Budapest, Part 1

I had wanted to visit Budapest for years. I vaguely remember reading about Budapest in a magazine in my teens; the description of the unification of Buda and Pest left me captivated. For the uninitiated, Buda (the west bank) and Pest (the east) were originally separate cities, with the Danube running between them. In 1873, the two cities were combined (also with Obuda) into one city. Now, Buda and Pest still possess their own style; Buda is more conservative, with older buildings, while Pest is home to a younger population and plenty of ruinbars and clubs. Our hostel was in Pest, very close to the Danube.

Nyugati station, an interesting mix of old and new.

The courtyard of our hostel.

We took a quick train from Vienna into Budapest on Christmas Day, impressed by the ease in jumping between countries. We arrived and found our hostel in the afternoon, checked in and set out to see the city before the light was lost. Our hostel was close to the Parliament building, and when we came upon it, we were amazed and spent a bit of time debating whether it was actually a Parliament building. The building was so impressive, so beautiful; far more like a Palace or Cathedral than a municipal building.

The Parliament

Buda by night

A few more beautiful buildings, on the Pest side.

The Szechenyi Chain Bridge

We spent four days in Budapest and thus were able to explore the city in addition to checking out the nightlife. The hostel that we stayed in, The Groove, was small and cozy, situated in an old building with high ceilings and large terraces. As we were staying in a large dorm style room (8 beds), it made sense to hang out with the people who were rooming with us. The coziness of the group really made for great nights out; we stuck together as a unit and really got to know some great people! Strangely enough, the second night, two girls checked in and I recognized one. She was another Painting major at RISD, from my year. The chances are so slim. It was great to hang out with her and discuss art and school, while in Budapest!

The entryway of our hostel

Nearly all Australians and Americans, we had a similar style of seeing the city and managed to make it to a few ruin bars and live shows. I also was fortunate enough to meet up with two friends of a Hungarian Au Pair that I had met in Brussels. She had given me a detailed list of things to do/see in Budapest, which I definitely made use of! They were lots of fun and it was great to get to know the more local parts of Budapest. The next few pictures are mined from the internet, as we didn't take a camera out.

Godor Klub, a space originally designed to be for underground parking, now makes an excellent (but strange) place for live shows and general clubbing. The night we were there, there was live R&B/dance music. Fun!

Godor, the stage.

Instant, a "ruin bar."

Fogashaz, another ruinbar. Since it was just after Christmas, the most iconic ruinbar, Szimpla Kert, was closed.

Another bar, recommended to us by one of the guys who ran the hostel. Live metal music playing, the place was very cool. This is one of Caleb's photos.

The ruin bar scene is a big in Budapest and isn't something I have really seen elsewhere. Mostly situated on residential streets, the bars look like homes from outside, with only a sign (and a bouncer) pointing the way. The area, once the Jewish quarter, was filled with "ruins" of abandoned homes and buildings and they were appropriated and turned into an underground party scene. The things inside are really strange and eclectic, with mismatched furniture and art covering all the walls (and hanging from the ceiling). They have so many nooks and small rooms off of an interior courtyard, often filled with live music, that they could potentially offer every type of night out that you could want. Drinks and conversation, dancing, etc.

On a beautifully bleak morning, the Parliament. Photo taken from the bridge.

Though we did go out a fair amount, we also made a point to get up as early as we could to see the rest of the city. Onto Buda (the Fisherman's Bastion, the Palace, the Castle catacombs, and more) in Part 2...