Preconceived Notions: Budapest, Hungary
- Budapest used to be split into Buda and Pest. They have only existed as a single city since 1873. Hopefully, St. Paul and Minneapolis can just get it over with and do the same one day.
We arrived in Budapest yesterday.
It may be slightly unfair to write any preconceived notions on the Hungarian capital. My youngest brother was assigned to Hungary when he signed up to be an exchange student, and has been residing in the country for the past several months.
One thing I am told by everyone who has visited there is that the city is simply jaw-droppingly beautiful. Most acknowledge that the hot springs are it’s most unique characteristic. Apparently, you can sit half naked next to total strangers in naturally warm water for relaxation. According hot spring aficionado Tim Wu, they are a can’t miss.
Predictably, the residents of Hungary speak Hungarian. Hungarian, however is one of the most unique languages in the world and because of this is often heavily studied by linguists and is difficult to learn. Nouns can have up to 238 forms each.
Other than the hot springs, Budapest is just a big question mark and that’s what makes visiting it so exciting. In the States we don’t hear much about the happenings in Budapest, so keep an eye out for WDSTL’s take when we release our Budapest episode. Lord knows you wont see anything about this gem on American television.
Budapest courtesy of Flickr user zsoolt
