I moved to Budapest last year in the midst of summer. Originally from Surabaya—the second largest city in Indonesia; I expected European cities to be more modern compared to those in Asia. I love big cities: skyscrapers stand sturdily tall upon the blue sky; advanced security system to insure you are safe enough after hearing all those sorts of stuff about terrorist attacks; large shopping centers where you could forget the loud-mouthed old ladies you have to bargain with in the traditional markets; a nice cafe in the corner to sit and relax with your loved one in the weekend, accompanied by a cup of warm tea. I love them for many reasons.

Yet Budapest is a little bit different. It amazingly reflects the country’s characteristics as the gate between Eastern and Western European countries where the two different cultures melted together. As there is a regulation in the city which forbids any buildings to be higher than 65 m, I should rather forget the towering skyscrapers which are most common in Surabaya. It was not at all a bad regulation though. I am no expert in this matter but I suppose we all have heard of how modern skyscrapers are scorching compared to the outlying suburbs and therefore have their contribution to the global warming. Budapest in a way has reduced the chance. As the result, buildings preserve their original classical architecture ranging from the second half of the 19th to the early 20th century. Baroque and Renaissance relics are not very difficult to find either all around the city. Italian, Islamic, and Austrian influences blend with the native culture. If you are fond of architecture, there are places waiting to be explored; such as: the citadel, world’s best thermal baths, and numerous of museums in the city.

To go with its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest is very tourist-friendly. A recent survey reported that this year there have been more than a million people visit this city whose population is only two millions. Architecture is not the only thing to magnetize visitors. Despite its hospitality, reasonable price, easy public transport, haute cuisine and exotic culture; apparently the river Danube which flows in between Buda and Pest has also scored the goal.

However, to live in a place is different from visiting it. If you earn more than US$ 2,000 per month—which most tourists do, you could definitely shop till you drop in Budapest. The world’s 75th most expensive city would not hinder you from doing that. Such amounts are more than enough to rent a luxurious apartment for US$ 800 per month which would have been worth not less than US$ 2,000 in the United States.

Meals are also nonetheless cheaper. A decent supper for two would cost no more than US$ 25. From delicious Hungarian recipes such as goulash and stuffed chicken to international recipes are widely available around the town: Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, Italian, Thai, or Indonesian; take your pick. If you enjoy drinking, do not forget that Hungary has a long and old wine culture.

During summer visitors must be extra careful though. Numerous cases were reported where some people posed as policemen to ask for the visitor’s money, credit cards or other travel documents in order to check them. Taxi can sometimes have different meters for local and foreign passengers. Public transportation therefore is a better way to go around, although it may be a little bit difficult to buy the ticket if you do not speak Hungarian.

Life seems to be less colorful when you are not living as a tourist though. My flat is about 50 m from the famous Danube River , close enough to learn that the mighty river is no longer blue—unlike in the waltz song “Blue Danube”. Fishermen are in fact still doing their job, but people know already that there are more things than fish living in the grayish water. On state occasions, the city sometimes adds azure dye to revive the color.

A sad truth; behind the tempting advertisements of the city’s low living cost, local residents would mostly think the opposite. Budapest is indeed not the most expensive city, but with people’s average salary—which is around US$ 700—practically nothing will remain after paying taxes, pension, and healthcare insurance. To buy clothes on the fashionable Vaci Street is a dream, as a piece of T-shirt can cost US$ 200.

While tourists can please themselves with the well-known medical tourism if they ever get sick in Budapest, the locals must struggle to stay alive in the state-owned hospitals. Healthcare insurance means nothing since you must pay some unofficial tribute to the doctors and nurses who treat you, which could be even more expensive than the insurance itself. A report had proven that many patients suffered more sickness as they stay in those hospitals. To see a general practice doctor is not so easy. You have to be registered as the doctor’s patient to be able to get the treatment. A Romanian friend who has been residing for almost a year recently said that she proposed to see four doctors in the city, and all proposals were turned down.

In Budapest I learned the value of warm weather. As the sun shines waned away, smiles also disappeared from people’s face. Children would still build snow men though. Nothing seemed to be able to trouble those merry souls; not even the jaded people passed. But the city has truly a different life in the winter chill.

Hospitality means nothing more than a slogan to attract tourists. I mostly keep my husband, a Hungarian, with me during shopping; since my Hungarian is barely enough to talk with people. Often he received snaps from the shopkeepers—sometimes followed by swearing—simply because he wanted to buy plastic bags or asked about something’s price. It was a real shock for me, but nonetheless he never took the offense seriously. Those people deserved pity, he said. Growling back would change nothing as many think like them. Perhaps they had more things in mind: bills to pay; Christmas gifts for the kids; loan in the bank. Perhaps—nice with tourists they might have been, but not with their own kind.

That is Budapest. Many Noble Prize winners were born there; many ceased from being a part of it; and many more have happened since then. But the city remains classic through the lapse of time, as if unheeding its surroundings: old gypsies selling flower; piles of garbage flown away by the wind; and even 30 year old Trabant mingled with the newest BMW. It is a city where love and hate struggle together.
This has been originally posted here on August 24, 2005