Discovering South Buda o a walking tour

I am one of the guides of budapestUNDERGUIDE and right now we are running a campaign Séta van! (Walking!) where we organize free walks every Sunday. We had a nice 2hours long walk in the 11th disctrict, in South-Buda, which is a less visited district of Budapest.

The photo which inspired Bresson to photograph - Martin Munkácsi

http://fotobibliografica.ca/media/Munkacsi_Tanganyika.jpg

In 1932, the young Henri Cartier-Bresson, at the time an undirected photographer who catalogued his travels and his friends, saw the Munkácsi photograph Three Boys at Lake Tanganyika, taken on a beach in Liberia. Cartier-Bresson later said, "For me this photograph was the spark that ignited my enthusiasm. I suddenly realized that, by capturing the moment, photography was able to achieve eternity. It is the only photograph to have influenced me. This picture has such intensity, such joie de vivre, such a sense of wonder that it continues to fascinate me to this day." He paraphrased this many times during his life, including the quotation, "I suddenly understood that photography can fix eternity in a moment. It is the only photo that influenced me. There is such intensity in this image, such spontaneity, such joie de vivre, such miraculousness, that even today it still bowls me over." (wikipedia)

My sister and Frank Zappa - Vadabadas concert in Zappa Café

wikipedia

Imagine the early 1990s, barely after the democratic transition, rendszerváltás (systemchange) how we call it. Imagine the underground movement of this period and their most beloved meeting place. This place was called Tilos az Á (meaning literally "The A is forbidden" after the famous trespassing sign from Winnie the Pooh - it is the Hungarian version of "No T") till it got closed by the authorities in 1995. Now it reopened. Frank Zappa had a concert there 20 years ago and Tuesday my little sister's band, the Vadabadas played here as well. 

whats up budapest? - regular underground partyguide

Budapest is the city of ruin pubs, open-air places and festivals (well, not always, but in summer for sure). It's not summer now and I am a little fed up with ruin pubs as well, so I decided to check out where to go for some fresh dancing. I don't call it clubbing, Budapest is not really a city for clubbing, I'd rather call it just pure partying.

Don't wait for too many options or well-known DJs week by week, I can offer just some interesting venues you should check, where nice people and some promising music can be found. 

Friday - party
Saturday - party

Promising Metropolitan Party Place - SZIKRA

Sunday can be with hangover (másnaposság in HUngarian, meaning "with the next day")

I was in Szimpla (simple), no, sorry, Szikla (rock), no not even that one... Szikra (sparkle), yeah, that's it :) Szikra Cool Tour House has its opening parties series these days and we just had to check it out on this Saturday nigh fever.


We still do not get it what this place was before. Theatre for sure, cinema as well, and than for some period they had random parties or events. Now it is a very retro, yet fancy party place with a huge dancefloor. We were already hungry for something like this!

Lumen Gallery - my dog drank my cappucino and I took a photo of it

The so called Palace district, named after the rich, tremendous residence buildings owned by aristocratic families in the past, has always been my favourite. Not only mine, but of many university students as you have many important universities, libraries, cafes and other cultural points next door. On the most charming square, in my opinion the most Mediterranean spot in Budapest, where I used to cross in my university year, the best place for a photo exhibition and high quality caffee is the very tiny Lumen Gallery.

Klub Vittula - go underground

 You are in front of the shiny New York Palace (Boscolo Hotel) building, close to Blaha Lujza square. Go further back, and turn left in Kertész utca. Before, you can buy cigarettes in one of the shops, then after 5 metres if you forgot something, you can enter in the next 24 hour shop for a beer, or an ananas. 
Now you are ready to enter underground. Find the red door (which in the dark looks actually pretty black) of Vittula, mind the step and sometimes the candles and press enter.