Axel Holst
myBlog

Is Budapest any different to any other metropolis world-wide? No. Just another capital, another big town, but hey – I am in Budapest!

Waking up this morning it was time to realise it is raining again. For crying out loud – rain, again! As if it hadn’t rained enough over the last 4 days. Never mind, it is as it is and you have to do with it. As simple as this. But with such weather there is no point staying another day out here in the Styx. So I wrapped up everything quickly for the drive to Budapest.

On the way to it the weather did not change for the better. Though I can count myself lucky having used the sunny spell half way through last days and cycled around the lake.

Arriving in Haller Camping of Budapest I was greeted by a gentleman and led around the site. In proper Hungarian and the situation was a bit strange. It turned out he is mentally handicapped and just helping out, so that explains why. Cool he gets something to work! This is what distinguishes mankind from any other biological species … social thinking!

Anyhow, Hubert parked in, sorted registration and went off on my bicycle into town. Obviously, if you don’t dispose of a guide you may miss a lot. But as long as you are not too much into architecture, culture or anything like this, just enjoy the vibration of the town and cruise through the streets.

I went into the city centre, Parliament, went over to the other side of the Danube, onto the island and back again into the parts of town between Parliament and central Train Station.

But when you cruise around without any knowledge, any guide, just where you feel ok to go along you may really miss out on a lot. Staying on your own, having forgotten your locker for the bicycle and being short in time – what is the alternative? So just do not intend trying to see as much as possible. Cruise around, follow your nose and breathe in Budapest. Nothing else to do and this is how to get the most out of the city.

You see something on the left? Go for it. You feel something to the right? Turn right. If neither left or right, keep straight. But always mover forward. Don’t stand still and wait, unless you are watching something. But within half a day you cannot see anything thoroughly. So at least check out town thoroughly superficially.

This way you can get a good impression of the place, see how it functions. Check out the buildings even if you have no idea what went on inside these walls during last centuries. End up in parks, on a medieval market, a cycling event. Sit anywhere down and have a coffee. Rest at busy street corners and just watch the craze.

If you don’t have enough time and neither the information at hand to check out thoroughly, just jump into it and plunge … breathe in what the place offers at any given place and moment. Live the feeling and forget the hop-on-hop-off busses. Just do your thing and become a part of where you are!

This is how I at least normally do if I am somewhere but don’t have much time for myself for checking out the place. I know there is so much to see and experience, but what if you just cannot get to it? It is a shame, but what can you do? So at least live it and don’t even try to get as much as possible out of the limited time you have.

Enjoy the place, just enjoy it. Much better than a struggle for high effectiveness. There are better moments for it!