Fast Cars

In 1986,the Hungaroring racing circuit at Mogyoród,  a small town 18 kilometres away from Budapest, hosted the first ever Formula 1 race held behind the Iron Curtain. The first winner was Brazilian Nelson Piquet and the race has been held yearly ever since. It is now held in early August, which leads to it being one of the hottest and dustiest races in he calendar- in the same period the Sziget festival is also taking place, so the city is literally overtaken by hoards of tourists. Hungarians love a bit of Formula 1 anytime, so this year one of the major mobile telephony companies is bringing Mc Laren driver Jenson Button for some fast racing on a street circuit around the Basilica for some outdoor Mayday entertainment. The cars are being exhibited on Deák Ferenc street right by the square, those with technical inclinations can have a go at some race simulations and tyre changing.

Splashing Around

Summer hit Budapest quite unexpectedly this weekend, and those who could not make an escape to the Hungarian Sea (the majestic Lake Balaton, that is) had to settle with the city's pool resources. Which mercifully are quite wide ranging: several baths run all year round, other open only for the hot season. From the all year rounders Rudas and Király, the two Turkish baths, do not have open areas, so in summer they are more suitable for rainy days or evenings (Rudas has night bathing sessions on Friday and Saturday), but Szécheny,Lukács and Gellért have both open and covered areas. The strictly open air baths (classified as strand), such as Palatinus and Római usually open on May 1st, but this year the season started a few days early due to the April heatwave. For those unwilling to take a dip themselves, there is always the alternative of watching the ducks have some diving lessons in the Városliget thermal pond.

Summer's Here

The period around the first if May is often unusually warm in Budapest, sadly in the past few years the rest of the month did not really live up to the expectations. This time around some Saharan air has again found its way to our fair city, and the temperatures are expected to rise to around 30 degrees Celsius. A good place to spend the sunny bank holidays is Városliget, where you can enjoy the first tan of the season and indulge in some summery favourites, such as hot corn, candyfloss or ice cream. Those of a more romantic disposition can test some dandelions to see which way their love takes them- if their love makes any sense, it will forever bring them back to Budapest.

Owl City

So owls have been riding the hip wave recently and Budapest's souvenir sellers naturally followed suit.This shop close to Saint Stephen's Basilica has a windowful of them, in all shapes and sizes, made of wood, plastic, stone, crystal, ceramics and even Herendi porcelain, to fulfill the needs of all pockets and tastes (or lack thereof). Most of them are as impractical as they are cute, but the big one in the middle, as you can see, will serve you as a clock too.

Sweat Treats

Lukács Cukrászda is located on Andrássy street's "second half", which goes from Oktogon to Heroes' Square- there are less fancy shops and restaurants but quite a few stately mansions, embassies and art galleries. The tourist crowd tends to skip this part, often taking the metro from Oktogon and resurfacing only at the square. This gives the area a more local, leisurely feel and while peacefully strolling along you can drop in to Lukács for some sweet delights- the patisserie has been operating at this very spot since 1912 and after a few decades of communist decay, it has been renovated in 2007- it is one of the pricier patisseries in town, but they offer a good range of Austro-Hungarian classics along some newcomers such as cupcakes and maccarons.In summer you can drop in for an icecream which will last you all the way to the square. 

Little Italy

Budapest does not have an Italian quarter like we've seen in the movies, but the Italian expat community is definitely one of the liveliest in the city. Besides an army of restaurants, the faithful crowd is also served by an ever increasing number of cafes and shops supplying original Italian foodstuff. Many restaurants wear their heart on their sleeve when it comes to the team they support: Millenium da Pippo on Andrássy is home base for the Juventus fans of Budapest, providing excellent pizza, pasta and Siclian fish dishes and an environment filled with various Juve related paraphernalia. The TV is of course a must for watching the games and be prepared for incessant screams and expletives alongside your arrabbiata during a match. Today the tifosi celebrated an all-important away win at Cesena and Liberation day, which is a national holiday Italy.

Budapest Zen

There are many tea houses in Budapest and although I gave it my best shot I am sure I haven't been to all of them. Only Jókai street has at least three, and out of these Tea Palota a Potalához is my favourite-maybe in the whole city actually. It advertises itself as the first organic tea house in the city and it's definitely the most Tibetan- they have a main floor with a classic tables and chairs arrangement, a top floor with bean bags and a separate area with snugs that can be rented by the hour.The decor is Tibetan, dominated by a wall sized painting of the Potala Palace, the main residence of the Dalai Lama. The range of teas is quite impressive going from Tibetan butter tea (to be drank salty) to a wide array of Chinese, Japanese, African and South-American teas (yes, I know the latter being roiboos and mate/lapacho are not really teas, but nevermind).The prices and the staff are friendly, for the always hungry they have some hot sandwiches and sweets and for those in need of extra zen next to their tea, shishas are available in the bean bag area. (http://www.potalateapalota.hu/index.php)

Lilac City

One of the awesomest things about spring is how the flowers mark the progression of the season: we start of with shy snowdrops, move on to an ubiquitous sea of yellow daffodils and raucous multicoloured tulips. get high on the smell of hyacinth and get dazed by the pink explosion of cherry blossoms and magnolias. The end of April comes with a scent of lilac and lily of the valley- the running path on Margit Island is guarded on all sides by lilac trees exploding in purple and white flowers: on warmish evenings when the air settles the smell can be quite overwhelming and adds an extra kick to the dopamine surge of the run.

Happy Hippy Sunday

This lovely vehicle was parked on my street today. It comes from Sweden, it is therefore a Volvo, and it's one happy car. 

Budapest Book Festival

Millenáris  park and cultural centre is hosting the 19th Budapest Book Festival (http://www.bookfestival.hu/angol.html) this weekend, with Scandinavia as a special guest. The festival takes place in three of the buildings, plus some stands are strewn over the park area. Judging by the crowd yesterday, not all is lost and many people in Budapest are still interested in buying books. An event at  Millenáris  can be a tad confusing at times, as locating the particular venue you need is not always an easy task. The park, located in Buda next to the Mammut shopping centre, has a lake, some green areas and several buildings, which give place to concerts, exhibitions, fairs, plays and children's activities. You can check their website and take your pick: http://www.millenaris.hu/.

The Humble Geranium

Or pelargonium, as it seems that the English denomination is a bit confused and confusing. In Hungarian they are simply called muskátli, and are recommended as the flower of choice for the talentless gardener as they tend to survive both bad weather and bad skills. Many windows of Budapest have a little geranium plantation outside, most often lovingly cared for by a little old lady who waters them during her daily street inspection. Besides decorative purposes, geraniums are also used in the perfume industry as a substitute for the more expensive rose extract. Shady little flowers, aren't they.

More Than a Meal

Ráday street is duly famous for being basically a string of restaurants- come spring, and it all gets more exciting as they basically spill over onto the street itself with their terraces. You name it, Ráday has it: typical Hungarian kifőzdes with food that reminds you of your grandma in the happy case or a communist canteen in the sad one, the usual suspects- several Italian themed restaurants with some local food added for the tourists, the less usual suspects- a Persian restaurant, one serving the Romanian specialty "mici", a red cross hamburger stand and an Asian-American fusion with mean spicy wings, the well established group serving set lunch menus for the office crowd working nearby, somewhat run down looking restaurants with a bar feeling that serve beer and simple but hearthy food to be washed down with said beer, hangouts for cocktail fiends and Budapest's first Michelin star winner. The list is not exhaustive, and Ráday goes beyond being a mere catwalk for restaurants, once you set foot on it, you get acquainted to a little part of this city's pulsating heartbeat. How can you not love a street where restaurants have cats, smiling preserves and Keith Richard pie?

Budapest Broadway

The history of Nagymező street goes all the way back to the 18th century, when this area was exactly what its name suggests: a big field. It was therefore called Feld Gasse and later Grosse Feld Gasse so today's Hungarian name is a translation from the German, and the street has been wearing this name since 1874. It was nicknamed Budapest's Broadway, as it hosts quite a few theatres: Thália  Színház  (http://www.thalia.hu/), Radnóti  Miklós Színház (http://www.radnotiszinhaz.hu/), Tivoli Színház, Mikroszkóp Színpad and Budapesti Operettszínház. As if this was not enough, it's also the home of Mai Manó Ház (the museum of photography) and Ernst museum. To party animals it is well known for Moulin Rouge, straight across from Thália- don't expect anything spectacular, it is a far cry from the original, mostly about people trying to show off and paying obscene prices for watered up drinks. If you want a Budapest original, follow the trail of hipsters to Instant, the fanciest ruin bar in the city. They even have owls with boobs.

The Red Sea

A red sea of flowers on Heroes' Square- one of the best places in Budapest if you want to set out for a day's (or actually even a week's) worth of entertainment: the Museum of Fine Arts and the Kunsthalle can be found right in the square, the Zoo and the Szechenyi baths are just a few minutes walk away, so is Vajdahunyad castle and the Varosliget park. A bit further away you can drop in to Pecsa concert hall for some evening entertainment, followed by a few drinks at Pantlika, the Varosliget's very own ruin bar.

The Unavoidable

No photographer can quite resist the nighttime lure of the Danube and its illuminated bridges. The first one to shine was the Chain Bridge, then Freedom Bridge also got the glam treatment and now Elisabeth bridge is  alight too. The Chain Bridge is the most prone to after dark sightseeing porn, as you can nicely add the Parliament if shot from the Buda side, or the castle if shot from the Pest side. Freedom Bridge above comes in second, with a bit of the Gellert hotel and spa in the background, for the future I've set my mind on a Freedom Bridge-Statue of Liberty overkill. For all those interested in a bit of evening art beware, the light show closes at 12 pm.

A Night at the Opera

I must admit I am not much of an opera fiend, and this shot was actually taken early in the morning while walking to work on Andrássy street. There is a certain quiet grace to Andrássy in the morning, and the opera house fits perfectly into the landscape. It was built in the late 19th Century and is one of the city's most   impressive neoclassical buildings. There are guided tours outside show times, so it is worth visiting even for savages like me. For those in the know, the repertoire seems rather impressive and they have shows well into the summer season. (http://opera.hu/en/repertoar)

Magnolia

Before any Eastern European peoples start bickering about the boring subject of who was here first, they should think of the magnolia- a Magnolia mirabilis variant was growing in what is now Hungary almost 20 million years ago. Its present sisters are much younger though, they were brought to this area at the end of the 18th Century for the arboretum of nobleman Miklós Eszterházy (to make things even more fascinating the arboretum is now stranded on Austrian territory). Magnolias however don't seem bothered by such menial facts, they just peacefully bloom on year after year. Wise flowers.

Shoe Shine

Like Brussels or Vienna, Budapest is one of the European capitals that can pride itself with its very own version of art nouveau, or secession, as it was called around here. Hungarian secession keeps the trademarks of the genre adding a distinct somewhat oriental feeling, reaching back to the Asian origins of Hungarians. The most prolific architect was Ödön Lechner, who designed, among others, the impressive building of the Museum of Applied Arts. The building above is somewhat off the beating track of secession sights in Budapest: hidden in Wesselényi street, it was built in 1905 as the home of the Shoemakers' Syndicate

Quiet

Csendes is a newer addition to the city's famous ruin bar scene, and one with a twist, for that matter.Self titled as a "létterem" (a wordplay using the Hungarian language's wonderful ability of word building, létterem is a "life space", built onto "étterem", which means restaurant). The name should not fool you though- Csendes offers only some sandwiches when it comes to food and is most definitely not quiet. It is a bustling student hangout with lovely polka dot teacups and Guinness on tap. To further add to its charm, it is occupying the space of what was once one of Budapest's most famous coffeehouses, the Fiume, the original wrought iron columns have been kept without any repainting.Fiume lived its heyday at the end of the 19th century, when the Parliament was in the nearby Bródy street and the Fiume became the heart and soul of every demonstration. These days Csendes is less concerned with politics, but more so with art and culture as  an essential hub for the students of the nearby ELTE university.

A Ride on Sweat Street

If yesterday I was saying that the slope descending towards Gellert square is a lighter task, some city planners seem to disagree. Whether it's a proof of their humour or they simply ran out of great men and women to name the street after, this one is called Sweat Street (They could have of course tried to name it Szechenyi, or Liszt Ferenc. But at least Arany Janos street, there seems to be one of those in each of Budapest's districts, to the great dismay of utterly confused travelers). You will nevertheless break a sweat while climbing this narrow cobblestone alley, so this might just be one of the most aptly named streets in the whole city. It is mercifully not too long though, and once done with, you can enjoy the blooming vegetation of the hillside.

Urban Workout

The main hunt for the city's runners if of course Margaret Island, but if you feel a bit stuck in a hamster wheel doing the same 6 kilometre routine over and over again, climbing Gellért hill can prove a pleasant distraction. It can also point out the existence of some unknown muscle groups which are apparently not used while you run, but are sorely required when you climb. One of the steeper routes meanders up the hillside from Elisabeth bridge- it is certainly tiring if walked at a quick pace but it rewards you with a splendid view that widens as you go up and you can always take a rest on one of the benches scattered along the alleys.

Crazy April

April is well known for being a bit of a schizoid month (no wonder I was born in April :), and this year it is really living up to it's fame in Budapest: we started off with cool weather, then hit a summery note with a few days when you could peacefully walk around in your T-shirt and now we are back in the freezer. It even snowed, although not in the heart of the city. The locals are nevertheless braving the weather and Margit Island is pretty populated. And rightfully so as there is an invasion of white-pink-purple flowers, from magnolias to cherry trees everyone wants to join in the frenzy. To avoid the chill you can rent a bringohinto (http://www.bringohinto.hu/), indulge in some hot corn or candyfloss and visit the small zoo and the lake for a session of duck and fish feeding.