OnTheBall Travels (Hungary)
The most beautiful city I’ve ever been (Budapest). It is a must-go if Europe is on your bucket list
Itinerary
We flew into Budapest from Cancun Mexico with a layover in Turkey. Everything was smooth entering the country–I don’t believe there was anything even said to us. Passports stamped for the 90 days and that’s it. We arranged a driver to take us to our AirBNB who spoke broken English. This was uneventful & I wish I could tell you more–but simple.
The more interesting side of things was when we were leaving Hungary. We left Hungary by FlixBus en route for Belgrade, and while we were waiting at the border we saw an armed man walking with two other border police one of whom was holding a young man caught at a failed migration attempt. They were quite literally walking him up the street (highway) back into Subotica, Serbia. This hasn’t deterred everybody though.
Immediately after we drove out of Hungary it was like the lights went off– we saw gangs and gangs of young men (all men), I’d say anywhere from age 18-35 scattered on the highway and in the fields to the right of the bus. If I had to guess they were from South Asia, West Asia and North Africa. There was easily 40 men wandering about plotting for their chance to get into the European Union. Once into the EU, they can get their ticket straight to Germany or Sweden, where their friends may be. The point being was that these men were virtually unfound in Hungary. If you want to learn about what we saw on the other side, be sure to click the Serbia article below!
Finding
A lot of media has been posted discussing how Hungary has preserved their traditional way of life and culture. Tucker Carlson did 3 or 4 reports discussing Hungary and was there recently to meet with their Prime Minister, again. As far as we can tell, we found it to be the case! The country is mostly comprised of Hungarians, Romanians and Germans–and we didn’t see any sign of 3rd-worlders starting trouble like in Italy, Spain, Germany or Sweden.
A lot of Hungarian restaurants would play piano for entertainment, they dressed smart, had fantastic food. They really seemed to display their christianity and history when an appropriate opportunity came up. They hold what you may refer to conservative values throughout all ages, though, it was not “in your face”. They did not seem polarized politically or excited for their next revolt against [insert the group I don’t like]. I’m sure someone will be offended when I say that people seemed, ‘normal’. What I mean is that they are preoccupied by work, study, friends, painting, exercise, books or dating and not militant political figures. The only sign of this I saw was a socialist phrase spray painted on a stone wall in a park.
It was obvious that most of their population are white, whereas in the outskirts of London I’ve gone blocks and blocks without seeing one Caucasian. It’s obvious Hungary has preserved this is by being hard on illegal immigration.
Transit or Uber are all very affordable and rent (from what I’ve seen) is certainly manageable. The Hungarian Forint has had the worst inflation in the EU as of late, however (perhaps not bad if you’re earning in dollars). In Budapest, you could live there for years and years and not come close to seeing all the clubs and restaurants. Despite the demographics being quite regular, there was a large variety of cuisine available.
We never had time to explore it all, but there was a taste of everything whether you’re into art, finance, business, theatre. Next time we go back we are certainly going to meet with some realtors. We wont be able to afford this place however:
People
We found the people to be quite reserved and hesitant to open up. It wasn’t clear if it was a language-confidence barrier or they would just prefer to keep to themselves to not bother but we had no bad encounters. The worst encounter was me stressing that our cab driver was taking us to the wrong bus station but he gave us a big thumbs up at the end. We did see more old faces than young faces, but this didn’t hurt any sort of nightlife. Everyone was very friendly, helpful and after some chatter loved having a few jokes.
One time we were at a quite nice restaurant, got wine, coffee, dessert and their homemade liquor (see photo), the whole works for an affordable price. I asked for the bill but I really had to use the bathroom so in the same sentence I asked where was the restroom. I returned and notice a small group of waiters gathered about 15 feet from the table, I smiled as a I passed them and sat back down and the oldest waiter came up to me with the bill and said in a slight accent “We hadn’t realized you are Hungarian, sir”. I looked to my partner for answers and raised my brow with confusion. “You seem to have some Hungarian blood in you”, he reiterated. I asked, “How do you mean?” and he said “Because you asked for the bill…and then fled to the bathroom!”. That’s another thing we noticed in [just] Hungary, they refused to allow the bill to given to the female who was still seated at the table. Anytime we wanted to pay they would wait until I was finished eating and would always hand it to me. So, you’re in luck, ladies.
We also noticed it was the first time we had experience that the waiters at restaurants would say ‘Thank you’ after we ordered. I thought ‘Thank you? For what? You’re the one bringing the food to the table!’
Impressions
The affordability was quite noticeable, however it’s my understanding that this may have changed if you’re just reading this now. Even so, it’s a much more affordable place compared to the rest of Europe such as Germany, France, UK, Switzerland or Spain, especially for quality. My partner said, “When you’re there, you see the buildings, the streets, the city life and assume it should be more expensive. London was almost triple the price and felt less pleasant, even in the posh areas”.
Everything was immensely clean and worked smoothly from the trains, busses, cabs or ubers. We have counted a total of 4 homeless people during our stay, and it did not feel economically dead like other areas on the continent.
This may be an ignorant statement but what I can describe is that there was a real “European” feel that I imagine Western Europe once had 20-30 years ago. Pleasantness, quietness, privacy, cleanliness.
Hungary feels determined to keep their traditions in place; their language, their migration-levels, their religion, their buildings, their history all seem cherished whereas there’s an intellectual laziness or a self-hate with other European nations.
Hungary does however have a history of stern authoritarianism with most of its history fighting off of the Ottomans or other nearby kingdoms. It still retains a strong nationalistic state presence but there doesn’t seem to be much objection to this (as I said, many are apolitical).
You’re not going to find this place to be the next Liberland, Liechtenstein or Bermuda in terms of freedoms, but it doesn’t have the same sort of police-state vibes of Germany neither.
Having said this, it wasn’t all too long ago the Soviets dramatically oppressed Hungarian families and the poisonous effects of communism certainly remain in their psyche. Despite undergoing terrible repression under the Soviet rule across the 50s-60s, it’s interesting to note that they practiced barter and free-markets on an individual level. Hungary (Budapest) became a refuge for Soviets to shop freely while still technically being under the Iron Curtain. The Soviets called it “going on holiday”, they just happen to bring all their jewelry pieces and stamps, too. So in the event communism 2.0 shows its ugly face, I’m not sure the locals will have it…Germany, Spain or Portugal? I can’t say the same.
Despite this bumpy history road with the East, they held negotiations with Russia over energy supplies until 2024 and their Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called out the real objective behind the war in Ukraine (#StayOnTheBall for this one I’m writing up). Perhaps now this signals that they are strangely a somewhat neutral figure like Austria.
Who would live here?
Hungary feels like it’s perfect for a retirement age couple looking for a conservative life that may be waning in other areas in North America or Europe. It is also for someone who may enjoy the aesthetics of Europe but wish to avoid the protests as seen throughout the continent. Budapest checked most boxes in terms of history, shopping, restaurants (so, so many restaurants), cultural blends, nightlife, parks, museums & libraries that it hardly lacks anything.
Hungary has some interesting real estate speculation going for it as well. Corporate Tax rates sit at 9% and most personal taxes for those who live there don’t go higher than 15%. I have a feeling more folks from Western Europe will migrate East to this country throughout the decade seeking lower taxes, stability, reduced crime and what’s seeming so far, common-sense policies.
Hungary is not necessarily for “freedom-loving” folk due to their history of authoritarianism and their attachment to the European Union. Although, they are [to my knowledge], the only one in the European Union handling policies differently, and it’s showing.
Gothic buildings everywhere. By far the most impressive architecture I’ve seen.
If I had to live anywhere in the EU, I believe Hungary would be my number 1.
#StayOnTheBall
