When we arrived in Budapest, it felt
like we had stepped directly into the beginning of winter. The city was shrouded
in heavy gloom, rain sprinkled down on us and the wind howled down the darkened
streets. The buildings we passed were as elaborate as the ones we had seen in
Vienna, however the buildings here are blackened by dirt and frequently falling
into decay. Dusty black doors and narrow openings along these darkened streets
reveal poorly lit pubs, clubs and cafes, many of which are decorated in a nostalgic
post-war style. There are also a lot of gargoyles and spooky looking statues of
crows and tormented faces and figures. It seems to me that if vampires were to
exist they would feel at home in Budapest.
The hostel we are staying at is rather
arty and decorated with lots of very random and colourful things such as multi-coloured
carpet attached to the walls, a huge nude painting above our bed, writing on
the walls and old postcards lining the hallways. The receptionist here was
really helpful and quirky and would only tell us her “artist’s name”, whatever
that means. On the first day we arrived, she warned us to “stay away from the
gypsies” which I thought was rather funny. Speaking of gypsies, I heard some
amazing gypsy music in a cafe by Buda castle. I wish I knew what it was. It
sounded so wild and chaotic but very engaging.
I think Budapest is a pretty interesting
city and very cheap, though I really wouldn’t want to live here. It’s rundown
in a way I am not used to and I could imagine the winters here being
exceedingly miserable.
I am off to Krakow tomorrow and
looking forward to getting some potato dumplings and beetroot soup there.
