In the backpacker community there are legendary cities. Amsterdam, Prague, Berlin, Budapest. When I was growing up I thought of Budapest as being in the same mythical category as Timbuktu, Kathmandu. Cities I read about but wasn't even sure still existed or had ever existed. Well today I can confirm Budapest does in fact exist, but it's every bit as foreign as I'd imagined.

Arriving in Budapest was like many of my other budget arrivals, save money and time by traveling at night. You don't waste a day traveling and don't have to stress over checking out and rushing to transport, or arriving late and hoping you can still check in. Instead I went to sleep in Krakow and woke up in Budapest. I haven't mentioned my favorite mode of travel, but it was the network of bus companies that crisscross the EU. The prices are extremely competitive and every one I used had wifi, restrooms and stops on the way (but not too many.) I'm less picky than most when it comes to sleeping positions, I can sleep bent in half with my head on my knees in a seated position, comfortably.

Unfolded and warmed up, I stepped out into Budapest in the dark early morning, outside of town. Tried to catch a tram, but it looks like instead I caught a tram driver calling it quits. I really couldn't understand the situation, my first experience with Hungarian, but it seemed the driver wasn't up for it and he just turned the lights out and kicked off everyone who had been waiting for him to take off... Well. So I discovered Budapest has a large subway system! Then I was off into the city.

Two bonuses of arriving early, like a few other arrivals I managed to discover the city just as the sun was rising, then I took my time choosing where I wanted to stay that night. Now I circle back to this list of "legendary" cities. Budapest was unique for me in how isolated and self-sufficient the hostels are. They cater to a crowd of young people there for a weekend or an alternative lifestyle. It's perfectly normal to never speak with a Hungarian your entire stay in the city. Even the staff were entirely foreign and mostly Australian. In fact Australians and New Zealanders made up a chief portion of the travelers I encountered, or perhaps they just seemed that way due to their outgoing nature.

But what about Hungary? Unfortunately I only experienced Budapest. Nevertheless it is their crown jewel, and they have a beautiful city. The river cuts through the middle separating Buda from Pest, and it is lined with gleaming commercial buildings and monumental buildings of governmental and historical significance.

Nighttime river cruise

The rest of the city is grand with a Parisian feel. Like other European capitols it has a massive subway system, an underground city that shields its citizens from winter and probable nuclear attack. In the statues and museums they trace a history unlike any other European people. The seven tribes who came searching for a new land to settle found it at the edge of a river where the plains ended and the hills began. Due to their distant origin they have a unique and intimidating language, their genealogy is unlike other European tribes and they have a proud independence.

The story of Soviet occupation was one I'd started to experience in Warsaw, but in Hungary it was heavy. One out of four Hungarian families had a member of their family imprisoned, tortured or killed by the Soviet occupiers. The government had allied with the Nazis and been harsh, but the Soviets who replaced them took the signs down on their torture chambers and put their own immediately up. Then they ruled for 50 years.

Hostel life was a lot to handle, and it was the most intensely social place I visited. Budapest has a network of Ruin Bars, which are typically formerly industrial sites in the city that have been remodeled into hip bars without much care for the remodeling. The hostels do a vigorous job of running you like a racehorse from one to the other. But I survived, enough that I had done enough wandering of the city and planned my next destination.

From Budapest, to Vienna.

Vajdahunyad Castle is a palace, a castle, a monument to Bela Lugosi, it's right in the city and an excellent representation of Hungarian irreverence and love of life