The park itself is one of the oldest public parks in the world and it’s always full of people walking their dogs, jogging, or just relaxing by the lake.
My friend here has a Sheltie, and sometimes we take her on walks in the park on the weekends. There are dogs everywhere in Budapest; you even see them riding on trams and the metro! Last week, I saw a woman on the metro with a dog and a cat in two baby slings across her chest, which was definitely a first for me. Besides dogs, I mostly see pigeons and ducks in the park, but not many wild animals in the city itself.
Outside the city, though, Hungary has a lot of wildlife. In the countryside you can find deer, wild boar, foxes, and golden jackals (which look a bit like smaller coyotes) in some areas. There are also lots of birds, especially around the Danube and the Great Hungarian Plain, where wetlands make a good home for herons and storks. I haven’t seen those yet, but maybe one weekend I’ll take a trip out of the city to look for them!
This week I spent an afternoon walking around Margaret Island, or Margitsziget in Hungarian. It’s a long island right in the middle of the Danube River, sitting between Buda and Pest (the two sides of the city). Even though it’s in the center of the city, it feels like a quiet escape from all the noise and traffic. The weather was warm and sunny and the trees were starting to turn colors so it was a perfect day to explore.
The island is full of things to see. There’s a huge musical fountain near the entrance that plays songs and lights up in the evenings, a small zoo with native animals, and long paths lined with old trees that are great for walking or biking.
