I’d been nursing a beer alone, having used
the dice to help decide what to drink – luckily,
I avoided
pálinka
,
a throat-numbing local
brandy that’s made frommashed-up fruit – and
decided to spice things up. In my head, I gave
each of the six tables around me a number,
deciding that whichever one came up, I’d go
and join the people sitting there – asking them
to steer me in the direction of some late-night
entertainment. I gulped at the idea of joining
the loved-up couple on table two. Even getting
them to stop staring into each other’s eyes
would be enough of a challenge.
Instead, I rolled a six, and that’s how I found
myself talking to Dóri and her smiley friend.
As we chatted about history, bars and Budapest,
the dice games continued and one drink
quickly led to three.
“
That cheap beer will give you a headache,”
the girls warned, but I was already feeling the
effects and had stopped worrying about the
morning after. For more late-night partying,
Dóri recommended I check out the
kert
scene.
Also known as ruin pubs, these could well be
Budapest’s best nightlife secret. These slightly
shabby pubs are often hidden from the view of
tourists, sitting in the courtyards of demolished
buildings, local parks or on terraces on empty
roads. But they’re where many of the city's two
million residents go to unwind, watch films,
debate or just dance the night away.
Szimpla Kert (
szimpla.hu
)
in District VII, is
one of the city’s original ruin pubs. Cluttered
with kitsch collectibles, it opened in 2001
and, unlike many other kerts, which pop up
and then disappear, it has stayed open ever
since. Here, my night ended with a reasonable
quantity of pálinka before I staggered home.
Apart from a woozy hangover (I’m sure
it was that beer), the final day began well.
Before I started on the trip, the word went out
to easyJet's Facebook friends asking them to
recommend unusual activities for me to do
in the city. We received more than a virtual
mailbag of great suggestions. I then used the
dice to help select a couple of the best.
First up was Zsuzsanna Sükösd’s suggestion
–
a trip inside the neo-gothic Hungarian
parliament building (
parlament.hu
),
whose
grand staircases and chambers twinkle with
gold, marble and brightly stained glass. When
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