Hungary
Budapest
September 2011 • It's a tired cliché, but Budapest really does seem like a goulash—a mix of European architecture, Balkan demeanor, Soviet baggage, Central Asian heritage, and American consumerism. Contrary to usual luck, arrived while a festival was underway rather than after the tents had been folded. Nemzeti Vagta, or National Gallop, is an annual horse racing event that has the ambience of a state fair strung along a broad, historic urban boulevard—a buffet line of Hungarian culture well suited to someone who has only three days on the ground.
