A Deak Ferenc ter kovet kezek

So as a Turkish student my journey to the land of Hungary took off around late January. As the plane was declining the weather outside seemed bitter and harsh, trees were covered in snow and there wasnt much of a sight to witness anything besides for the white beauty nature served so eagerly. I took a cab from the airport to my Hotel which was in the city centre with the companionship of a friendly driver who was most eager to let me in on a few details concerning the language and the city. Allthough we had a hard time understanding each other properly it was still quite nice of the gentleman to try warm me up. 

After the industrial parts of the city are left behind and Budapest starts revealing itself it is prominently impossible for a human being to not fall in love with the architecture that webbs the city. Budapest, as far as I have witnessed, is one of the few and rare cities in our blue globe, that has successfully merged tradition with futurism. It is one of the pioneering delights of the city that an individual can obtain during their visit no matter how much time they can spare for the city. The Hungarian folk have asthonishingly intertwined the true, classic beauty of their historic architecture, goblins and all sorts of other carvings with the glass and sort of smugg looking buildings that are leading a path into the future. The killer point is that due to the correct usage of coloring contrast those from both the future and the past stack on greatly with one another without having to disturb the eye.

During my first week which I spent in the hotel I had the oppurtunity to take hikes in to the city centre and get to know my surrounding that were going to be essential for me in the upcoming months like banks, convenience stores, internet cafes, pubs, restaurants..you name it. Now since Budapest, or Pest side at the very least is built on straight ground which makes it enjoyably easy to travel around without getting exhausted dearly. Buda side to be honest has more hills and isn't as easy to get around. The only thing that weares you down during winter time is that Budapest actually makes you feel like you have moved into a refrigerator thanks to the Donau that brings in a great amount of humid cold into the city.

As time went by I moved into my appartment that was only a two minute walk to the Deak Ferenc ter, situated of Karoly Korut. One gets to eat different sorts of food in Budapest, from local food like the famous Goulash or Dobosz, or one can enjoy other specialities like the Turkish and Chinese cusines that are always around the corner. Besides for thkse the city also provides with vegan choices where one can obtain their nutition accordingly. The prices are not so cheap but I can honestly say that for about an average of 4.5 euros it is impossible to stay hungary in Budapest. 

As I get to the point what everyone is wondering it goes without saying that Budalest is a hardcore partying city and the booze seem to be surfacing from an endless quell. There are thousands of pubs, bars, night clubs and anything else that one can dream of with the hopes of partying. The beautiful thing is that individuals or groups can move in between places with differentiating concepts just across the street. You might find yourself feeling rather hispanic with gypsy motives at one point, where as it is also possible to feel like you have witnessed the fall of the great Berlin Wall after spending your entire life in Eastern Germany all thanks to the weird and absorbing designs of clubs. Drinking is not as cheap and affordable as one might hope but since there are literally thousands of options around the city you will in no time figure out which place is cheap on which evening to go out with friends. 

I should also mention that during my stay of over four months I was quite happy by the decent demeanor and polite behaviour of the Hungarian people. Not a single person was rude in anyway whether I had contact with them on the street or anywhere else like restaurants, subway, schools, hospitals, markets..you name it.

Since you will be travelling around a lot in the city whether it is for academic purposes or fun it is also important that I inform you over the options. Subway and tram lines cover almost all parts of the city that handle the human traffic daily. Students can simply get cheaper travelling tickets just by bringing in their required papers from their school. It costs roughly around 10 euros monthly for unlimited transport usage around the city. Else if you get caught freeriding around you will have to pay some bitter fines so get your tickesmts and keep them with you at all times. One can also get some great and cheap pizza from the subways as one is on the road travelling. It is also possible to take both bus and ferry rides in the city that would bring you to most of the historic and important places. Not to forget one must also be a little carefull with the subway escalators that are sometimes a little too fast.

As I have mentioned before it is quite a lovely town and during spring the city starts revealing its beauty tremendaously. My personal favorite parts of the city were the neighbourhoods covering the areas in between the river bank to the left and the ending of Westend shoppingmall, reaching all the way down to the old parliament building. Quite lovely neighbourhoods where the words noise and distubance have not been heard of yet. There are loevly little wine boutiques, beautifull streets covered with little flowers and calm. As one approaches the surrounding areas around the old parliament building it is inevitable to admire the architectural beauty, so formidable, that Budapest has to offer. I personally spent great time enjoying the food from a gourmet store close by to the parliament. Not to forget Buda side of the city, that is to the west of Donau offers also a lot of activities. One can simply go sightseeing of the old castle lying atop hill, go trekking in the lovely suburbian neighbourhoods or maybe simply spending an evening with some delicious food or going to a concert with friends while getting to first enjoy the remarkable view of the city whilst crossing over from a number of elegant bridges.

Yet another great part of being situated in Budapest is that it is within range of many other surrounding countries so in just three to four hours you can simply find yourself enjoying the art and chocolate in Vienna or maybe you will have ended up in Slowakia. Who can dare guess. The only thing that I can certainly point out is that there is no running out of opportunities.

All in all Budalest will offer to those who chose to experience it, with great memories that will last a life time. If it is something that is a little different that you are aiming for I can assure you that after experiencing this marvellous city you will not be left heartbroken.