Central Europe in Trouble?

by Iva Skoch on

If you missed 1989, now is a good opportunity to sample the “revolutionary, yet peaceful” spirit of Central Europe once again. Head over to Budapest.

Hungarian students have been protesting the new socialist government of the Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány for a week now. Last weekend, he admitted to the nation, that his party lied about the real state of the Hungarian economy in order to win the election. Apparently, everyone lies, so he didn’t see anything wrong with admitting to it. Since then, students have been demonstrating in the streets of Budapest, demanding his resignation. Sure, you have some radical nuts and soccer hooligans joining the crowds, but that is the way things in Central Europe have been — ranging from the extreme left to the extreme right.

Some say this is the first indication that Central Europe is in trouble: Hungary is wrapped up in protest, Poland is on the verge of a government crises and Czech Republic has a “puppet” government in place before preliminary elections are called. I think being in the good old revolutionary days is pretty cool. It’s good to see students in the streets again, rather than only in their bedrooms playing computer games. You know people care. The spirit is contagious.

Maybe Neil was right in his post, suggesting that Budapest is stealing some of Prague’s spotlight.

Hungarian Zoo Apes Love Their Red Wine

by Karen Walrond on

From Yahoo!News:  Monkeys and other zoo apes at the Budapest zoo have a thing for the grape — turns out, they drink their way through 55 litres of red wine each year, according to a statement released by the zoo on Monday.  The reason?  It helps boost their red blood cells.

“Obviously, they do not have it all at once and get drunk, but they get it in small amounts mixed in their tea,” said Budapest Zoo spokesman Zoltan Hanga.  He continued:  “And it’s not Eger Bulls Blood or some expensive wine that they are getting but simple table wine, as it’s mainly good for their blood cells.”

They don’t have it all at once — how disappointing.  Because soused monkeys? 

Now THAT would be a tourist attraction.

Bullish on Budapest

by Erik Olsen on

My first solo trip outside the United States (and not
including various trips to Mexico…that is, a jaunt here or there to Tijuana) was a trip to Europe after college. To
be honest, I’d pretty much advocate sending your kids abroad by themselves as an integral part of their upbringing. And
you know what? I’d send them to Europe or Asia or South America BEFORE college. But all that is beside the point. What I
wanted to say is that on this first solo trip of mine to Europe, I had to make a choice. 1) go to Greece with a hot
Australian woman I met in the South of France and had traveled with for a week or 2) continue to a newly liberated
Eastern Europe, whose history I studied in school. Hmmmm…..what would YOU do?

Well, I opted for Eastern
Europe, and never saw the Aussie babe again. BUT I did get to see Budapest, and that experience alone was worth it. The
sight of the Parliament building along the Danube river, the bath houses, the wonderful little cafes. Goulash! Budapest
is great. And did I mention how beautiful the women are? Oh my.

And so, I offer you a fine piece that
delves into the beauty, culture, history and food of Budapest. They offer 12 places to see and experience in the
city…and sadly I haven’t seen most of them.