I got back to Dublin from Vienna last night. Originally, I was going to do a post on St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, but didn’t have time (I left for Budapest the day after). It’s now a week later and really, I didn’t have much to say about it anyway. In sum: the city was much more crowded than usual, the parade was cool, pubs were really busy during the day, then not as busy at night, and it was a fun day. That’s pretty much all I would have said.
As I said, the day after SPD (I just made that up, I think it could stick) I left for Budapest and then Vienna. I’ll write mostly about Budapest and save Vienna for a few days from now.
I decided to go to Budapest without really knowing anything about it. All I knew is that when I wikipedia’d it, it had really cool pictures which made me want to visit. That and it’s relatively far east, and I was interested in seeing what a Central European country is like. The answer surprised me: much like a Western European one. I don’t know if Budapest is typical among cities near it, but it struck me by how Western it seemed. Sure there were still some old Communist-era cars around, people could smoke in bars, and everything was way cheaper–but other than that, it really wasn’t so different. The city-dwellers seemed to be content and prosperous, the streets were clean, and the restaurants were nice. It was a pleasant surprise; I expected it to be more grimy.
Our first night there we wondered from our hostel to the Danube river, which gave us one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen. The river on its own is impressive, but when The Chain Bridge is lit up over it and Budapest Castle is lit up high up the hill above, it really is something special. We wondered up to the enormous castle grounds at around midnight, only seeing one guard along the way. Otherwise, it was deserted–rare for a major European landmark.
Hungary is not on the Euro because its economy is not great, which means everything is much cheaper than it is in Dublin. Beer costs at most 320 forint (~260 forint to one euro) at a pub and two course meals with a drink can be had for the equivalent of eight or nine euro ($12 to $13). A refreshing change. Restaurants, especially those in the downtown area, usually have English menus, but most people’s English skills were limited.
Other than that, we wondered around a lot, taking in the city as best as we could. We visited a synagogue and cathedral, Heroes Square and other monuments. We even got to see a Hungarian bath, which amounted to a heated pool in the courtyard of a palatial-looking building. We decided not to pay to go in though.
All in all, Budapest thoroughly impressed me. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to visit somewhere that isn’t London or Paris.
Back soon with more on Vienna, languages, and McDonald’s.
