Bringing in Spring: Some outdoorsy places to go

I definitely had this conception that spring in Budapest would be a dull affair. Partly because in New York, the idea of a slow and steady rise in temperature to summer is nonexistent. It will be eighty on a day in February before snowing in April. And just when the weather seems like it's getting nice... BAM it's summer and every day is an exercise in avoiding heat strokes in muggy ninety degree weather.

So it's been nice to experience something like what I imagine spring SHOULD be: warm, sunny, maybe a little rainy, with steady temperatures ranging from 50-70 degrees. Spring in Budapest is BEAUTIFUL.

Ah, who am I kidding? Budapest is always beautiful :)

It's hard to stay inside when the weather is so nice. Studying outside may be a little counterproductive, but you gotta maximize your time in the sun somehow.

So I've been walking more instead of taking public transport, going to parks, etc.

City park: it was okay in the winter but now it is GREEN. A good place to study if you don’t need a table.

Also, the statues scattered throughout the city look more regal cloaked in green (or whatever...)

On the Pest side of the Danube, there are tons of statues scattered in interesting places/poses. My FAVORITE kind of park is a statue park.

Queen Erzsébet looking regal (in the Buda side, by the citadel)

In terms of some concrete recs, I have three, ranging from easiest to hardest to get to. First: go to the ELTE botanical gardens! The gardens are in Pest, an easy tram ride away, and the student price is only 600 forints. If you go on a weekday morning the gardens will be relatively empty and you can study/read/chill/admire the greenery to your heart's content. One caveat though: weekdays are also the days school kids take field trips to the gardens, so be cognizant of that!

Fragrant wisteria grows everywhere in the spring and might be one of my favorite things about spring at this point...

And here we have the requisite Asian garden.

Second: head to the Buda Hills! Some friends and I went to Normafa for Labor Day and picnicked there before hiking around the hills. It was honestly kind of shocking how beautiful it was given how easily accessible the hills are from downtown. Also, picnic food is the best food (proof: all things are better outside in 60-70 degree and sunny weather, therefore, food is better in nice weather outside).

It’s really too bad I couldn’t get a picture of the food. We ate on a grassy hill that made me feel like I was in a Monet painting

Walk around enough in the hills and you will stumble across this cool tower with sick views.

Sick views! Also the Hungarian flag.

Finally, I can see why everyone raves about Pécs. With wide plazas, a Mediterranean feel (must've been those occasional palm trees), and tons of art and history scattered through the city (also Roman ruins) it's just a cool place to walk around. We took a day trip to the city and had a lovely (albeit also sweaty- should not have worn jeans) time taking in the sites, views, sun.

I don’t think photos do this building justice. It was VERY impressive in real life.

It's weird to know that the semester is wrapping up, and weird to think about the fact that I'll soon be leaving Budapest with no idea if/when I'll be back.

We won't think about that for now!!

Happy Spring!