Budapest: Ensivaikutelmasta eteenpäin

Miksi Budapest? Sattumako?
Heittäydy elämykseen... Joskus se on pakon sanelemaa.

Tämä on se toisenlainen matkaopas.
 
Tulin kaksi vuotta sitten heitetyksi Budapestiin täysin sattuman kaupalla. Kauan tähdätty vaihtokohteeni Barcelona oli sulkenut ovensa kielitaidottomalta viime hetkellä ja monen vuoden haaveilun ja suunnittelun jälkeen olin vaihtoon haussa nollapisteessä, kun hakuaikaa seuraavan vuoden kohteille oli jäljellä tasan kuukausi. Paitsi, että aikaa oli vähän suhteessa siihen, että vuosi 20-vuotiaan elämästä on suhteettoman paljon aikaa, lista elämäni kohteista oli typistetty mitättömäksi. Muistan punniinneeni Kööppenhaminan, Tukholman, Oslon, Brysselin ja Budapestin välillä. Kaikki hienoja kaupuneja, mutta kaikki niin kovin tuttuja ja turvallisia. Paitsi Budapest. Kirjoitin hakemukseni. Kävin kiireellä läpi kurssivaihtoehdot ja jäin odottamaan vastausta. En tiennyt, mitä tuleman piti. Tässä vaiheessa olin jättänyt kaiken jo arpaonnen varaan.

A City like you are

 

Someone might wonder, why to be attached to one in such way I am?

I guess the answer is: The city is like me. I found my home there. Not playing sleek and shiny outside. Getting off what it is there, both good and bad.

Broken and alive - the more broken the more alive.

 

Time to calm down, time to remember

Suomessa oloa on kulunut kuukauden päivät ja pikku hiljaa tavarat alkavat asettua paikoilleen, kaikki rakkaat on tervehditty ja vuoden aukko Suomen muistia päivitetty. Ympyrä sulkeutuu. Kun viime vuonna näihin aikoihin kirjoittelin vimmatusti hakupapereita ja tulin hyväksytyksi BME:lle, nyt palautan raportteja ja joku muu tulee hyväksytyksi kouluun. Näinpä istun koneelle ja alan muistella kokemuksiani, jospa niistä jollekulle olisi vielä apuakin.

Just some experiences along the way... make a guestion if you want to know more

As an architect student I'm facing a hard perioid of finishing designs right now. But without the time to make many profound journals to you, I still want you to get the feeling of my trips along the way: The delight to make lonely discoveries in the city, run along Danubes bench.. find fellow loners, find places that not everyone enters... discover something small and something so huge in the same time... that's what makes the exitement and the heart for traveling to me.

I promise there will be some info some important thoughts attached later on...but as now.... A picture tells more than hundred word they say... enjoy the trip!!

Instant context and the deep attachment to the moment that's when the photos are made!

15.9.2010 It's a warm day in Budapest

While my study mates scramble around looking for ERASMUS parties and cheep beer, being sick I was forced to pay better attention to the places I go.Fed up sitting inside the flat I decided to make another alternative and of course romantic walk to the nearby areas. I also had a great aim to find famous new-age-Jewish coffee bar called Siraly (http://www.forward.com/articles/6001/). Following my way anything can happen so the day's result was perfect and cheap dinner considering the price and the time: a tasty soup and a couple of huge deep-fried soy pieces accompanied with paprica sauce costing me only 720 forints (2,5 euros).
After satisfying my greed stomach I found myself shoping in a nice outlet place in Kiraly street (to locals Kiraly utca). The shop was perfectly facing my long for alternate place Siraly. When I entered the bar I didn't know I'd allready found it pecause of it's lack for signs. But after ordering another rum-coke in English from non English speaker (I tried to  order hot toddy in every place since I got sick but the only coctail based on rum I get is a rum with coke. In good places the coke is still served me with a smile, such happened in this case as well), spending hours reading in my table and still recieving good wibes from the staff and 10pm realizing that the silent coffee place has turned into a crowded bar fild with local people I realized that this was my place.

Näytä suurempi kartta







After day's succesful course I decided to continue these lonely journeys in Budapest. I also made some succesful pre-searcing for my following adventures:
http://www.hubcafes.blogspot.com/search?q=hub+choice
http://www.ruinpubs.com/index.php?id=galeria&galeria=10

Strolling around Jewish district if Pest

 
Area of many contrasts. In the VII district of Budapest are the first recomendable restaurants and bars. These such nice blocks are great problem to the city with their low income and bad condition of the buildings. Despite of area's rich but tragical history (you can check out the background from every local turist guides, http://www.budapest-life.com/budapest/jewish-budapest) and it's value in tourism area's athmosphere is under threat. It is waiting a cheap facelift from investors and contractors acting with a greed glare for good profits in their eyes.
Read more about the situation:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,478207,00.html
As an foreign architect student we are to make an analyze of the area to make a plan of an infill building. Such an interesting task, but brings me again to the question of architects position and responsility in these kinds of situations when originality among the dwellers is going to be exiled because of a building and restoration process.