01
PRESENTATION OF SZŐNYI
02
HIKING DAY
03
MEME MUSEUM
04
MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Prologue: To be honest, I can’t even remember the last time I was in Budapest. My desire to travel has decreased lately. However, this time I was able to find many programs and I pulled the trigger.
Thursday (10-02-2025): I didn’t want to watch a 2-4 laned motorway for 6 hours while driving, so I bought a train ticket. I carried a couple of bike related items (fork, and some rubber for shifters). I was happy to sell them, because I could finance the trip with that money ($250). After business I went to the hotel and picked up the keys. I spend exactly 5 minutes in my room and I headed back to the city to watch the presentation of Ferenc Szőnyi, a crazy ultracyclist from Hungary who cycled through Canada (12500 KM) in 45 days. The price for the ticket wasn’t cheap ($60) , but it went into charity. And this guy is a living legend anyway. He mentioned some nice moments and experiences. Among the nice bits there were also less satisfying moments like cold/wet weather, heavy truck traffic, the ascents of Rocky Mountain, torn Achilles/muscles, logistical/resupply issues between small towns. After the presentation I consumed propably my fanciest hot dog from a shipshaped bowl.
Friday (03-10-2025): Yesterday I was in a pretty bad shape due to cold. I took my time in the morning. Thankfully I felt myself strong enough to start the hike as planned (maybe a bit late). I bought some food (layer cake/strudel, water, coffee), because the forest won’t offer much later on. I didn’t have a well contoured goal, I planned a sympathic route on a map and I tried to follow it. The first hour was really chilly. Due to cold I was wearing multiple layers of clothes. The hotel had two tea bags so I was able to bring some hot drink with me. I found a cosy bench where the sunrays were dancing. Sipping warm tea felt really good. After 20 KM of hiking my feet were telling me that I should find a comfy couch, put them in the air and let them enjoy the sweet idleness. The peak point of the tour was the Csergezán Pál lookout on Nagy-Kopasz. I was looking at the time, and I realised that the sun moves quicker on the sky than me on the ground. Down the hill I found a few photo themes, and if I didn’t pay attention I could have easily collided with some mtb riders. I was peacefully walking on a singletrack when I heard the noise of tires coming closer and closer. The half-hour delay in the morning and the breaks during the day meant that the sunset catched my in the forest. I reached a somewhat busy street in pitch dark, which made me shiver. Car drivers could barely notice an idiot walking beside the road without any lights. Fortunately I could countinue the hike on the other side of road. I galloped on the tourist trail with the light of my phone until I reached a park. I was pretty low on battery so I used the traditional way and asked a girl for directions. I couldn’t even see her face in the dark, so I am not sure if she felt herself comfortable during the speech with a completely stranger. Anyway I made a break at a bus station to hopefully shorten the distance to the tram, but the bus didn’t stop, so I continued the walking to Hűvösvölgy (Chilly valley). I find this name really practical because it was really chilly. I bought some food and ate some pizza and I went back to the hotel. In the end it felt like needles are pushing through my thigh with every step.
The curve of Children’s Railway in Budapest in black and white →
→ Tunnel effect
← View from the Csergezán Pál Lookout I.
←View from the Csergezán Pál Lookout II.
Serene scene just before sunset →
Conclusion: For the restart this hike was much longer than it should have been. However I was enjoying the sweet monotony of walking, the chance that I was able to take good photos again. Being in the nature is somuch more exciting than being in the office all day long. I just can’t feel myself well in corporate environment. I had this job so long and it completely drained my soul. People don’t need psychiatrist. People need fresh mountain air, wind and sunlight. Our modern world is simply so f.cked up.
Recommendation: I enjoyed this hiking route, but for tourists there are much better paths/goals available. I can certainly recommand the lookout on Nagy-Kopasz. It is easily within reach from Nagykovácsi. The ground was partly pretty rough and rocky. My shoes have a really soft sole. For better experience I recommand shoes with a stiffer sole. Feet massage is nice, but your feet will strike after a while
Saturday (10-04-2025): In the morning I was pleasantly surprised that my legs were still working. So, first of all, I walked over to a friend of mine who was renovating his apartment. He won’t be bored any time soon! Then I went to Csepel to get my rear wheel with internal gearing hub. I’ve never been to this island before. This particular area was quite industrial. The hub was so worn out after 10k KM that it was better/cheaper to find a donor than to replace the small parts one by one. So I get 6 kg of extra weight to walk with my sore legs.
My next program was the closing Meme Museum. I was browsing on Facebook then this ad came into my view. I have no idea how this museum survived for 2-3 years in recession, but I have to see it with my own eyes. In its last days it felt somewhat empty. I wonder how it looked like earlier. I found a couple of interesting memes (Pedro, Bunchie, Nyan cat which has been sold for $600.000)
Reduced rent or not, I don’t see how a similar „business” could be profitable. Filling the museum with rarities requires a bottomless wallet. Especially if you’re going for more interesting, collectible specimens. I could imagine a kind of craft/dummy-like museum. If you’re not lazy, you can invest countless hours of work, and money into recreating certain memes. Hats off to the guy for trying something like this in Budapest in the middle of an economic crisis.
After the memes my stomach alerted me to get some proper food. Museums rarely fill out your stomach on their own. So I visited my favorite mexican restaurant. I ordered beef quesadillas with chilly powder and salat. Jesus Christ! The struggle was real. Burning tears were running down on my cheeks. This was a proper treatment for my cold. I like those type of restaurants, because you can’t recreate this food at home and they bring you out of your comfort zone. This was my last of the trip so when I headed towards the trainstation I was thinking about making some fried cheese. The stores are closed in Austria so I was traveling with a 2L sunflower oil. I wanted to buy a bottle of alcohol. But for pracitcal reasons I went for the oil. Quite the change it was!