After a birthday holiday in the opulent city of Budapest, I thought it rude not to tell you all about it. From a veggie, stylist and all round lover of the old romanticism’s perspective.
Before starting remember Hungarian Forints is the currency not euros. An easy mistake I was so prone to making had I not exchanged my money earlier.
On arriving to Budapest Airport,I search frantically for a means of transport. Luckily we were bombarded with taxi drivers who all saw the perplexed bewildering of our faces as we searched for words we could decipher. Taxi thats got to be what we are looking for.
Once in our taxi, address written down, my face, face palmed the window as the jet lag took its toll. We set off. As I looked through the window searching for the romancism I had been promised I would see. I was faced with derelict little huts and rundown shops. As the image of beauty crumbled away, the appearance of old grand structures, yellow, creme and pink all came flooding in. The image of grand hotel Budapest was restored. We had arrived in Pest.
As we arrived at Gosdu Udvar the hub for tourists alike. We settled in to our sleeping cave for the next week. We didn’t know it yet, but this little place was going to be the epicentre for food, socialising and gifting. We had everything we needed right where we wanted it.
The Veggie Life
It was to be expected that as a vegetarian I wasn’t going to be able to experience the local dishes as much as hoped. However, I will never forget the taste of that Hungarian salad at 11pm at night as a starved jet lagger, who had woken from a somber and was ready to pounce on the next cheese board that came walking through the door.
Mash, lettuce seasoned with the most aromatic dressing, aubergine & garlic creamy sauce with sourdough bread. This right here was the taste I had hoped from Budapest. That taste of authenticity made by an Irish man.
After that I went from salad to salad, with sheep cheese to goats cheese and the pleasant accompaniment of oranges and honey dressing. It seemed a common necessity in Budapest and I wasn’t complaining. On a hot summers day sitting next to grand building on cobbled floor.Fresh orange juice at hand. I was in nirvana.
Pizza, burgers and Thai food were also common go to eateries, which I found quite strange. There didn’t seem to be much goulash and Langes that I had hoped to see. However the pizza is amazing here. You won’t be disappointed.
If you like cute little coffee shops with chocolate truffles on the side and really thick hot chocolate, then you will be happy to know you can have them day and night here.
If you want Hungarian desserts then look for polka dot wrappers in the fridges of most newsagents. I was told by a local journalist one night that this was the thing to try, to truly know what it felt like to be that happy little hungarian child. A lemon flavoured sweet creme mixture covered in dark chocolate.
The best restaurants I found were:
The Vintage Gardens: A sweet little french restaurant,decorated with class and sophistication. I could only eat the salad here, but they did Vegan cake which was a yes in my books. However I think its taste was a bit too healthy for my liking. Just warning you.
They seem to have a great population of Italians and the authenticity is beautiful. You will always win with pasta or pizza in restaurants here.
The downfall was the New York Cafe. I was told to go for its lavish decor and its amazing food but they hardly had anything vegetarian and it was very pricey.
Art Life
The art life is beaming. With every street corner filled with artwork, posters and cool little independent shops selling things from camera to puppets you won’t be left bored. If anything it will inspire you to create.
Walking down street corners and coming across ruined pubs and studios all different in their own individual quirky way was great.
Kazicum was a studio I had the pleasure of entering. Late night, phone at entrance, welcome signs and artist collaborations. It was a place I could have stayed in forever, just appreciating all the art work. However, lost in translation got me before I could talk in-depth about his work.
Manufaktor was the other little gem that I fell in love with. A quirky handcrafted puppet shop with enchanted mystical characters painted on the windows and Nick caves puppet beaming at me through the glare saying ‘buy me’ I was so gutted that the shop was closed and I was leaving early the next morning.
However if anyone wants to buy the Nick Cave puppet for me feel free to at:
🙂
Szimpla is an artist gallery/ club and its a must see. Filled with over 3o rooms each decorated with a quirky mind from many different artists. Sit in baths, mess with buttons, gather in a cramped saloon and buy a special souvenirs for loved ones. This place is amazing. Trust me it gets really busy at night but its worth the see.
If that gets too hectic then there are plenty of little ruin bars along that road such as Lampas that will fill the music and liquid needs. With a touch of blues or live music and you will be transcended.
Fashion
It took a nice casual backseat. However there are plenty of vintage shops to find little gems . Lots of cool rucksacks and vans.
Places To See:
Hero Square for Contemporary and Fine Art (Pest)
Gillert Hill: For scenic views, castles, Labyrinths and history (Buda)
Vintage Gardens: Fine Dining
Thermal Baths
Chain bridge (it connects Buda and Pest)
Stay in Pest if you want the cosmopolitan lively vibrant city feel or Buda for a more traditional quiet and relaxed living for less money.
Gosdu Udvar is the place to stay. Eveything you need only feet away. On weekends they had antique markets full of handcrafted gifts, old antiques and cameras. I haggled my way for two antique doll hands that cost me 650huf when the guy wanted 1000huf & Jack Whites Polaroid film that shoots in black and yellow for 20euros.I was a happy bear.
Bangshe
X
bangbangshe. 