After spending some days in Salzburg, eating pastries and visiting a traditional hut-stop high in the mountains from which sliding down was like an adrenaline kick, i headed to Budapest where i have spent my first day walking around traditionnal coffee houses and enjoying myself.
The city remembers me of Paris, exept that there is no Marais. It remembers me of Berlin, except that there is nowhere a sign of the city inhabitant’s identity crisis.
I wish Budapest would have some of the artsy area which i most like about european cities, streets to wander around and look at artists work – jewelery, fashion, kiosks… Maybe i did not walked enough yet, but right now i miss the clash caused by the contrast of the old and the new, the visible mark left in between generations. This i have not seen yet, neither in people’s style and in the architecture. But again, there are still 3 days to this trip. Right now, i am enjoying myself in views which look like they could be taken out from Maira Kalman’s journal.
You definitely should pay a visit to Prague if you haven’t already. There’s a lot of contrasting old and new, I think, plus the historical center is all like Marais, even better. 😉
Artsy area in Budapest: try Kiraly utca,
and/or I recommend Szentendre an artsy suburb of Budapest… (10 kms to the North of Budapest)… from Budapest’s Batthyany Ter metro station, take the HEV train to Szentendre. It is the last stop on the line. Make sure you get a return ticket.
And go to Prague also!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fundelupa/sets/72157608604056209/
Any veggie restaurants?? Cause I’m going there soon :).
Stephanie, there are many veggie restaurants in Buda and Pest, i used this website to find them:
http://www.happycow.net/disp_results_address.php?distance=10&maptype=&address=budapest&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go
Hi,
I love your site — but are you saying that Paris reminds you of …. rather than it remembers you of ….? Not sure if you’re being poetic! Ah but you are.
Peace!