Budapest – The City of Cheap Culture and Class

I recently made a spontaneous decision to go to Budapest, Hungary, with some friends who invited me to join them on their trip. It was not my idea to go, and would never have been my first choice of the next city I wanted to visit, but I knew it would be stupid to pass up on a travel opportunity... and I am SO glad I didin't.

I had never considered Budapest as a tourist hotspot…and my opinion on this did not change after my amazing visit there. Budapest has managed to preserve its charm, resisting the economic pressure (it is certainly not the richest capital in Europe) of becoming a tourist-trap, without behaving in a hostile manner towards foreigners.

If I were to describe Budapest in one word, it would be unique. As much of a cliche as this sounds, it is honestly the most succinct and effective way to describe the city. I could write a book about how diverse and exciting Budapest is…but I’m going to stick to detailing my most pleasant and intriguing surprises to keep it blog-style friendly.

The locals: Helping you to find your way before you even realise you are lost

Even before our plane touched down, my friend Alex and I became acquainted with our first incredibly friendly Hungarian on our flight.  The girl sitting next to us, needing no introduction or an opening plea for help, asked us outright:

 “Excuse me, but what are you wanting to do in Budapest? You want to drink in pubs? You want to visit?”

Despite the fact that she was alone, and we, the noisy excitable foreigners, outnumbered her 2:1, she made the first move to strike up a conversation. We were taken aback by the confidence and kindness that this Hungarian exuded, and I straightway gave her my notebook to write down the great finds and local knowledge that she was coming out with. She was away, jotting everything and anything down she could think of to help us, from the best bars, to where the hot springs were, and even numbers for the reputable taxi companies. We couldn't have asked from anything more at that point in time even if we had asked her ourselves.

Hungary’s morbid past which never really died

It wasn’t just her confident friendly nature that appealed to us, but also her evident deep respect for Hungary’s tragic history.  She began to explain about the Communist regime during the 1950s and her tone and choice of words made it clear that such a disturbing history was still palpable among the younger Hungarian population. This particular kind of respect for your own country's past is not something I have seen an equivalent of in the younger generations of other European cultures.

This living legacy remained evident during our first day exploring the city. Our tour guide dedicated a significant period of time to summarising Hungary’s history…most of which was completely new information to me (although I do admit my knowledge of history is equivalent to that of a 13-year-old). It was incredibly interesting, and it certainly motivated us to visit the ‘House of Terror’ – a memorial museum dedicated to the communist atrocities that occurred in Hungary during the 50s. It is definitely worth a visit, and the exhibition succeeds in giving a well-rounded, informative view of this period in Hungary’s history, all the while remaining sensitive to the lives lost. There are videos, sound bites, reconstructions of offices and even a trip down to the prisoner cells themselves. Be warned: this experience is both humbling and disturbing. You will not come out feeling on top of the world, but you will certainly appreciate how lucky we are to enjoy the freedom today we have today.

Linguistically Lost (and loving it)

There were 5 of us in our group, and between us we speak fluent English, (close to) fluent French, a smattering of Spanish, some shaky German, and a few key phrases of Italian. However, NONE of our linguistic capabilities could be applied to the mysterious Hungarian language which turns names and dates backwards and has no linguistic roots we could attempt to relate to.

The most destabilising experience we felt during our stay had to be our trip to the Post Office to buy stamps. None of the workers there could speak any English, and the fact that we spoke no Hungarian didn't seem to phase them; they continued to politely explain whatever they wanted us to understand about the postal system without batting an eyelid at our bemused expressions. We were totally lost. This experience truly highlighted how debilitating it is to have no linguistic crutch to lean on in a foreign country. Nevertheless, the excellent English the young Hungarians spoke helped towards bridging the language gap, and their willingness to assist the floundering foreigners definitely made us feel more at ease, to such an extent that  even such an imposing language barrier didn't prevent us from enjoying our stay.

High class on a low budget

The currency in Hungary is another point of confusion. Don’t be thinking you can get your spare Euros spent here, the Hungarian Forint is the national currency, with 300 Forint being equivalent to 1 Euro. This does take some getting used to, but, once you get your maths up to scratch, you realise that paying 4,000 Forint for last-minute box seats at the State Opera House is a steal. For around 12 euro, we were able to appreciate, or at least attempt to with our very limited high culture understanding, the stunning architecture, lighting and choreography of the Hungarian ballet.  Not even a year after being a scroungy skint student, we were sitting back and enjoy the magnificent ballet performance with enough money left over for a 3 course meal afterwards (again, only a mere 10 euro with wine...). Accompanied by its beautiful musical score, it didn’t really matter to us that we did not understand a good 60% of what was going on, not having read  Gone With The Wind before we went. I always presumed a trip to the ballet in a European Opera House was a luxury reserved for those with a much larger salary and a much classier lifestyle than my own, but in Budapest, you do not have to be rich to make the most of the rich culture.

Forget the Euro…go get your Forint!

I would recommend Budapest to anyone…whether you’re seeking history, eclectic nightlife, high class culture, relaxation or just somewhere new to discover. Budapest has it all and does not boast about it. Don’t be put off by its mysterious language and ridiculous currency…it’s all part of the adventure. If you take the right attitude, the confusing aspects of this country are ironically what facilitate chatting to Hungarians and overall enhance your appreciation of the cultural highlights in this captivating city.