Stéphane Lee

Do you see the subtlety of this?

I went to Budapest without any preconceived ideas and with an open mind. I was pleasantly surprised. I did not expect such a relatively high standard of living. The cost of living is on par with European averages. It is not dirt cheap but it is not London or Paris either. This is Central Europe, not Eastern Europe. It is important to make such difference (especially with the locals). Eastern Europe means greater Russian influence in my opinion. Almost 20 years have passed and there are few traces of Communism that remain (except for the monuments). You could be in any Western European country and would not see the difference. I was warmly welcomed in a friend of a friend’s family. I like the food there and ate paprika every day (even in the morning). The Danube river crosses the city and divides Buda and Pest. It is quite peaceful living in the hilly Buda. The action is in Pest however: businesses, government, night life… The famous Turkish baths in Budapest are wonderful and relaxing for yourself and your eyes. All your dead skin will be shed. The Margaret island is a nice place to hang out and the bars are nice. The open-air dance floors are refreshing (smoke-wise).

I’ll be back. Definitely.

It is amazing to see so much details and be able to identify so many buildings on this picture. It was taken from my airplane (an Airbus A300) during landing. So, what can you identify on this picture?

I’m back home from vacations after doing 8600 miles. I’ll post some pics and comments on the cities that I visited. It is very amazing to see how life goes on in another part of the world. In Europe, you can do 1-2 hrs by plane and be in a completely different culture, language, style of living… In North America, it is rather standardized though.