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Day 19 - East Meets West
May. 17th, 2024 11:32 pmCurrently riding the train to Warsaw with limited internet access but if I’m lucky I can get this posted in time.
Two places in Budapest on my final day were both cool. The first is a Soviet era culture museum that showed what normal everyday life was like in Hungary during that time. I enjoy seeing things like telephones and TV commercials and boy scouts awards. They are both mundane and interesting: familiar yet strange. I understand that there is even some nostalgia for that time. Children of that time didn’t know yet what western culture could offer.
Of course now they have McDonalds and Levis jeans and shopping malls but to my surprise Budapest also has a pinball museum. Over 100 tables are crammed into a small venue with some remarkable rare and one-of-a-kind machines. I’m not sure if the typical customer is an ex-pat or a native that is just curious about retro western culture. It was quite busy when I visited so it has an audience.
One last thought on Budapest: it is famous for its outdoor thermal spas but a local told me those are just for the tourists (and maybe Russian men that are too big for their swimsuit). I didn’t pack one and honestly I’m not certain how clean that water is. Asian cultures wash before entering a public bath but since I could not confirm that here, I did my bathing in private.
Two places in Budapest on my final day were both cool. The first is a Soviet era culture museum that showed what normal everyday life was like in Hungary during that time. I enjoy seeing things like telephones and TV commercials and boy scouts awards. They are both mundane and interesting: familiar yet strange. I understand that there is even some nostalgia for that time. Children of that time didn’t know yet what western culture could offer.
Of course now they have McDonalds and Levis jeans and shopping malls but to my surprise Budapest also has a pinball museum. Over 100 tables are crammed into a small venue with some remarkable rare and one-of-a-kind machines. I’m not sure if the typical customer is an ex-pat or a native that is just curious about retro western culture. It was quite busy when I visited so it has an audience.
One last thought on Budapest: it is famous for its outdoor thermal spas but a local told me those are just for the tourists (and maybe Russian men that are too big for their swimsuit). I didn’t pack one and honestly I’m not certain how clean that water is. Asian cultures wash before entering a public bath but since I could not confirm that here, I did my bathing in private.