Budapest

Like meat? Go to Hungary. Want a taste of the Warsaw Pact with a little “glory days of the Austro-Hungarian empire” mixed in? Look no further than Budapest.

Hungary is an anomaly in Central Europe. Its people do not share ethnic roots with its neighbours, the food is entirely different (to the point that it’s actually flavourful), and the language is about as indecipherable as Mongolian.

As far as Budapest is concerned, you get the feeling that it once had a charm that I can compare only with modern-day Tbilisi; something I can only describe as a “unique cultural enclave.” Alas, a lot of that history has been swallowed up by EU health standards and development money. Gone are the days of the exotic markets and palancinka (thin pancakes) street vendors. In are exorbitantly expensive tourist restaurants and more souvenir shops that one cares to imagine. What I wouldn’t give to go back to Budapest circa 1925. You could probably smell the paprikash upon arrival.

I’ve heard people call Budapest a “grander version of Prague.” You only need to see the parliament, Andrazi Avenue, and the two magnificent train stations to realize this. But the city has something that Prague most certainly lacks: the most ornate and glorious bath house ever conceived. Once inside, you feel as though you are bathing the way the Austro-Hungarians kings intended.

What disappointed me most about Budapest was the lack of old-school goulash joints (the places where you could get a plateful of heavily paprika’d meat). This is what I had been dreaming of. I imagined entering from a side street through a non-descript door and being greeted by the sweet smell of roasted paprika. I would then sit down and be brought a plateful of meat and a jug of red wine without even asking for it. But I digress….

One final thing must not go unmentioned: the Museum of Terror. Like the Warsaw Uprising Museum, it is a chilling, yet fantastic look at life under Soviet oppression. The museum itself is located in the former KGB headquarters, so the underground cells can be seen up close. Perhaps the most provocative exhibit is the one that tries to re-create the smells of a prison cell.

Paprikash, anyone?