Mummy, why is New Year coming in winter and cold? Survive Happy New Year 2013 as a Hungarian

So here we are, after the end of the world (do you remember? it was 21 december 2012), sound and safe, fat after all those Christmas feasts and cookies, and in the usual winter depression. Actually, I never understood why the New Year has to come in the middle of the December-January transition full with darkness, cold, snow and depression... I'd rather have it in spring when the flowers blossom, it would make more sense, wouldn't it?... Anyway, long story short, this is how we do it today and HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone and see what you need as a Hungarian to glide into 2013 with luck and happiness :)

The Coolest Hungarian souvenirs, batch 1.

I love Budapest T-shirt? Naah. I love Hungarian Girls T-shirt? A little bit better, but come on, really? You can do better! We start a series with cool souvenir suggestions - real 21st century Hungaricums, made by Hungarians for travellers and compatriotrs... With love.

Goose Liver Festival in Budapest

Now the festival season is upon us, why not venture up to the Buda Castle for this year's annual Goose Liver Festival. You will have chance to taste all of the Hungarian goose liver dishes Hungary has to offer. These dishes are based both on traditional and redesigned recipes with wines from the Tokaj region (this years guest) and other Hungarian delicacies, at pretty decent prices!

Let the Festivals Begin...!

Many festivals grace the sands of our beautiful country, and with summer fast approaching it is time to start preparing! Here a few of Underguide's favorite festivals...!

Budapest Pálinka Festival 10th-13th May, 2012

The Hunyadi Court in Buda Castle plays host to the spring Pálinka Festival the aim of which is to introduce high-quality Hungarian fruit brandies, pálinka in Hungarian, to both locals and tourists.

Musical programs, concerts enhance the atmosphere during the 4-day event.

This year the focus will be on pálinkas made from apricot.

Daily tickets: 2 000 HUF includes a tasting glass, 4-day pass (includes a tasting glass): 5 500 HUF.

Opening hours: Thurs-Fri: 14.00-02.00, Sat-Sun: 14.00-24.00

More information: Budapest Pálinka Fesztivál

A Doggie Dog World - A Guide to Hungarian Dog Breeds

With Summer venturing just around the corner, walking through Budapest is becoming more and more like a zoo with every new ray of sunshine, as dogs of every breed from Chihuahua to Great Dane roam the streets of Budapest (accompanied by humans, of course). As hundreds of breeds and mixes cross my path, non stand out so much as the Hungarian dogs themselves... 

Dog lovers out there, prepare to fall in love with the 9 top Hungarian dog breeds, starting of course, with the wonderfully mop-like Puli.

One little Piggy... Hungarian Pig Cutting Feast

This weekend was definitely a first for me... throughout my year in Hungary I have experienced many traditions and festivals, but non so intense as the one and only Pig Cutting.

Arriving at the Hunters Hut in southern Hungary (so far South that my phone tried to connect to a Serbian network), I really didn't know what to expect... we hopped out of the car, and before I could even stand up properly, my dog ran over to what looked like a small whale in a cage! This was by far, one of the biggest pigs I had ever come in contact with. I knew that without a doubt, that this was the last night on earth for this little pig... and soon... to be blunt about it... he would be in mine, and many others' bellies!

When a hobby becomes a profession – the way to the professionalism

Energetic, dynamic, well-prepared… and guests love her! Maybe that’s the reason why Eszter Talabér, the young guide of budapestUNDERGUIDE, has been voted the second best in “The Guide of Year” competition. Apropos of this had a chat with Eszter about her career in guiding.


Journalist Szilvia Pasztor interviews Eszter Talabér about this prestigious award...

Hungarian House of Photography - The embassy of our nation's photographers

Hungarians are everywhere, and amongst the best... We do like to believe this here in the Carpatian basin and in the case of photography this sentence gets quite close to the truth: World wide famous camera holders were born here...

Did you know that Robert Capa's surname means shark in Hungarian (Cápa)? Or did you know that it was the Hungarian photographer Martin Munkácsi to inspire Bresson to start shooting pictures?

Get to know closer everything about Hungarain photography now and then on the English speaking lecture series at the Hungarian House of Photography (Mai Manó Ház).

Janus Winery - A Vineyard like no other..!

During my time in Budapest, I have had the pleasure of tasting many wines, some good - some not so good, but a vineyard that I stuck out to me the most, not just because of the incredible taste of the wine, but the experience it brought with it, was the Janus vineyard in Villány.
My first real Janus experience brought me out of Budapest, into the wonderful region of Villány in southern Hungary, where the 'Janus Szülinapi Borzsongás' (The Janus Birthday Bash) of 2011 was happening.

Pesti Disznó - The first Hungarian Tapas Bar

Ever heard of a traditional/modern Hungarian tapas bar? Neither did I, until, with the help of Underguide, I discovered the wonderfully refreshing ‘Pesti Disznó’ , and a new-yet-traditional interpretation of Hungarian gastronomy.

Ladies with pearls - Ferenciek tere (square)

Ferenciek tere, a beautiful square right in the heart of Budapest.

If this place had to be person, it would certainly be a noble lady. The elegant shapes, frolic curves and  ornaments of the lofty buildings hide even more surprise inside than the fancy decoration on the facades. Modern integrates perfectly into the old style as the light, steel arcs of the snow-white suspension bridge extend over the Danube.      

Let me introduce you to the twin ladies posing on the two sides of the road, Klotild and Matild. Klotild to the south and Matild to the north are perfectly symmetric images of each other. Their names are half real and half part of urban imagination. The land where the two buildings stand now was bought by Archduchess and Princess Clotilde (precisely Marie Adelheid Amalie Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha). She imagined a magnificent gateway to the Elisabeth Bridge; the two buildings, as graceful ladies, welcome people crossing by. The glass paintings are the masterpieces of the Róth Miksa atelier, the one that prepared the glass windows of the House of Parliament, of the Gresham Palace or the National Bank. The towers are topped by the Archduke's crown. 

Luca Day - 13 december - Witchspotting and asking for love hints from pigs

Luca did not bring presents, but punished

Eastern Central Europe is a place where Drakula and other scary faces feel at easy - woods, gloomy weather, medieval castles... So considering this, you won't be surprised to read that we have a very famous witch in Hungary, namely Luca. Her figure got mixed up with that of Saint Lucia, the bride of Jesus who lived in Syracusa - and from this not very usual fusion many entertaining and creepy folk traditions and superstitions were born...

First Christmas mood in Budapest- by expat Amrit Chima

 Vörösmarty Tér:
the crowd drinking mulled wine

It’s getting cold here now and the days are becoming shorter and shorter. With only a wink of daylight before the sun dips back below the horizon around 4 in the afternoon, I’m left shivering in the dark beneath my down jacket. But although many grumble about it, I love these wintry days; I head to my favorite café on Andrássy út, to my cozy corner table where I write and meet friends.

Hungarian wedding and logic - by expat Amrit Chima

Homemade apricot pálinka with homemade tomato juice.
Beyond the table,

There’s been so much movement and sway this past year (as always). I didn’t even see it coming: Daniel and my one-year wedding anniversary.

Just like that it was upon us, a shocking reminder of how rapidly we’re propelled forward through time. Wasn’t I just moving from New York

to prepare for the wedding? Wasn’t I just enduring an onslaught of photographers surrounding me in the reception hall while I danced to Punjabi bhangra music holding a Hungarian paprika keychain in myhand?....

Hungarians do not smile but have nice Basilicas - by expat Amrit Chima

The Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Assumed Into Heaven and St Adalbert

Daniel took me away from the city to Esztergom.

The city is 28 miles northwest of Budapest where the Danube snakes west toward Austria, forming a natural border between Hungary and Slovakia. From the tenth to mid-thirteenth centuries, Esztergom was the country’s capital and is now the center for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. Not much of a shock, then, that the highlight of our trip was a visit to the city’s church, which is also the tallest building in Hungary—The Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven and St. Adalbert.

I prefer to simply call it The Basilica.

Easter Monday is the Hungarian Halloween

In Hungary, as as well in many other countries, Easter's main symbol is a bunny and beautifully decorated eggs. I never understood this bunny stuff so much, especially combined with the eggs... Now I have read that it might be a mistake and the bunny was supposed to be some kind of bird... Traditions evolve. Now we have bunnies and eggs made of chocolate, bunnies lying eggs, eggs made out of bunnies. And I even discovered our Easter is like Halloween, read on to see why.

I would like to wish happy Easter to everyone with this gorgeous cartoon:

"- My ass hurts"

"- What?"

Did NOT See that Coming! - expat tells us the strangest things about Hungary

Billboard of Dalbir, the new spokesperson for Budapest Bank

It’s been a challenge to unearth information about Budapest Bank’s reasoning behind their choice of spokesperson. One new acquaintance said that it was a social experiment to demonstrate that Hungarians are not racist. Upon voting among a Finish, a Spanish, and an Indian Sikh, the overwhelming choice was for Dalbir. And I’ve also seen a Chinese man modeling clothes in a storefront poster, the anomaly next to the other three white models, yet posing confidently and with a dour expression meant to convey his sex appeal. So I was not surprised then when I saw an Asian woman, flesh and blood, walk into a gyro eatery. In a little less than a week, that was about the extent of my exposure to non-Hungarians. It’s not exactly a melting pot, but perhaps it’s getting there—slowly.

Changing the world in a coffehouse - about our springtime national holiday

15th March, our national holiday in spring has presented us this year with a 4 day long weekend. Very thoughtful and kind of a holiday. Thanks.

Also very thoughtful of google to adorn its logo for this occasion - even if it is rather ugly...

Whats up budapest? CARNIVALIA - regular underground partyguide

Okay, there was already a precarnival, and the Carnival of Rio and Venice is just about to start, and I would never dare to compare the period in Budapest to those but still, we are looking forward to a joyful weekend and beware of alive cartoon figure, dead actors and fairies!

Carnival is called Farsang here and all the dancing and celebrating is supposed to make it clear to Mr Winter: Time to go, see you never again! At least, we do not concentrate on this freezing cold but try to figure out what costume to wear. As a child, this heavy responsability was taken off our shoulder by our mothers, so we went as angels, princesses, cowboys, maybe batmans to the kindergarten parties.

THURSDAY

Do you think applied art students have cooler dress ups?? Check them out on MOME Farsang Party in Merlin (quite cool to have your university carnival in Merlin...) while partying to Dj Palotai.. If you play dress up, it will be cheaper.

Alternative Party Guide - On the path of Budapester intellectuals

This week everybody is ill in Budapest more or less. Coughing, sneezing, fever, bed, sleeping. Did too much party las week and year??? No need to worry, just relax a little. Our selection for this weekend for you is chilly program with cafes, spas and museums. 


On the path of intellectuals
People here are snobbishly proud of the marvellous intellectual heritage accumulated through the centuries, the relentless vibe, the coffeehouse life of which Budapest is the catalyst, the crown, the motor, the centre, the flame – whatever you like.