This week I stayed in Budapest since it was between two national holidays, and I wanted to see what was going on in the city. The first was October 23, known as Nemzeti Ünnep (National Day), which marks the 1956 Revolution against Soviet rule. There were ceremonies, flags all over the city, and many public demonstrations.
The second was November 1, called Mindenszentek napja, or All Saints’ Day. It’s one of the most important holidays in Hungary and is a time for remembering family members who have passed away. People visit cemeteries to bring flowers-typically chrysanthemums-and light candles. It is a solemn celebration though not sad.
Even though I stayed in the city, I still covered a lot of ground—about 30 miles just from walking, and countless more using public transport. With the holidays, the cooler weather, and the leaves changing, it felt like the perfect week to stay here and explore.
Since the start of my journey, I’ve traveled quite a bit. I moved here from Bologna, Italy, taking a road trip with some friends. Because I had a lot to bring with me (and cars here are definitely smaller than in the U.S.), it actually took two trips to get everything to Budapest. Just that part alone added up to over 1,500 miles of driving.
Since settling in, I’ve taken a few shorter trips around Hungary.
