Winter

Well, I thought the weather gods had decided to be lenient with Hungary this year. January was cold, but bearable, and I imagined the worst was over. Then February arrived.

Ukraine and Poland gave an early warning of harsh winter conditions ahead.  Seven days later, extreme cold descended on Hungary accompanied by snow.

Presently in Budapest, an 8 cm initial fall of snow has compressed on the ground. The Danube looks like a Canadian waterway, with broken ice floes over much of the surface drifting constantly downstream.

Daytime, with appropriate layered clothing, walking outdoors presents no problem. In fact, some clear sunny days have partially melted the snow.  But clear days merely set up nightfall for deeper extremes of cold.

Last Friday, when the official night temperature was merely -11C, I missed both the last metro and alternative bus home. This meant 40 minutes exposure... seeking options, walking for 20 minutes against ice wind, then waiting for the night tram to arrive. It was an interesting experience!

Today, Feb 8th, the southern regions of Hungary are forecast temperatures of -23C overnight. This is extreme – even for Hungary.

In such conditions the homeless (of which Budapest has far too many) become of prime concern. Extra police have been mandated to locate those still on the streets. Official hostels, however, have become full, requiring hospitals and other centres to open their doors for shelter.

Meanwhile, many schools have temporarily closed. The reason offered is they cannot afford the current costs of heating!

Hungary – a place of extremes – suffered, mainly, with remarkably quiet equanimity...

Politics by Candlelight (Budapest Rally)

On Saturday, 21st January, I attended my first political rally in Budapest.

I was quite surprised by the turnout, given the cold weather. The rally had begun in the afternoon at Heroes Square (the Trafalgar Square of Budapest) and made its way across the city to gather in front of the parliament.

That's where I joined it, and waited with the crowd for something to happen. But it took another hour and a half for thousands to reach the square from their long walk.

Candles enclosed in small hand-held lanterns are popular here as a sign of loyalty, or perhaps of remembrance. Plenty of large national flags were in evidence, plus tall placards bearing pointed political statements. In particular, I noted "1956 - The Tanks : 2012 - The Banks" and "Hands off Hungary".

Once the whole square, and beyond, seemed filled to capacity, some encouraging speech-making began. I've no idea idea what was being said, of course. But it seemed to hit the right note, with frequent roars of approval and applause rising from the audience.

After some thirty minutes of crowd-bonding political statements, the rally obediently fell into a clearly meaningful and patriotic hymnal song, signified by the removal of hats by gentlemen (including myself) and its slow pace.

As I now know the meaning of the (very beautiful) national anthem, I have no doubt this hymn was an equally poignant lament over Hungary's troubled past with a commitment not to forget but build on other's sacrifices.

The communal singing marked the end of the event, which from the organisers' point of view must have been deemed quite a success, given the present political environment.

Oh... did I mention this was a pro-government rally, in support of Viktor Orban's governing Fidesz party?

Outside election time, a pro-government rally in the UK would be unlikely. We're too dismissive of our politicians to give them more encouragement than they need. But here in Hungary, the legacy of the past remains a significant and polarising issue.

Patriotism and anti-communism is what unites those giving the government their support (despite the prime minister's evident international 'difficulties'). In contrast, the present socialist opposition remains significantly tainted by corruption and its communist party roots.

On the way home, I was asked for directions by a pleasant elderly gentleman. I wasn't much help, but between our languages I gathered that to be at the rally he'd travelled all the way from Debrecen (120 miles). Political rallying is much the same in most countries – as long as the freedom of democracy remains.

Though I can't understand too much of the political detail, it felt good simply to be sharing Hungarian values among so many Hungarians.

New Year in Budapest

Visitors should know that New Year is celebrated with gusto in Budapest. Despite the expected cold, the street is where things happen, for younger Budapestis at least. But the call to the street should be tempered with a health warning. Fireworks seem to be easily available and – despite the several well-organised public displays – in the hands of individuals, thrown into the air in a crowded square, they can represent a hazard.

However, for less energetic Budapestis, and once the midnight hour has passed, the many clubs, bars and restaurants are the places to be. There is a special Hungarian new year diet – involving hot soup, sausages and bread – which, if you're lucky, may be served after the last midnight chimes have struck.

I spent New Year's Eve at a pub well-known to expats, The Caledonia in Mozsár Street. Yes, it's Scottish run and knows how to celebrate Hogmanay. The pub was busy, crowded, lively, with the vast majority of celebrants being Hungarian. After the organised entertainment of a singing-playing duo, it was over to the customers for ear-splitting karaoke.

I've not experienced much karaoke in Britain and used to imagine it was mainly the province of emotionally-drunk Japanese businessmen. But karaoke in Budapest is a revelation and can be found in many bars. What makes it special here is the quality of singing. Hungary is somehow blessed with exceptional musical talent (unknown to the rest of the world) and on karaoke nights, well-fueled by alcohol, this talent excels – and rocks.

The Caledonia's karaoke was joined by what I was assured was one of the best rock-blues-jazz singers in the country. And when local contributors make even the inevitable My Way sound original, captivating, exciting, one can be sure a good time was being had by all. And for me, another night that didn't end 'til 5 am.

Snowy portent

Today it snows in Budapest. A light, watery snow, drifting on a gentle wind. It is the first of the winter. And, briefly, I feel like a child experiencing snow for the first time – which is clearly the case for some of the smaller, well-wrapped, toddlers-in-hand passing by.

This is my first Budapest winter. But on this well-walked street, Budapestis seem almost oblivious to the snow, walking casually without hat or umbrella. Even the man in his wheelchair, who likes to use the roadway rather than the pavement, is speeding about his business without extra protection from the elements.

I have heard stories of how deep the winter here can sometimes be. Deep in ice and snow, with temperatures falling to minus 20C. In contrast, today's passing snowflakes seem worthy of no more than a Budapesti shrug. But for me it is a sign of significant things to come – the Great Hungarian Winter.

Will it be mild or will it be severe? We shall see...

Heat

Thinking of visiting Budapest? Coming here to stay? You do like warm summer weather, don't you?

Today (Sunday 10 July) the temperature is 38 degrees. When I was a schoolboy that meant 100 Fahrenheit.

So the weather is, well, HOT.

Fortunately, being Sunday, fewer people have to actually work. But the tourists, now here in droves, still have to be catered for by the service industry.

After exploring the lower reaches of Pest's Duna embankment on a hot Saturday, today I am taking the day off -- avoiding the midday sun.

This evening I hope to attend a concert at Budapest's magnificent Basilica cathedral. It's sure to be be cool inside there -- isn't it?

Thundering Grumbles!

Now that I've moved from London, UK to Budapest, Hungary, you'll be dying to know what the subject on everyone's lips is here. Well, it's the weather.

Since I arrived a week ago at the start of the month, every day has seen straight-down pours of torrential rain. It's June, it's hot and, apparently, this rain is unusual.

My first experience was while sat under a roof extension at a pavement cafe. First, a few drops fell. Diners moved under cover. Then the sky opened to a clattering downpour.

In London, rainy days are dull and grey. Here, I watched the rain fall onto the pavement as the sun shone as bright as ever on the very same spot.

There's thunder and lightening, too. The rolling booms and cracks trapped and echoed by the six and seven story buildings that line Pest's streets and enhanced by the Buda hills that stand guard over the city to the West.

To me, the rainfall is just another attractive feature of the city. It rains for 30 minutes, stops, then returns 30 minutes later. But it's around for far less than half the day. The predominant environment remains sunny and hot, delivering 27C or more. But there's the rub!

Budapestis complain that it's so humid. And with this recurring rainfall around - so it is. There are sleepless nights and tired daytime expressions. But the upside is - it's a good subject for Budapestis to grumble about.

And this morning it looks like there may be a turn in the weather. It's cool and fresh and not that sunny. What - near the middle of June? Now there's a subject for another pleasant grumble!