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THE PHOTO ESSAY
THE PHOTO ESSAY BUDAPEST:
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By Michael Doherty
Michael Doherty is a film and television editor based in Toronto. He is also an avid traveller with a keen eye and some amazing experiences.
The Christmas season in Budapest is magical. Bring your mittens and a hat, then explore one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. In 2017, I spent the last five weeks before Christmas in the city centre while working on a TV series. I stayed close to the Danube River just off Vaci utca, a popular pedestrian street.
November and December are good months to visit as the hordes of summer tourists have left and the city is in a pre-Christmas rhythm. There are a number of beautiful Christmas markets filled with stalls and outdoor cafes, selling arts and crafts, hot chocolate and palinka, the local spirit. All of them sell a version of a very tasty mulled wine, a delight on a crisp, cool day or evening. Known as forralt bor in the local lingo, it is a warmed red wine that’s spiced with cloves, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. Having one on the way home from work became a tradition for me.
Many of the beautiful Budapest buildings are festooned with lights, in celebration of the Christmas period. The architecture in Budapest is stunning – the Vajdahunyad Castle in City Park, the massive Parliament building along the River, the Buda Castle on the north side of the river, and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge – just a few of the gorgeous buildings seen everywhere in the city.
Budapest is famous for its spas and visiting one is a definite must. I went to the Széchenyi Baths, Budapest’s largest, on a sunny, zero-Celsius day. To get there, I took the Line 1 subway, which was completed in 1896 and is the second oldest in the world. It is an official World Heritage Site and the cars are as they were in 1896. The spa was built in the Neo-Baroque style and the waters are warm and inviting. On cool days, like the day I visited, steam rises up, enveloping the bathers. It is a surreal experience.
A must-do for many who visit Budapest is a visit to one of the ruin bars. The most famous is Szimpla, which was set up in an abandoned building and is filled with eclectic and mismatched furniture. The chaos of the place is its selling feature.
Budapest is a very walkable city, even in the winter. I highly recommend a visit.
