"A palimpsest of a city" a Budapest Travel Page by susiederkins

Budapest is an interesting place to go, as I don't recall being any other place where the political changes that the city experienced were so blatant. On the ride from the airport into the centre of Budapest, we passed by stark forested areas filled with the saddest ramshackle huts and tents occupied by the city's homeless. The massive concrete blocks of buildings show the previous communist influence, and the layer of dirt over everything shows the ongoing struggle to recover from their previous problems.

However, get further into the centre and you find graceful old buildings, grand halls with gorgeous chandeliers, and coffee houses whose surroundings feel more like top-notch restaurants than the casual hangouts they really are. Clearly this city was something quite grand, and retains much of its former grace. The baths are egalitarian havens to relax in, and the cake and coffee houses welcome all sorts of patrons, without pretension.