buda hills by bike

sADFsjdf;lskjaf


ASDadas

With a few exceptions, Pest is grit, glitz and urban excitement, while Buda is leafy and quietly confident. I love escaping the city for a ride in the hills—even within the city limits there are plenty of lush streets with great views. Even better, because Buda’s outermost neighborhoods simply run into the forest, roads give way to trails, and suddenly you're wishing you had a mountain bike and a hunting rifle. The network covers many square km and is as pleasurable as it is easy to find. Book your trip today!!

Welcome to Buda, nouveau riche style.

3206:

Here, a worker installing the latest McMansion, Buda style. I considered pushing him to his death to send a message to the vampiric contractors. The message, which I actually wrote from my vantage point further up the hill and which was to be pinned to this man’s chest with my hunting knife, said that you cannot simply put up houses everywhere there is a view to be exploited. We the masses will not allow the crass overdevelopment of the jewel of Buda so that you richies who cheat on your taxes can throw lavish parties and hurl empty bottles over your decks and into the forest below, your triumphant laughter echoing throughout the valley! No way.

In the end I resisted the urge to send the message this way. Mostly because that poor man was one of us. But also because I didn’t want to lose my hunting knife. And the note was written in English, which would have been awkward to say the least.

3217/21: a lookout area just 20m from that lucky construction worker.

3220: I am sure some teenager has fallen down this crevasse after drinking/smoking a bit too much up here. Luckily, this being Hungary, they didn’t feel the need to put up a barrier here because anyone who falls into this crevasse probably deserves it; and in any case s/he won’t sue the state afterward, like in the US.

3223: 3 minutes away from that view, I’m in the forest. I saw a huge cat upon entering—it looked like a puma—but it jumped into the brush. I kept ringing the bike bell as I passed through because I was so scared. This was no housecat, and it kind of stared me down for a second before hopping away, as if to remark that he’ll be watching me. I will have to check into whether they have pumas or lynxes out here.

3228: a quiet street on Buda’s perimeter.

3230: you are here: red is city, green is forest.

3231: no scary cats here, nor people.

3232: trails gives way to a street

3236: I saw more and more houses like this as I made my way back toward central Buda. Nice mountain style, now just do something about that old-skool komunista fence.

3241: after descending through a long valley for 15-20 minutes, you finally arrive baback into the hub of Buda, Moskva Ter (Moscow Square). However Buda is so green that even up to this very busy area I’d been riding in a park.

3374: Obuda (North Buda) seen from Margaret Island