its a decent way to spend a few days.  budapest felt a bit more interesting than austria, but not by much.   

atten-hut!

laurel says:


budapest was one of emil's picks for the trip- not on my list of must sees- but everyone was raving about how budapest is the new prague, so i figured we should go check it out.  in the words of randy jackson: 'it was just al-right for me.'  it is a 2 day max type of town.  you can definitely get a feel for the real eastern europe here- it is much more raw and gritty and remnants of the soviet era still loom in the air.  but they are actively sprucing up the place in hopes of luring tourists.  the castles, churches and bridges have been beautifully restored.  and walking around castle hill on the buda side showcases some stunning architecture and views of the danube.  afterwards you can soak in the famous gellert thermal spa (if you don't let your germaphobia remind you that it is just one big petry dish of foulness.)  at night there are some cool restaurants and hipster bars to keep you busy.  it was cool for a weekend stop but overall, not a love.

streets of buda

matthias church

overlooking budapest 

the winding danube