"Four years on..........." a Budapest Travel Page by leics

I first visited Budapest in June 2005. This is what I wrote then:

Budapest is a city in transition, and now is the time to see both where it has come from and where it wants to go. In 10 years' time it will be a very different place, I think........more like any other European city. Macdonalds and Burger King are already there, others will soon follow. Many older buildings are being re-furbished, and the contrast between those which have been and those which remain in their pre-independence state is marked.

We mostly explored Pest. Buda is pretty, and perhaps has more history (my passion), but it also seemed to be the most touristy and crowded. The whole city has a vibrancy about it, especially noticeable in streets like Liszt Ferenc Ter, lined with buzzy cafe-bars and restaurants (and with classical music drifting across from the open windows of the Academy of Music). People want to move forward and are happy to do so.

And the city has indeed moved forward. Differences I noticed:

Much more (and ongoing) renovation of the beautiful architecture, especially in Pest

And renovation too of the roads and pavements. It's still going on, with many buildings shrouded in scaffolding and plastic and the area in which I was staying a fascinating obstacle course of workmen, diggers, tools and holes.

So many more places to eat good, ordinary Hungarian food..last time it was hard to avoid the Burger Kings etc. They still exist, of course, but I was pleased to find so many (much, much better) alternatives and a far, far wider choice of places to eat.

A more relaxed and pleasant approach from waiters, ticket office staff and so on. Things have, I think, become a little easier and this is reflected in people's attitudes.

Far fewer 'tablecloth ladies' (holding out tablecloths and other linens in subways and in doorways). I hope this is because things have got better financially for them, but suspect it is because they now are less tolerated.

So much more graffiti. It is regarded as a blight on the city by some (my hotel staff, for example) and perhaps could be removed. But that costs money, and maybe funds first need to be spent on the infrastructure.

Still very few beggars for a major European city (I noticed that before), but there are streetpeople (as everywhere).

The city feels as safe for a single middle-aged female as when I first visited, which is good. Its vibrancy, and the fact that so many people actually live in the centre of the city, ensure that streets are not deserted until late at night in summer....which always feels safer.

It was really quite amazingly hot.....I'd forgotten that mid-continent places can get really hot. Well into the 30s every day which, for a Brit used to grey, damp chill, came as a most pleasant surprise. But it does take the body some time to adjust, so my wanderings were less than they might normally have been. An hour or so in the heat, an hour or so in the shade with a cold drink, then another hour of wandering and so on and so forth...

Budapest has little of its Medieval (or earlier) history left visible. Its turbulent past means most has been destroyed or is hidden, in one way or another. So from that point of view it is not a city which holds a vast amount of interest for me. But its architecture really is beautiful, and can clearly be seen even those buildings which have not yet been renovated (fewer of these than before, but still many). Even blackened by decades of pollution and/or pockmarked with bullet-holes they prove what a stunning city it once was and, I'm sure, eventually will be again.

As of now, it is still a city in transition .......but a great deal further down the road than on my previous visit. I like Budapest a lot. Maybe I'll return again, in a few years' time, and see what else has transpired.

And if you have not yet visited, then I suggest you do so soon. A city in transition is a fascinating entity.