BUDAPEST, the capital of Hungary, is the name of beauty, architecture, piazzas, art, culture, cafes, castles, history and its remains. Europe is a quite a subjective term and there is no shortage of contenders in this regard.
Traveling around Europe, exploring its historic cities and charming towns always remains a wonderful experience for anyone around the World. I traveled to Hungry to attend the Budapest Forum for Christian Communicators – BFCC – 2019, held in the first week of September 2019, which proved to be an exquisite experience for me.
After the visit, I felt it befitting to share my experience of the visit, the matchless beauty and magnificent architecture of what is known to be one of the most beautiful cities of Europe, Budapest. Indeed there are plenty of reasons that Budapest has been voted this year’s ‘Best Destination of Europe’ by travelers, topping the list of 15 competitors, ahead of second-placed Braga in Portugal, and the Italian town of Monte Isola in third. My friend, Attila Ballai, chief editor of Hungary’s leading daily newspaper ‘Magyar Nemzet’ who spared precious time to take me around the country’s capital, told me so most delightfully.
Budapest is on many lists as one of the outstanding cities in Europe and is nicknamed the “Paris of the East” because of its stunning setting and unique architecture.
The capital of Hungary is safe, youthful, and unlike anywhere else in Europe. My friend Ballai also said that Budapest is among the safest city of Europe for visitors and boasts of zero crime rate. Many Indian and English film makers love to shoot their movies in Budapest. After London, Budapest is the second most popular city among the movie producers. Agnes Havas, Director, Hungarian National Film Fund said that being a substantial contributor to the Hungarian GDP, this international showbiz was very important for the Hungarian economy.
The nightlife scene in this city is booming with its unique ruin bars. Ruin bars are housed in abandoned buildings that date back to WWII and are a must-see even if one isn’t into bars. Budapest is also well known for its natural hot spas, which can be found in abundance around the city. This city has its own distinct personality, a unique culture, and a distinguished history. It is city of many different nicknames, including as the ‘Capital City of Festivals’ because of the numerous festivals and celebrations it hosts annually. Put simply, Budapest is the hub of tourism, culture, politics and commerce as the Hungarian envoy has described so succinctly.
In my opinion, an extremely important thing that the Hungarian government is doing is putting its best to preserve and secure Hungary’s Christian culture. The Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister, Zsolt Semjen, while speaking at the opening of the three days conference in Budapest for Christian Communicators highlighted this aspect eminently. He was in a combative mood as he listed all the occasions and times when Hungary defended European Christianity – first from the Mongols, then from the Turks, later from the Nazis and finally from the Soviets, he enumerated. The speakers stressed that both the European identity and the Christian heritage were at stake. It was high time for Christian journalists to stand up and defend the continent, they emphasized.
In the end, it would not be fair if I do not mention the name of highly regarded and respected Ambassador of Hungary in Islamabad, H E Istvan Szabo, a thorough professional and hard-core envoy of his great country, who has left no stone unturned in further expanding and deepening the most cordial and friendly ties between our two countries.
