Classical music in Budapest is one of the great privileges of living here, and for years, it is one I did not use nearly enough. I studied opera, music theory, history and piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. In fact, it is one of the reasons I moved...
Masks, Doughnuts, and Making Noise Farsang is one of those seasons Andrew and I have slipped into over time rather than consciously adopted. Over the years, we’ve attended everything from elaborate masked balls to much simpler gatherings where the only real rule was...
As I write this, Hungary is wrapped in fog. Thick, lingering fog that refuses to lift. It has been an unusually heavy winter here. The kind that makes you understand why some cultures don’t simply wait for spring to arrive. At the same time, the eastern seaboard of...
No Santa in Hungary? That line still makes people blink when they visit in December. Technically it is true for Christmas Eve, but the story is much better than that. Growing up in Canada, I managed to get both Mikulás on December 6 and Santa on the 25th, which meant...
The fog has settled thick over our little patch of western Hungary, the kind that makes the morning feel half-finished. Andrew and I are closing down the cottage for the season and preparing to migrate back to Budapest, where the Christmas markets are already in full...
It’s only mid-November, but Budapest has already given in to Christmas - and so have we. The air is sharp, barely six degrees today, and the lights are strung across Andrássy Avenue like a promise. The Budapest Christmas Markets 2025 open tomorrow, and Andrew and I...
It’s November 1, and instead of carving pumpkins or answering the doorbell to small vampires, Andrew and I are in Sümeg, where the hills are turning gold and the air smells faintly of woodsmoke. This weekend we’ve swapped Halloween chaos for candlelight calm....
When Pumpkins Arrived in Budapest When Andrew and I first moved to Hungary eight years ago, Halloween barely registered on the cultural calendar. You might find a small display of plastic bats in a supermarket or a lonely pumpkin or two at the market, but that was...
Life in Hungary 2025 presents an intriguing blend of tradition and modernity. When Andrew and I first moved here, we were seduced by the usual suspects: stunning architecture, thermal baths, and a cost of living that didn’t make our wallets cry. But let me tell you:...
Update – February 2026Since publishing this article, I’ve learned that Brody House now uses card terminals that prompt for an additional tip, even when a service charge has already been added. This changes the practical experience described below. If you’re confused...
I’m Anikó Woods, a Canadian-Hungarian who’s been knee-deep in life here since 2017 - bureaucracy, culture, and everything in between.
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