eSphincter The Final eSphincterr | Page 16

BUDAPEST • • • • • • FRUZSINA BAKO 3RD YEAR "Szia!" (Thats the Hungarian word for their parrot when I visited two words for the price of one!) a few years back haha! A few of you* (*nearly all of you tbh) probably If you have a chance you know that I'm Hungarian. So here's a little can take a tour of the article to convince you that Budapest should be Parliament. The tours your next weekend trip away. I've focused this about £3 and you get to see article on more niche things to do- rather than on Tripadvisor. Culture PARLIAMENT FISHERMAN'S BASTION ST STEPHEN'S BASILICA BUDA CASTLE MARGARET ISLAND SZIMPLA KERT Here's a pic of me with hello - it also means goodbye so you've learnt just repeating ideas that you can find yourself TOP THINGS TO DO that its just as beautiful on Nightlife the inside as the outside! Hungary is naturally rich with thermal water Budapest is famous for its ruin bars 'rom that bathing in this water will help heal and cure all different kinds of salvaged bits and bobs. The 'gyogy viz' which translates to curing water. Many Hungarians (my nan swears by it) believe any underlying illness due to the high mineral contents in these waters. Whilst there probably isn't a strong scientific basis to this argument it's a lovely, relaxing experience and you'll emerge with less stress. Szechenyi baths is the one most frequented by tourists. If you want to visit Szechenyi I'd recommend booking onto a Sparty which is when they open the Baths at night and turn it into a club! It's so much fun and it's something you won't experience anywhere else. kocsma'. These are old venues that have been converted into pubs and they're decorated with most famous one is Szimpla Kert but don't be afraid to bar hop and visit the lesser well known ones (these are often cheaper and less crowded with the same atmosphere) Hungary is similar to it's Eastern European neighbours in the fact that alcohol is super cheap. A pint of beer 'sor' will set you back roughly £1.10/450ft. I'd recommend Soproni or Arany Ász as the ones to drink! Ah and Palinka - this is the one alcoholic drink you must try. Traditionally Palinka is home brewed from all the rotten plums 'szilva' collected from the garden and it's made into a really strong spirit. My grandads Palinka has been tested at upwards of 50/60% but the If you want to visit a bath during the day I'd visit Pallatinusz baths which is located on the Margaret Island. This has an outdoor area (with slides) as well as an indoor spa. It costs £6 per person and it's a great day activity when the summer sun is too hot to sightsee (plus you'll end up with a golden tan if you don't burn!) Not sure if this is strictly culture but Budapest is home to the Zoo Cafe! It's similar to a cat cafe stuff you get in the bars is 50%. When trying this beware because that extra 10% on your traditional vodka or gin is lethal and will have you seeing triple in no time. Food 1. You NEED to try Lángos. They'll sell this on street corners from mobile vendors. If you walk up and down Margaret Island you're bound to see someone selling this. Its fried potatoey dough traditionally topped with garlic, sour and it's the food of choice when per drink (roughly £2/3 per drink) and they off small bringing you small hedgehogs, rabbits, you've spent the whole day in the open air swimming bearded dragons but the longer you stay the pools. 16 without me mentioning goulash )- Hungary's bigger animals they'll bring. There's lots of cats you can stroke in this cafe too!. • • • CHAIN BRIDGE SZECHENYI BATHS MATTHIAS CHURCH HEROES SQUARE most famous dish. A delicious paprika based meat stew with carrots, potatoes, parsnips and dumplings. If you go to a traditional Hungarian restaurant it may even be served in an edible crusty bread bowl - yum yum yum. An authenthic Hungarian restaurant in Budapest is Regos Vendeglo. This is where I took my friends whilst Interrailing and they all really liked it (or perhaps they were too scared to tell me otherwise). I think trying local cuisine is an absolute must when going on holiday somewhere- plus it helps when the food's devine, but I am biased. 3. The bakeries. My favourite thing to do when visiting my grandparents is wake up, walk to my local bakery and buy the freshly baked rolls 'kifli' for the day and a pastry for breakfast. Kakaós csiga 'cocoa/chocolatey snail' is my fave pastry and you must must must try one as they are unreal! If you ever see the word 'Pekség' when in Budapest it means bakery and there's bound to be some irresistable treats for you to try. They're also riduculously cheap with 'kifli' being 10p and kakakos csiga being about 30p! 4. Cakes. Dobos torta (roughly translates to drum cake) is my family's favourite cake. It's got about 8 layers of sponge and chocolate cream, with a chocolate cream finish and a layer of toffee! Nothing in the UK has ever come close to replicating this - it's something you must try whilst visiting Budapest. Therefore, if you ever see a 'Cukrászda' when visiting then make sure to order a slice of dobos torta. cream and cheese but has a lot more different animals! You pay bring different animals to your table. They start • • 2. Goulash soup /Gulyás leves - (haha did you think you'd come to the end of this article Lastly Theres a FANTASTIC rooftop bar called Leo. It overlooks the famous chain bridge 'Lanc Hid' - what I would give to have a nice drink overlooking a goregous view like the one above. It's truly breath taking. 17