The Ultimate Guide to Fröccs!

Posted on June 16, 2020June 16, 2020 by Barny

The Ultimate Guide to Fröccs!

As the weather heats up and the bars reopen, the first question is surely – what to drink? While a white wine spritzer (fröccs) may simultaneously offend hardened beer drinkers and wine aficionados, it is actually a perfect, easy summer drink. Legend has it that combining wine and water was invented in Hungary shortly after Ányos Jedlik developed a method of mass-producing soda water.

The huge popularity has resulted in a bewildering array of mixes, with a variety of names ranging from descriptive to downright obscure. This can make it a little confusing to order what you want, but don’t worry! I’ve done the research and compiled this ultimate guide to fröccs for confused tourists and expats!

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Favourite Running Routes in Budapest

Posted on June 11, 2020June 11, 2020 by Barny

Favourite Running Routes in Budapest

When I first visited Budapest in 2011 and ran around Margit sziget, I remarked that “if I lived here, I’d be so fit because I’d run every day”. Now that I do live here, I can’t say I totally kept my word! But this city is certainly a great place for running.

It’s not always easy to find new routes in a city. Crossing roads, waiting at lights, navigating underpasses etc. all interrupt the flow and count against city-running when compared to countryside and trails.

Nevertheless, here I present a few of my favourite running routes in Budapest, which all provide a decent amount of interrupted running and interesting scenery. Whatever distance you’re looking for – from a few kilometers to a marathon route – you can find something here!

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Cuprevolution: Reducing Plastic Waste This Summer

Posted on June 9, 2020June 11, 2020 by Barny

Cuprevolution: Reducing Plastic Waste This Summer

Finally things are returning to something close to normal here in Budapest. It’s now possible to go out to bars and restaurants with a terrace and it almost reminds you how life used to be! We took a trip to Erzsébet tér on a sunny Saturday evening and discovered a new initiative called Cuprevolution.

Instead of being served your drink in a throwaway plastic cup, at several locations across the city you now pay 300HUF for a stronger plastic beaker. You can either keep it and use it across the city, or exchange it for a token to use next time. The aim is to reduce plastic waste across the participating venues by up to 80%.

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My Favourite Hungarian Craft Breweries and Beers

Posted on May 27, 2020June 11, 2020 by Barny

My Favourite Hungarian Craft Breweries and Beers

Typically known for its wine and pálinka, Hungary also has a pretty strong craft beer scene. As a faithful user of Untappd this is very good news for me, and indeed anyone who isn’t interested in endless cans of Dreher.

Budapest is famous for ruinpubs and other cool places to grab a drink, so why not make the most of it and drink something good! A few Hungarian craft breweries are well known internationally, and some not so much. So, here’s a quick list of my favourites, sorted alphabetically because I can’t figure out how to rank them..

Balkezes

Budapest, Hungary

A small brewery putting out some experimental products but, fortunately, the experiments are a success! It was hard to choose a favourite as the range is consistently strong. LD50 Simcoe and Peeping Tom deserve honourable mentions.

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Running Events and Races in Hungary

Posted on May 25, 2020June 11, 2020 by Barny

Running Events and Races in Hungary

There are lots of running events and races in Hungary if you know where to look. The most obvious omission compared to the UK is the lack of a weekly Parkrun (although there is something of an equivalent at Margitsziget).

However, there is a strong running culture and lots of organised races over a wide variety of distances to suit all levels of participation.

Budapest Sportiroda

One of the biggest organisers of running events and races in Hungary is Budapest Sportiroda (BSI). They are responsible for many of the races that may be familiar to those outside Hungary, including the Wizzair Budapest Half Marathon, the SPAR Budapest Marathon and the Spuri Balaton Super Marathon. As well as these, there are also many that I wasn’t familiar with, including the Telekom Vivicitta Festival and the Zúzmara Running Festival.