Funzine Insider: This Is How We Spend March

Three Funzine members, including natives of Budapest and newcomers in the city, share their favourite places and programs in (or close to) the capital every month. In March, you can see the hints of Léna, Orsi, and Viktor.

Léna

My favourite place: Széchenyi Palm House

I believe that the greatest wealth is health, and if you pamper your body, it will thank you later. When I first heard about the Palm House, I immediately knew it was bucket list worthy. The photos I’ve seen were very cosy: the place looks peaceful, full of plants. I can only imagine how great it must be to experience the gentle swaying of their colourful hammocks. Speaking of, hammocks are known to make brain waves stronger, and also induce a boosting of slow oscillation and spindle activity. I am excited to go later this month; I already booked a Thermal Tour online, with oriental manual therapy included!

Photo: Kriszti Németh

My favourite thing to do: Book Club Meetings

Six months ago I joined a book club that had been established by a group of girlfriends ten years ago. Some members moved abroad in the meantime, which is how I could get in. Nine women gather once a month to share their opinions on the book of the month, but we also like to have some chitchat and dine together. In most cases there are heated debates unveiling around the reading, and I find the numerous interpretations of the exact same story very interesting. I enjoy these evenings a lot, and I’m forever grateful for the club for helping me incorporate reading into my daily life again.

Viktor

My favourite program: St. Patrick’s Day Parade

There are St. Patrick’s Day parades all over the world in March to honour the patron saint of Ireland. Budapest is no exception: on 22 March we can go for a nice walk in the city, a perfect Sunday program for the whole family. The centre of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day in Budapest is Erzsébet tér and Akvárium Klub where it’s recommended to have a pint of Guinness and Kilkenny before and after the march. Don’t forget to wear something green! Our family will bring a green & black coloured kobold hat that we always take for a walk at this time of the year. See you there!

My favourite place: Muzikum Club & Bistro

I discovered Muzikum Club located in a secluded street nearby the Hungarian National Museum a few years ago when blues musician Ripoff Raskolnikov gave a concert there. This was the time I realized that Muzikum was the hotbed of blues music with excellent concerts on schedule almost every day of the week. If it’s not blues, the best Hungarian tribute bands take the floor: they play popular songs by Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix so good that even their original performers would be proud. For an even fuller night, you can start by having dinner at the bistro downstairs that has some pretty special meals on the menu.

Orsi

My favourite program: Spending time in nature

I love spring, and I try to spend more time in nature this time of the year. I enjoy fresh air, the smells of the rejuvenating nature, and even the feeling you have when you’ve left your sunglasses at home on one of the sunniest days of the season. Regardless the season, I go on excursions with my dog, Filkó on the weekends. There are not many places we haven’t been to: recently, we have explored Zugliget in District XII, a tranquil neighbourhood with full of hiking spots. The flora heaven Peak Hunyad is one of them, but we also like to climb up to the Tündér Rock that offers beautiful views over the city.

My favourite place: Dodo’s Restaurant

I was born in March, and I have decided to organize a family gathering at a friendly place in Budapest instead of celebrating my birthday in the countryside as I used to. We are planning to dine at Dodo’s Restaurant, a modern venue that runs a fine bistro style kitchen. On the menu, you’ll find both traditional Hungarian meals and the bests of international cuisines, all with a modern touch. If the weather is nice, we’ll celebrate on the spacious terrace by the river while the kids can have fun in the children’s corner. The promenade by the Danube is the perfect setting for taking some photos of this special day.