On the 15 of October as part of Blog Action Day, which this year covered Climate Change, we talked on Naked Hungary about how to measure and reduce your carbon footprint.
Now the 24th of October is International Day of Climate Action, organized by 350.org, and this time if you’re in Hungary taking action is even easier and fun. At the Széchenyi Spa in Budapest from 10pm will take place Klímafürdő, a Climate Bath Party!
The Party will start with the shooting of a movie; yes, you read right, not projecting but shooting a movie. Gábor Herendi, the director of A Kind of America (Valami Amerika) will direct a film which will feature the people invading the spa, and doing actions like forming the number 350, the symbol of the solution to climate change. After that there will be lots of music with concerts, DJs, and even a raffle.
This is a unique chance to partecipate in something unique while having fun at the same time. Soaking in a thermal bath can be nice, but when you add the music and the dancing… well the fun is guaranteed! Moreover the movie will be played in Copenhagen at the UN climate experience, in domestic climate events like meetings of Climate-Friendly Municipalities, Climate Call movie projections, Car-free days etc., and of course people will have the chance to see it on Youtube.
The Budapest event is part of something huge; more than 4000 events will take place on October 24th in over 170 countries: from the slopes of Mt. Everest to the underwater reefs of the Maldive Islands, to the giant screens of Times Square; all in the name of 350. Why 350? 350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for parts per million carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. 350 is the number humanity needs to get below as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change. It is well explained in this video. So make sure to participate to what it looks like a great night out for a very right purpose.
Pálinka is one of the most famous Hungarian alcoholic drinks. It is a double distilled brandy that can be made from any kind of fruit, although the most popular ones are made from plums, pears or apricots. Since 2002 thanks to a EU regulation there are very specific requirements for an alcoholic beverage to be called Pálinka, one of them is that has to be produced and bottled in Hungary (see Wikipedia for more).
In the weekend from September 25th to 27th Hungary is celebrating its very own national drink in Budapest, in Vigadó tér with the Pálinka Promenade; a three days event that sees the participation of 20 pálinka makers. It is a great occasion to know more about this typical product, and of course to taste some. And in case you don’t consume any alcohol, there will be plenty of entertainment with many concerts, varying from jazz to latin to more traditional Hungarian. Don’t believe us? Have a look at the program:
Nothing tastes better after a long night out in Budapest than a late night kebab. You’ll find Kebabs in a lot of European cities (also called Gyros or Shawarma) but nowhere do they taste better and cost less than in Budapest. We’re talking 550 Ft (about 2 Euros) and you’ll find them on just about every major street corner. Just follow the scent of slow roasted meat wafting from to-go window.
Hungarians (and you) have the Turks to thank for this deliciously cheap invention. (Although I wouldn’t go shouting their praises in downtown Budapest, the memory of a few hundred years of Ottomon occupation still lingers. ) My favorite place for round the clock kebabs is Szeraj, located between Nyugati train station and Jaszai Mari square on the main ring road. It’s the only place in town you’ll find a line for food at 2am. A word to the wise; go ease on the csipos (spicy) sauce.
In every major city there seems to be some spot for locals, and some others for tourists. Szimpla Kert in Budapest seems to please both audiences. Although you can find it on every major tourist guide like Lonely Planet, Szimpla Kert is also frequented by locals and expats as well. On every average visit to the place you’ll hear all kind of languages, and yes, a good part of it will be Magyarul (Hungarian).
This cafe, bar, beer garden, screening house, pub, and almost disco (depending on the time of the day or night you go there) consists basically of the courtyard and few apartments of an old building in the VII District. Word of mouth is clearly bringing most of the people, because if you were a tourist passing by you would hardly thing of entering the big old gate, with a little sign just distractedly hanging over it.
Especially if you visit in winter, you’ll enter into a dark and weird looking corridor, if you manage to go through some plastic stripes hanging from the doorway (the kind of industrial ones, butcher or market style, to keep in the warmth). Once inside though, you’ll discover a perfect heaven of comfy, relaxed atmosphere.
The furniture is very peculiar indeed: old benches, armchairs, and coaches; sitting places made out of old bath tubs, film reels containers, old cars (a Trabant converted into table and chairs can be seen in the garden) and disused sewing machines. This appears to be a trend in many nightlife spots in Hungary; a local one said with an ironical accent: “looks like, if a spot has got two similar chairs, it’s not trendy these days”.
That said, Szimpla Kert remains one of the most favorite spots; for the way it’s located, for the atmosphere, but most of all for the people: wether you’re an Hungarian, an expat or a tourist, it’s good to go to one place and know that you can meet all kind of people in a special atmosphere!
