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?

Art Nouveau Wonders in Budapest #2 - Paris Department Store

You might have come across already one of budapestUNDERGUIDE's Art Nouveau programs (http://szecesszio.eu/en), taken part on a free walk on Saturdays or you might have found one of the treasures on the Urban Geocache game. To get you in the turn of century mood, we will publish from now on regularly something about Art Nouveau, Liberty, Modernismo, Secession, or whatever you might call it in your language.

This week, we will tell you about the Paris Department Store - it is a must-see with its Lotz-room!

Let's swim in the Danube in front of the Parliament!

Let’s reclaim the banks of the Danube in Budapest! - our special proposal, a wonderful initiative:

Would you believe that there used to be a swimming pool in front of the Parliament in
Budapest and everybody was allowed to jump into the Danube? Which animal living in the
river do you think was believed to give magical male power that helps the husband perform
his marital duties? Who were the Danube water sellers? What does a street artist can create
out of two white boxes? Where can you lie down on a giant deckchair in the city center on the
riverbank? If you are curious to find out the answers and want to be amazed by the treasures
the city holds during a lovely walk in downtown, Duna Tanösvény (Danube River Trail) is
waiting for you until the 3rd of October.

Art Nouveau Wonders in Budapest #1- Philantia Flower Shop

Philantia Shop window

You might have come across already one of budapestUNDERGUIDE's Art Nouveau programs (http://szecesszio.eu/en), taken part on a free walk on Saturdays or you might have found one of the treasures on the Urban Geocache game. To get you in the turn of century mood, we will publish from now on regularly something about Art Nouveau, Liberty, Modernismo, Secession, or whatever you might call it in your language.

This week, we have Philantia, a little jewelry box on the menu.

Budapest's Eclectic Mix by Amrit Chima

My life in June was relatively uneventful, as is appropriate for this time of year here in Hungary. Not only did Daniel and I spend another two exhausting weeks scrambling to get into our apartment, but we’ve just entered the inertia of “cucumber season”. It’s precisely as many people here have warned: the most exciting event worth reporting is that the cucumbers have begun to ripen…and by how much. Throngs have fled the city after enduring the monotony of their jobs for yet another year (as we in the U.S. are all too familiar with). And although there is an influx of tourists, thickening around festival hotspots, the streets still seem quieter than usual. Though I sometimes feel that I should attend some of these festivals—by missing them surely I’m cheating myself out of an opportunity to fully experience this place—the truth is that we collapsed into our new home with fervor. We didn’t go out except for necessities, instead enjoying books, documentaries, and wine. Friends came to us.

Urban Geocache – Art Nouveau Treasure Hunt

urban geocache - art nouveau treasure hunt

Treasure hunting is cooler than ever - pirates, adventurers and small children have been venturing day by day on new quests in search of that pot of gold, that secret ingredient or the favorite chocolate of theirs. The 21^st century hype, the Geogaching games have revived the excitement of the true outdoor treasure hunts' excitement.