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Finding Việt N(y)am in Hungary

Tuesday, March 16 2010 By jj | A foreigner's diary | one comment

Written by Lien Hoang

Việt Nam and Hungary go together as obviously as, well, let's say their respective soupy icons, pho and goulash. But as a Việt Nam-born student in Hungary, I take any reason to blend the two countries. Enter Édenkert, the house of Vietnamese culture and food, located on the outskirts of Budapest.

I expected another night of bad Vietnamese cuisine, but it turned out the place's raison d'être is not completely culinary. After my friend and I ordered dinner, the effusive owner, Nguyen Phuong Thao, gave us a tour of her establishment. Or more accurately, she whisked us from room to room of the three-story, museum-like edifice she opened two years ago. Thao might be justification alone to visit. The petite, instinctively cheery entrepreneur didn't just take to me because we're from the same hometown (the old imperial capital Hue, displayed dramatically in a person-sized wall photo of the ancient palace in central Việt Nam). She was just as exuberant to my friend, switching fluently and fluidly between Vietnamese and Hungarian.

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Where time stopped

Monday, November 2 2009 By Nori | Cultural agenda | 14 comments

Written by Mária Ballai

Negreni (Körösfeketetó) is a little Romanian village just after the King’s Pass (Király-hágó). Being a true Transylvanian place it lies in an enchanted valley surrounded by mountains. In this time of the year they are dressed in the colours of autumn. Morning fog blankets them. The famous Negreni Fair (Feketetói vásár) takes place here every year on the second weekend of October.

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My Berlin Wall

Tuesday, October 27 2009 By Albino Blacksheep | Streets of Budapest | 19 comments

It has been 20 year ago when the Berlin Wall has fallen down, but still, there are some places all around Europe where we might witness that classes of society, buildings or some parts of the city are separated from each other. They are rather symbolic walls, but to break them down could be almost as difficult and taking long time as the tearing down of the famous Berlin Wall was in 1989.

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Opening of the borders, 1989

Friday, September 11 2009 By jj | News from Hungary | 19 comments

This post is also available in: Hungarian

By Ádám Terjék
Translated by Judit Révész

The picture of the opening of the Hungarian-Austrian border in 1989 is living vividly in my memory: in the television news of 10 September 1989 a group of East German tourists exult and rejoice at the announcement of Gyula Horn, 24828.jpgHungarian foreign minister saying all DDR citizens staying in Hungary could leave to the “west” with their passport. Surpassing all expectations this act of Hungary played a crucial role in the soon destruction of the Berlin Wall, the reunion of Germany and of Europe. As Helmut Kohl, former chancellor of West Germany summarised in a short sentence: It was the Hungarians drawing the first brick out of the wall.

Image: Gyula Horn cutting the barbed wire at the Austrian-Hungarian border in 1989; Soucre: MTI, www.mult-kor.hu

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Go behind the scenes...

Friday, September 4 2009 By jj | Cultural agenda | 3 comments

Have you ever dreamed of crossing the threshold of the oh-so-mysterious and so-hard-to-enter world of film-makers? Aye, so have we. That’s why we decided to bring you a ground-breaking debut, lovely FUNZINE friends: the FUNZINE CineFest Trip, at The CineFest International Festival of Young Filmmakers, Miskolc, between September 18th and 20th!

Image: funzine.hu

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How to have a peaceful holiday by Lake Balaton

Friday, August 28 2009 By jj | In love with Hungary | 21 comments

By Judit Révész

If you would like to visit Lake Balaton, the largest lake of Hungary and whole Central Europe, but you prefer calmness and silence and have the shiver from and the crowded night life of Siófok or Keszthely, you should spend your holiday in Fövenyes, a nice little resort village on the northern shore of the lake. Actually, it is not an independent village; it belongs to Balatonudvari, although the two places haven’t grown together. A tree lined lane, now part of the cycle path running around the lake, leads from one to the other. Fövenyes is easily accessible with train, car and long-distance bus as well.

Image: The shore of Lake Balaton at Fövenyes

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DVSC puts Hungary back on the map of football

Wednesday, August 26 2009 By jj | News from Hungary | 23 comments

By Lóránt Havas

Sealing 2-0 victory against Bulgarian side Levski Sofia, the team of Debrecen put an end to a long lasting struggle of Hungarian football: it is going to be the second team from the land of Magyars to make an appearance in the Champions League (CL) group stage, after Ferencvaros’ 1995 debut in the tournament. The historical achievement of the DVSC means, however, much more to the fans than just a simple victory.


DVSC - Levski Sofia football match, 25 August 2009

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Cafébabel were at Sziget Festival again - 2009 report

Monday, August 17 2009 By jj | Babel Budapest | 14 comments

By Judit Révész

Our first day on the Sziget Festival (14th August) didn’t begin very well. When we arrived, it started to rain and the island seemed to be deserted. In addition, our Brunch Talk guest, Krisztián Grecsó (writer) had to excuse himself from coming, because he got ill. Fine, good start. However, we didn’t give up the hope that we can make something good out of that Friday, which seemed to be as unlucky as a Friday 13. And we were right, the sun shone out and the Cafebabel.com pavilion became more and more popular – especially, as we had suspected, the little yellow ‘fishing pool’. Finally we had so many visitors, that by evening we ran out of the little gifts offered to those completing our quizes and other games (squirt-guns, tent air fresheners, and others) we thought would be enough for the three days.

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Styrofoam – never enough

Tuesday, August 11 2009 By jj | Babel Budapest | 27 comments

This post is also available in: Hungarian

by Judit Révészbarkacs_small.JPG

It’s a wonderful invention, cheap, light and easy to cut to size – but sounds horrible when being carved. We are busy preparing for the Sziget Fesztivál.

Gathered in a flat a group of four drew, cut and painted, thinking of the Islanders, who will be eager to grab the little green fishing rod. It really makes fun to choose the proper colour for a “b” while taking a sip of fresh lemonade, but it is only now I realise how much letters “cafebabel.com” consists of. My thumb nails were green and gold even the next day, but it was worth it. I think, not only our Brunch Talks and our Debate will attract many people but also the pretty little colourful “letter fishes” swimming in the glaring yellow kids’ pool. We also started to design our Tower of Babel. It is like a bastion, two meters high and made of styrofoam slabs. There will be a large “cafebabel.com” inscription on one side (a perfect advertising pillar), the introduction of the Magazine on another and our programme on the third. The fourth side remains empty – but surely not for a long time – to let people leave their message – or rouged kiss – there.

Beside these the fruit of the day’s work is a brown and white box with twelve golden stars on its top, which will be used to collect ideas for European Citizens’ Initiatives.

Cafebabel.com do Sziget again

Wednesday, August 5 2009 By jj | Babel Budapest | 3 comments

This post is also available in: Hungarian

The Budapest branch of cafebabel.com will represent the magazine in the biggest open-air summer festival of Europe, the Sziget for the third time in 2009. We will provide different programmes for visitors of the festival in the special corner of the island, called Civil Sziget reserved for civil organisations and NGOs. You can find us there during the weekend, between 14th-16th August.

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