River Danube parts the city that was once part of a kingdom ruling central Europe and was long ago divided into Buda and Pest. With historical buildings dominating the city scape, a centre of culture and religious diversity, Budapest has worked its way back into the spotlight, being praised and loved by people all over Europe. 

Stunning Architecture

With Buda Castle and the Citadella throning on the hills of the city quarter of Buda, overlooking the green forests on the one side and the stunning skyline of Pest on the other, Budapest is an actual heaven for those who admire a great view. Conquering the steps up to the top of the hill, ending up right below Liberty Statue, is definitely worth the sweat and exhaustion of the small hike, just like Buda Castle further north up the riverside. An extraordinary palace that was once home to royals and is now home to exhibitions with artefacts of Hungary’s art history - and the paintings of Frida Kahlo that have been brought to Budapest directly from Mexico for a temporary exhibition. Getting lost in the country’s art is always something I thoroughly enjoy because it is another visual representation of how society and history shaped the country in long lost times. 

Not far away from Buda Castle one of the architecturally most beautiful sights spreads across another hill, Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church. The bright white stone almost sparkles in the sunshine and thrones over a part of Budapest reminding the visitors of an old Italian town with streets made of cobblestones and flowers decorating the window sills. 

The city of Hungary can be explored almost entirely by foot as the city centre is rather compact and the most important sites are situated close to each other. Just by walking through the city centre one will stumble across cute cafés, shops offering local specialities and small boutiques selling unique clothes that will make every fashion lover cry of joy. 

Even though the Hungarian currency Forinth does need some time to get used to but compared to average European prices, food and drinks in Budapest are almost ridiculously cheap. The general price for beer is around the two euro mark, which is an absolute bargain. Due to us living in an AirBnB we were able to fill up our fridge with snacks from one of the many grocery shops in our area, which gave us the opportunity to save some money in the process.

Nevertheless it is definitely recommendable to pay one of the many cute, small, independent cafés all around the city a visit as they put a lot of effort and thought into their interior and menu. Our favourite spot was called Zoska and was located in a small side street close to the National Museum. They offered sandwiches, porridge, dips and veggies but also scrambled egg, pancakes and croissants so everyone’s taste buds could get satisfied. Side note: Their coffee was absolutely delish. 

The bar and pub culture in Budapest is a fairytale for the young generation and can

We also had lunch at the big market hall right next to river Danube where farmers sell their food and a part of the first floor is dedicated to food stands that offer local specialities that are mindblowingly tasty.  

Culture & History

We also had a look at the inside of the Hungarian parliament and took a walk through the building, where we were introduced to the vast history and culture of the country that goes a lot further back than just to the point of becoming a part of the Habsburg monarchy. 

Budapest still is an underestimated, hidden gem in the list of Europe’s capital city but is slowly growing to become a hotspot for culture and lifestyle once again. People from all over the world are coming to Budapest to not only embrace the Hungarian culture but also let go of all their sorrows in the blooming night life, enjoying their lives to the fullest. Budapest combines the young, the modern and the old and historical in a unique and mindblowingly beautiful way and all the prejudices one might have beforehand are entirely washed away by the beauty of the former Habsburg city. 

Being able to live ones dream is a feeling that cannot really be described with words. It’s surreal, mind-blowing, overwhelming and intoxicating and it fills your heart and mind with so much pure and genuine joy it feels as if it was close to bursting. 

As a lover of fashion and all things style, fashion week has always fascinated me and left me in awe multiple times a year, when the new trends for the upcoming year were presented on the runways of the world. I have had my blog for four years and originally started it as a platform to improve my writing and to share my thoughts and opinions on all things life. 

I do believe that all of us have this secret bucket list inside our heads that we try to work off throughout our lives, some points rather manageable, others more difficult to achieve. Sitting front row at a fashion show at Fashion Week always seemed to be unreachable and more of a dream than reachable reality and if someone had told me a couple years ago I’d end up not only sitting front row at Berlin Fashion Week but being introduced to multiple highly influential members of the fashion community, I would have probably laughed at their face. 

But… admittedly, the last two years have left me in constant disbelief on what amazing story my life has become and I never get tired of emphasising just how grateful I am. I would have never believed that such a small, irrelevant person like me could achieve all the things she’s always dreamed of doing as a kid and teenager and my life has really only just started. While writing these lines I can already feel myself tearing up again because I just cannot comprehend how lucky I am to get to be living this kind of life.

A Form of Art.

Attending fashion week was an amazing opportunity given to me by work and I knew that it was a chance I had to take to show how much passion the subject of fashion is to me. Before leaving I was determined to create quality content not only our readers and my colleagues would like, I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. 

The level of anxiety this whole project gave me when I realised that I was really going to Fashion Week is indescribable and I was profoundly terrified of maybe, eventually messing up. But all of the fear was unfounded. I might even go as far as saying that I had the best time of my life. Obviously, it was work and stressful and tiring and exhausting, but it still was the best time of my life. 

I was surrounded by people who are just as passionate about fashion as I am, who consider fashion an incredibly diverse form of art and who have a unique appreciation for the matters of how much you can define yourself as a person with the items you choose to wear. I met young, aspiring people with a vision and strength and willpower to fulfil their dreams and I was allowed to speak to numerous inspirational members of the fashion industry that still haven’t fallen for the dangers of mainstream. 

Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that a very large area of the fashion industry is ruled and defined by superficiality, jealousy and arrogance that I truly cannot support in any way. For me fashion is a beautiful way of creating a new You every single day and showing your inner self to the outside world. Money doesn’t define if a person has style or not, all it takes is the ability to create new looks no matter the price. But the majority of those who have grown into the fashion business and have shaped it with their opinions and their actions are those who still live for what fashion really is. 

What I have noticed though is that the bigger the designer the bigger the show. I was thoroughly impressed by what Austrian designer Marina Hoermanseder created on the grounds of E-Werk in Berlin. On arrival, guests were welcomed with drinks and a small fun fair that had been built on the area, including a smaller version of a ferris wheel. Designers do have the pressure of offering extraordinary things to keep people talking about them and doing it in such a creative and fun way rather astounded me in a positive way. Also, bring on the drinks at 10:30AM. 

Fashion Week can be described as some sort of real life Wonderland, far away from reality but still so connected to the world outside of fashion business that designers aspire to impress. Dipping into this experience was incredible, fun and rather opened my mind, showing me that fashion is still about what I enjoy most about it, when you meet the right people.