Hunglish.orgIt's winter again and what better place than to be living in Budapest for the holidays. There are many festivities and ways in Hungary to celebrate the darker days of wintertime.
The days get dark early in the winter months of Hungary and elsewhere; however, the light of living in Budapest is neither dimmed nor diminished by the chill. The sun often hides behind the gray and foggy weather and with the gothic architecture and many a dilapidated buildings, the scene can rub off to some as dreary. Still with Buda castle in the distance and some radiantly refurbished buildings, hotels and bridges, the luster of the city still sparkles in its rustic face. The colors may run dry and the light may be muted but still the city of Budapest continues to offer both memorable and worthwhile events, sights and scenes to experience for expat and locals alike. From the thermal baths of Gellért, Széchenyi and Rudas, to other seasonal events and attractions, there is a great deal to look forward to even with the colder days that lay ahead before spring decides to awaken the buds of warmer days.
The Budapest Winter Festival
The Budapest Winter Festival, for example, is an event that runs from the 3rd of November
until February of 2010 and is one of the most loved Christmas fairs of Europe. It takes
place in Vörösmarty square and attracts more than 600,000 people a year from tourists to
locals. The well-known Vaci út is an avenue where shoppers can visit many popular stores
and restaurants thereby making the location of the fair an optimum place to do
additional holiday shopping. The festival is magical with a variety of programs, vendors,
and events to keep visitors coming back year after year. This festival is lit up with lights and fills
the blacker nights of winter in Budapest like the flames beside a hearth. Folk music
wafts through the air and folk dancing enlivens its guests. The entertainment also
includes puppet shows, a heated playhouse for children and Santa Claus. Santa will make his
appearance the first weekend of December. Children can participate in many a craft workshop
from puppet making to gift and gingerbread making. There are also many professional
craftsmen and women who’ve been perfecting their various crafts for generations from pottery
to glass figures to wrought iron and baskets, to toys, jewelry and clothes.
Hungarian food at the Christmas fair
The esteemed palinka, Napoleon’s ‘drink of choice’ can be found here too, an alcoholic
beverage made from distilled fruits like plums and strawberries along with many other varieties.
All kinds of traditional food and drink is sold at the Winter Festival from vendors who
will be making and grilling food on site from mulled wine to the world famous Hungarian
'lángos' (deep fried bread often served with sour cream). Other loved Hungarian foods include
‘Töki pompos’ which is bread cooked in a clay oven, grilled sausages and sauerkraut
and cabbage, chestnuts, strudels and many other delicacies. A special treat that Hungarians
eat are the ‘kürtős kalács’ which is sweet dough that is cooked on a wooden cylinder over a
charcoal fire. It is caramelized with the choices of butter and sugar, walnut, coconut or
chocolate. The fair follows a schedule based around the Advent Calendar between the 1st and
the 24th of December and every day at 5:00 there is a show during this time in which
colorful pieces of contemporary art will be revealed in the windows of the Gerbeaud
Confectionary with the chimes of Szilyia Kárászy. The windows will then open and a wild
wind will sound to usher in the season.
Shopping in Budapest
Back to shopping, the World Heritage Site of Andrássy Avenue is decorated in the winter with
lights and wreaths, and glamorous fashion and decor shops. Shopping here for oneself or a
loved one will result in a ride home with high-end holiday gifts and treats. Have a warm
bowl of goulash at a nice restaurant and take a ride home in a taxi with any parcels
collected. Beside Andrássy is the Broadway on Nagymező Street. This street offers the
Thália Theatre, Operetta Theatre and Moulin Rouge as well as the Opera House nearby, a
reflective choice for those wintery nights to be immersed in the arts. Drinking tea or
coffee is another great way to pass the time during the colder months. Famous cafés to visit
are Gerbeaud, New York and Ruszurm, August, Daubner and Horváth and can also be found
relatively nearby.
Snow Adventures
Other ways to get lost in wintery reveries in Budapest include a short train or bus ride
from Pest to the town of Normafa; it is a great place for hiking and as a weekend
destination to just get out of the city for a day or two. Visitors can ride on the
cogwheel train which travels to János Hill where there is snow, yes, snow! Take your skis
or snow shoes and partake in some winter sports by taking the ‘libegó’ chairlift and ski
lift. Occasionally there is ice-skating too depending on the weather. After expending
energy in activity, visitors can eat at the strudel shop or have dinner at ‘Zugligeti 58’
restaurant. The popular Children’s Railway is also there and runs every hour on the
weekends.
In addition to skiing or snow shoeing, riding a train in the Buda hills are two choices for
ice skating in case there isn’t any in the János hills. West End shopping center which is
located near the Nyugati Railway Station has ice skating on the roof garden of the building
for those parents who want to give their children a break from an afternoon of shopping. It
is also a good place to take a date or to just get in the holiday mood. The skating rink is
filled with music and ice-loving skaters, family and children and is decorated with lights
and festive cheer. Another place for ice skating with a romantic backdrop is the skating
rink in City Park beside the Vajdahunad Castle. The rink has the capacity to hold 7,000
skaters at once and has been a place for ice skating since the middle of the 19th century.
Nothing is quite as charming as spending a lightly snowy scene in the baths of Budapest.
The Széchenyi baths
The Széchenyi baths are housed outside near city park and the thermal water is invigorating
with saunas and spa services. The architecture is both gothic and Roman and sipping on hot
wine in a pool with steam rising all around is an enchanting way to keep warm. There are
fountains along with a swimming pool and a lazy river. Often older men will be
playing chess while in the pools and the temperatures of the pools as well as the
saunas range in temperatures. Cool off in an ice cold bath after staying inside the hottest
of the saunas or rub ice on your skin to get the benefits of alternating hot and cold
therapy. The varying temperatures will jump start the bodies endocrine system along with
the metabolic system, etc., and strengthen the body’s natural defenses. The mineral water
has properties that increase circulation and that is considered an antidote to rheumatic
pains and arthritic conditions. The waters contain sodium, magnesium, sulfur and fluoride.
The Rudas Baths
For a younger crowd try the Cinetrip Sparty at the Rudas Bath that has a light show, deejays
and parties held monthly. These are but a few of the city’s 130 mineral springs and pools
that are part of the local lifestyle in Budapest. The city is known as the “Bathing City”
and as an international medicinal bathing area since the 1930’s.
These and many other events are reason enough to stay merry in winter in Budapest, so put on a heavy jacket and a warm hat and get moving the weather isn't as bad as it seems.
Written by Natalie Jaro