Sep 17, 2011 | Budapest

It's a tired cliche, but Budapest really does seem like a goulash—a mix of European architecture, Balkan seriousness, Soviet baggage, Central Asian heritage, and American consumerism. For once I arrived while a festival was underway, rather than the day after the tents were folded. Nemzeti Vagta, or National Gallop, is an annual horse racing festival that has the ambience of a state fair. It was a great way to pack in as much Hungarian culture as possible with only three days on the ground.