The lakes at Szombathely

I have no sense of direction and had it been left to me to find our way to the lakes in Szombathely, I’d have called a taxi and saved myself the angst. But with the inimitable KG in charge of navigation we set off on what was to be a hot and somewhat torturous journey […]

My new favourite place for music in Budapest

My taste in music is  debatable. I like jazz, blues, and moody stuff like Leonard Cohen. I like Pink Martini and the Frames. I like Johnny Cash and Glen Miller. I’m the first to admit that I haven’t a note in my head, so when I find myself bopping, in my seat, to what I’m […]

New fish in town

I’ve been craving fish and chips. Real fish and real chips  – hand-cut. Actually, given a choice, I’d even be so specific as to say Cajun fish and chips. But I’m in Budapest. No coastline. No chip shops. No Cajuns. And then PL mentions a new place has opened on his street – 33 Veres […]

Tears for the Irish

  March is one of my favourite months of the year. It has everything I could hope for by way of entertainment: great rugby as the Six Nations tournament continues, great speeches as the final of the Gift of the Gab draws near (Orfeum, March 14), and the St Patrick’s Day parade in Budapest (March […]

Vienna – not all schnitzel and sausage

Naschmarkt Vienna

When I pitch Vienna against Budapest or even Bratislava, it always comes in third. I’ve never taken to the city – and I have no idea why. It seems a little sterile and old-fashioned, without a sense of humour. It seems to take itself far too seriously. Yes, it has some magnificent buildings and some […]

Where continuity has been broken

Until the 1980s, what is now Is-Simar wildlife sanctuary in Malta was a marshy area used as a dump. Back in 1995, BirdLife Malta took it under their wing (ahem!) and transformed this wasteland into a beautifully yet naturally sculpted wetland area where urban folk can come and enjoy the birds. It’s just a tad […]

The things I do for love

Up hill and down vale. Sliding forward on the sides of my feet trying to stay upright. Hurtling down the steep slopes and breaking my fall by running into  trees. As ungainly as you could imagine and far from my idea of fun. So why then, as October 30 dawned earlier than usual thanks to […]

Catholics only as tenants, please

I was in Rome once. And visited St Peter’s. Jammed, elbow to elbow, with the other tourists eager to have a look at Michelangelo’s great work of art, I couldn’t help but wish for a bench I could lie down on and from that horizontal position, have just five minutes to look at the ceiling […]

Why I love living in Budapest No. 3

I started my countdown of the top ten reasons why I love living in Budapest back in 2010 and never made it quite past No. 4.  That’s not to say that the last year or so hasn’t given me reason to change my mind –  but I’ve hardly been here. I’ve been back a month […]

I don’t spend nearly enough time on rooftops

A man walks up Krúdy Gyula utca carrying a pair of chopsticks… No joke. I was sitting outside Fictiv enjoying a Saturday evening constitutional, and had his progress in full view. Eyes down, he would stop very so often and use the chopsticks to prise coins from the pavement joints. What a way to make […]