And… ACTION 2- Hungarian Hollywood: Budapest!

I was curious about the hungarian film-studios who assisted in the many foreign productions and found out that Korda Film Studio – one of the five biggest  film-studios near Budapest is open for visitors. I was really excited about it and on a nice and sunny Sunday afternoon I visited the film-studio in Etyek.  

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!

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.

Valley of Arts - a different festival on the Hungarian Mediterrenean

Summer is festival time here in Hungary. There is barely a free weekend to take a beer and chill out in Budapest, since there is always a friend calling you with the tent on her/his back already, ready to convince you to accompany him/her on the train trip to the chosen festival, to reduce your alimentation to beer and hotdog for a few days, to make short dreams in a sleeping bag, to dance in one second to techno and in the next one to heavy rock and to return back with a few things lost, hair in rasta and unknown numbers in your phone...

....................do you feel like escaping?

Wine, Lakes, Normafa - Expat enjoys Hungary :)

Hey magyar readers! ever wondering how expats see us? So read Amrit's articles, where she tells about her life in Budapest -this time she takes us on on excursion outside of town.

So. I wasn’t exactly ready for what May brought.

Sadly, I spent May consumed by what was happening in our apartment. Obsessed with each stage—scraping away the old walls, plastering, plastering again, sanding, door detailing, primering, painting, and finally delivery of new appliances—Daniel and I had little time or energy remaining for socializing or exploring. We managed a

Happy Birthday 88-year-old Grandpa and 100-year-old houses!- expat Amrit's blogpost

Hey magyar readers! ever wondering how expats see us? So read Amrit's articles, where she tells about her life in Budapest...

I left the US in search of surer footing. Budapest may seem an odd choice. By all first impressions, given the unfamiliar language, the lack of my own social network, and the uncertainty of finding employment, it appears more like a place where I’d be unbalanced and flailing. But good things are happening, and I’m beginning to feel at home for the first time in far too long.

City of Eger - drink wine and wonder on torturing

Last Sunday I was with my family in the city of Eger, in the North-East of Hungary, about a 2 hours' ride from Budapest. Every Hungarian has been on one of the school trips, and then later during university to get a little wasted from the many wines in the Szépasszonyvölgye ("the valley of the beautiful woman" - the name might want to indicate that every woman turns into a beauty after 2 litres of wine :))

Apart from tasting good wines, you can count all the kinds of churches, visit the medieval fortress, meet some medieval fighters and learn in details about the torturing methods of all times in the torture museum!