During a long career in international education and visiting 70 countries, I still take pleasure in travel. I am catching up with reflecting/blogging on a hectic fall travel schedule. In the last weekend of September, I annually attend the CEESA Directors’ Meetings hosted by one of the schools. This fall’s conference was in Budapest, Hungary, one of my favorite cities in Central Europe. The city holds memories for Nadia and me when our children were young. We used to visit often when we lived in Belgrade, Serbia (2008-2014). It was only a roughly 3-hour drive north of Belgrade. We were newly living in Europe and were amazed that in a short distance, you could have a totally different language and culture. We loved taking the kids to the baths in the evenings, and Budapest has the best Christmas Markets in all of Europe, even better than Austria and Germany. Nadia and I ran the Budapest Half Marathon, and we loved walking through the squares and the beautiful buildings left by the Habsburgs. Coming back after more than 10 years, I didn’t think the city had changed much. The architecture along the Danube (Dunav in Serbian) is magnificent. Combining the sites with Hungarians enjoying good restaurants, bars, and clubs makes for a fun weekend. The nightlife had a vibrancy that felt much different than the scene in Tashkent.
Walking along the Danube is one of the highlights of the city. Above to the left is the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, the first bridge established that connects the Buda and Pest sides of the river. I remember the Neoclassical architecture style with the famous lion statues. The kids used to love crossing the bridge and seeing the lions. We crossed it twice to go to dinner on the Pest side, where most of the bars and restaurants can be found. The lighted Hungarian Parliament Building was stunning. I didn’t know that the central dome you see in my photo rises 96 meters, signifying the year 896, when the Magyar tribes settled in Hungary.
The dining scene is brilliant in Budapest! Of course, I needed to order the famous mangalica gulyás (Hungarian Goulash). The “Mangalitza” is a famous Hungarian breed of pig, distinctive for its long hair and delicious-tasting flesh. We went to a rooftop bar that overlooked the famous Vörösmarty Square, the site of the main Christmas Market in the city. It is named after a 19th-century Hungarian poet. Looking up to Gellert Hill, I was reminded of what this city and its inhabitants went through in the 20th century. The city was the scene of horrific battles during World War II followed by a brutal occupation by the Soviets. On top of the hill is the Liberty Statue (Szabadság-szobor). I am happy the Hungarians have an independent country after so many years of oppression.
This visit was different for me because I didn’t have young children. That allowed me for the first time to experience Budapest’s most famous “ruin bar” Szimpla Kurt located in the old Jewish Quarter of the city. “Ruin Bars” (romkocsma) are a uniquely Budapest phenomenon. These are bars/night clubs that opened in abandoned warehouses, factories, and courtyards. Szimpla Kurt opened in 2002 and inspired the movement. It is a huge complex with a central courtyard, multiple floors, and various distinct bar areas with a capacity of probably 1000 people. My first thought was I wish I had visited a ruin bar 40 years ago! There was one table with people my age, but it was mostly a younger crowd with a lot of tourists mixed in with Hungarians. It was a cool experience to soak up the vibe, but we didn’t stay long.
I finished the weekend with a run up into the Buda hills on Sunday morning. I ran to the Buda Castle District Town Hall (Budavári Önkormányzat) and took in the views from the Holy Trinity Square. The memorial column to the left of the photo commemorates the end of an epidemic from 1713. I wonder if they erected one for the end of COVID? It was so nice to run along the Danube again. I stopped for a bag of groceries which is a traditional activity of my business trips. Nadia and Ocean love seeing the delicacies and foods I buy that we can’t get in Tashkent.
I flew out in the afternoon, making a connection overnight through Istanbul. It was great to reconnect with friends and the delightful city of Budapest again after so many years.
Bill's Blog 