In Love with the Hungarian Capital

This is a difficult text to write. Not just because of my usual procrastination, but because it is a farewell. Through this magazine – Diplomacy&Trade, which has been a regular companion, and WittyLeaks a must to read –, this is, in reality, a goodbye to a country, to friends, to almost six years that turned out to be the happiest of my life. Wit does not flow naturally from this. My first impulse would be to simply state that Hungary, and Budapest in particular, gave me these most joyful years. Yet, memories keep surfacing, reminding me of everything we are about to lose.

Vera and I arrived in late February 2020, planning our wedding for the summer. Those first two weeks in Budapest, although the world was spinning into turmoil, were blissful, exploring the Buda Hills and its staircases. Then, reality set in, and with it, the new coronavirus pandemic. Borders closed, travel became difficult, and her professional life would suffer. So, in the early spring, we challenged the virus and opened the Embassy for our own marriage, witnessed by my deputy and by the head of consular affairs. The truth is that over these years, I have been checked on a daily basis by those who married us. You don’t get that kind of follow-up from a priest.

Discovering Budapest after the pandemic
The world was shut down. For months, we could hardly do anything outside, or with anyone. When the city slowly reopened, its cultural riches poured in – classical and modern alike. The Palace of Arts (MÜPA), Pesti Vigadó, the National Dance Theater, the House of Music, Akvárium Klub, A38 boat, Kobuci Kert, Papp László Aréna – in all these venues, we lived unforgettable music. Concerts also drew us to St. Stephen’s Basilica and Matthias Church in Buda Castle.
Twice I watched Portugal win against Hungary at the Puskás Aréna, and somehow managed to maintain good diplomatic relations. I also attended summits there during Hungary’s successful Presidency of the Council of the EU. And I had my own Portuguese Presidency, first semester of 2021, mostly online and dealing with covid issues.

City walks with dogs and friends
Saturday mornings have also meant rising before dawn for the Ecseri flea market, this program more for Vera and friends than for me. Herendi porcelain, Zsolnay vases, Habsburg-era postcards, Soviet relics, and endless haggling, followed by fresh lángos.
The blanket of snow which is covering Budapest this January, after the largest snowfall in a decade, can also transform the city almost into a fairy tale, the Danube edged in frost. It reminded me of the short ski trips to nearby Eplény, when the pandemic was coming to an end.
Our dogs, Lucas and Angie, thrived here too. This is a great city for dogs, with excellent support. Every morning, we would walk in the woods near us, in Szépvölgy and Nyék, along the grass airport for gliders. It was also a daily measure of how safe this city truly is. Little girls riding bikes alone, ladies with dogs, proof that everyone felt safe. It became a great way to get out of the diplomatic bubble. I made Hungarian friends and many acquaintances.
Crossing the Margit híd bridge early in the morning, with the waters calm as a lake in front of the Parliament building – the most beautiful in the world, I might add – will always remain one of the most beautiful sights I know. Just as the Parliament lit at night is magical, a strong suggestion we always gave all the visitors we had over these years.

Buda and Pest
And what two different cities, Buda and Pest. The joke goes that when they merged 150 years ago, Pest was unhappy that the new name was not Pestbuda. But even the Danube seems to refuse to pick a side. Both are beautiful in their own way. Buda, with echoes of Lisbon, rising dramatically with castles and sweeping views. Pest is where begins the Great Hungarian Plain. Totally flat, chaotic when compared to the other side of the river, and always alive with energy. Seven bridges link the two sides, shining like jewelry at night, give center stage to the river.
Imperial grandeur, Ottoman layers, Habsburg pomp, Soviet nostalgia, romance, you can find all that in Budapest, in its streets and in its architecture. Thermal baths and ruin bars, inner courtyards everywhere, cozy cafés and some of the most beautiful street doors.
Lastly, we put initial effort into learning some Hungarian, but stayed only on the outskirts. Sajnos, csak kicsit beszélek.
Only one complaint in all these years, winter darkness falling too early in the day. Though, as Simon and Garfunkel sang, darkness can be an old friend.
Two cities, one name, whatever it is called, it captured our hearts forever.