Budapest

Coming back to Budapest, I feel at home. Not in some sentimental sense but because I’m greeted with rain and a cold breeze. Google tells me it’s 21 degrees but right now it feels like bliss after two and a bit weeks of sweltering heat.

The city itself is a beautiful place to wander and immerse yourself in. It’s a city that feels like an old favourite jumper- it’s cozy and welcoming and yet tinged with just a hint of melancholy. I meet András, an English teacher born and bread in Budapest. He tells me that melancholy is a key part of the Hungarian state of mind and that victim mentality is a huge part of the national psyche. In András’ words, Hungary is a country with ‘daddy issues’. It fits when you realise that Hungary has been occupied by one empire or another from the 1500s until 1989 when Hungary left the eastern bloc. We cover everything from the EU to Ukraine, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban (nicknamed ‘Viktator’ by his critics) to Trump. What becomes apparent is that Hungary plays between the East and the West against one another, feeling rather neglected by both which leaves a air of distrust in Hungary and a feeling of apathy rather empathy with the Ukrainians currently, after Hungary was left out to dry as they see it when their rebellion against the Eastern Bloc was brutally quelled by the Soviets in 1956.

As I wander the banks of the Danube, it seems like an apt metaphor that the city is split into two by the river with Buda on the west and Pest on the east. It’s easy to forget Hungary’s communist history while wandering through the historical buildings that line the river front and I find myself pondering the future of Hungary in this East vs West playoff as Hungary seems to be pulling away from the EU and following in the footsteps of both Putin and Trump policy wise having recently increased anti immigration and anti LGBTQ legislation. Orban seems to be taking the ‘dictator light ™️’ path however given Hungary’s history with occupations is it any surprise that democracy hasn’t quite found its footing here yet.

With a quick stop for a Kürtőskalác (chimney cake) it’s onward to ZagrebRead more