Break Year in Budapest…Part 2

Once I made the decision to move to Budapest I then had to focus on the details…how to get a longterm visa, where to live, how to get around, where to shop etc. etc.  Any of you who travel in Europe and the Shengen Zone know that it is not so easy to exceed the 90 day visa rules. If you do want to exceed the 90 days then a whole new set of problems arise. Most of the western and northern countries have onerous financial requirements and a brutal application process. Thankfully Hungary is is a lot looser than say France or Spain. It helped that I used a resettlement company that my friend Jacob in Turkey recommended…HELPERS.

The process was pretty straightforward…show an income equal to the average Hungarian citizens after tax income. ($776), have health insurance, sign a lease and fill out a mountain of paperwork. It was pretty simple really. The resident permit was tied to the length of the lease (a two year lease get you a two year residency permit) I found a lovely old apartment on the Buda side of the Danube in the shadow of Castle Hill, through a management company called BUDAPEST LETS. It had old world charm a great proximity to public transportation and was only 600 euro a month including utilities.

Budapest Great Market Hall

Speaking of public transportation I must say it was one of the selling points for moving to Budapest. Underground metro, trams and buses all run frequently and go everywhere. A monthly pass cost 9,500 forints ($35 US) and can be used 24 hours a day with unlimited usage. The metro system has the oldest line (#1) in Europe having opened in 1896 and Lines 4 & 6 are the busiest lines in the world. During peak times the trains run every 2 to 3 minutes so they never feel overly crowded like Tokyo or New York. The tram lines are great because you are above ground and I used the lines to help get oriented in the new city. Buses run to the more suburban areas of the city and offer easy access to every corner and district.

Franz List Piano at the National Museum.

Once settled into my apartment I began to go into “explore mode”. After all, I had one hell of a lot of visitors coming to Budapest and I needed to know where to go, what to do and how to get there. I can honestly say that learning Budapest was really easy. Even though it is a city of 1.7 million people it feels much smaller and lends itself to walking much of the time.

“Where do I want to go” is the question I had to ask myself once I learned the city. If you’re a culture buff like I am then you’re in luck because the city has two opera houses, 2 music academies, 6 orchestras, 223 museums and galleries, and 35 institutions of higher education. The best part is that the cost of all this is very low. The Grand Opera house on Andrassy Blvd charges 48 euro for a good ticket compared to Covant Garden or La Scala which charges 300 euro for a seat. The List Academy has concerts almost every day and night…from free student recitals to top named soloist or chamber groups for $10 a ticket. They have just refurbished the main performance hall is not only is it beautiful but it is supposed to be one of the most acoustically perfect halls in the world.

Kerepesi Cemetery…the most famous in Hungary

The National Film Theatre is a gem. Built at the very beginning of the Movie Age it is a Moorish Palace for Film. Beautifully appointed and comfortable beyond expectation, it shows a wide mix of film including the simulcast performances of the Metropolitan Opera, Bolshoi Ballet, and Londons National Theatre. I was a regular attendee of filmed lectures, art exhibitions and performances…all for about $8 US. They have foriegn film festivals on a regular basis but if they are anything but in English then the subtitles are in Hungarian so it was not an option for me.

Hungarian, Hungarian, Hungarian…what can I say about the language that has not been said…it is without a doubt a very difficult language. Happily more and more Hungarians speak English and the public transportation announces stops in both Hungarian and English. For those who have not traveled abroad  in the past few years you might be interest to know that “English” is the lingua franca of the modern world and everywhere one goes the sound of English drifts from conversations to our ears. So there is no excuse for US Citizens to no longer travel…they speak your language and often better than our own native sons. It is often the case in Eastern Europe that books in English are not easy to come by but Budapest has a really great English  book store BESTSELLERS. Located on a lovely street between the American Embassy and St Stephens Bacilica owned and operated by my friend Tony Lang for the past 25 years it is a gem of a book shop  and well worth the visit.

Controversial Monument to WWII Victems attempting to deny Hungarys roll in the Killing of Jews

As I said in part one of this post, Budapest was a terribly hard place to make friends for me. However, if one were to join a English speaking church or a fraternal order like the Optimist or Masons it might be easier. I am not a joiner so it was difficult. I did go to “InterNations” meetings which has a large international following but the membership is younger and almost all of them are working. Older members tend to be selling something like real estate or financial services or they are looking for someone to date. In some cities “InterNations” is more conducive to being used as a social networking venue but I did not find it so in Budapest.

The Jewish response to the Hungarian Monument to WWII

Well my year is up and of course I am moving on. It was a noble experiment and I proved that I could stay in one spot for a year…but it was a struggle. As much as I loved the city of Budapest I still don’t think I have it in me to settle in one place for too long. So I have a definitive answer to my friends and acquaintances who ask me “aren’t you ever going to settle down”…NO!  Not till I can no longer lift the suitcase into the overhead and maybe not even then. I might put on a pitiful face and struggle with the bag until some youngster takes pity and throws it up there for me.  The beat goes on!!!

Castle Hill Monument to St, Stephen the first king of Hungary

RESOURCES:

– Visa assistance:  Helpers. Com

– Apartments: Budapest Lets…  https://budalets.co.uk/

– Medical services: First Med….  https://firstmedcenters.com/

– English Books: Bestsellers…. http://bestsellers.hu/

– Social Organization: InterNations…  https://www.internations.org/start/?ref=he_lo

– For What is Happening in Budapest: We Love Budapest…  https://welovebudapest.com/en/