Both Ashley and I really enjoyed Hungaria (as Ashley and I often mistakenly call it). It was a nice change of pace from the Slavic countries, and felt more like Western Europe than any other place we have visited. From the sights to the architecture to the cosmopolitaness of the people, Hungary is more like Germany or France than Czech Republic or Poland.
We particularly loved Budapest. What a beautiful city. The architecture was amazing, and the sights offered a view into Hungarian life, history and art. Plus, for the most part they were either dirt cheap or free. And while it was tough utilizing the maps offered by our guidebooks to get around, the mass transit system is very efficient and expansive. We also truly enjoyed the food.
The only problems we had in Hungary was the language. Hungarian is quite foreign and we had a difficult time pronouncing and understanding it. We are not quite sure how they make those sounds from the letters. Luckily Ashley speaks some German (which is spoken heavily in every country we have visited) plus many Hungarians speak English. I guess they know Hungarian is too hard for foreigners to learn???
Things that will only interest me
– Music listened to. I did a lot of listening of music in Hungary including Tool, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Wilco, Architecture in Helsinki, and Olivia Tremor Control.
– Books I read. Just finished the biography and am starting on a collection of short stories.
Leave a Reply