At Fekete, one of the most recommended cafés in Budapest, I had the chance to meet with Gareth, a 24-year-old guy from Newcastle, England who moved to Budapest last May after being in a long distance relationship with his Hungarian boyfriend.
What do you do here in Budapest?
After working as an English/French teacher in Vienna, I found a job in Budapest working in IT and moved in with my boyfriend. I started very recently but the people are very fun and friendly and very open-minded… and lots of them turned out to be gay! I like to spend my time learning the language and travelling around as much as possible.
How do you like Hungary?
I visited Budapest almost every second weekend since January this year and I moved here in May. Before I came to Hungary for the first time, I didn’t know much about it and I really never imagined coming here and liking it. I don’t agree with the politics of the country but everything else really exceeded my expectations. We are all different but the people here are very friendly. There are lots of cultural differences like the openness to talk about specific subjects and to be ‘proud’ of being gay but overall it’s been a very good experience to move here. I want to speak the language so I am teaching myself. I studied foreign languages at university and to be honest I’m a bit of a secret grammar nerd. I know how to teach myself a language but we’ll see what happens!
How do you feel about the gay scene in Budapest?
I am not really what you would call a “scene” person, I am not into the same things that most gay people are into. I really like that here there are lot of different places you can go to and it is not just one gay bar. The gay scene is quite small in comparison with other cities but it doesn’t mean that it’s bad. For example, there are lots of different parties to go to. I really like Ankert on Fridays and going to Garcons occasionally.
If not the scene, what do you do in Budapest?
I love music and I am really into electronic music. This city is amazing because there a lot of places where you can go to if you want to get drunk and throw yourself around the room a bit. I also like photography and travelling. I am also very interested in architecture; I love to see all the interesting contrasts between all the different types of buildings in the city, they’re beautiful. Even the ‘ugly’ buildings can be beautiful in a way.
How different is Budapest compared to your hometown?
My city, Newcastle, isn’t small but it’s not enormous either. I think the major difference between the two cities is that life is a bit more slow-paced here. A bit slower than what is normal for a capital city, but I like that a lot. One similarity, for example, is that we also get a lot of bachelor parties with drunken tourists and one major difference is that it is a lot colder at home normally.
How is the gay life in Newcastle?
Actually the gay life in Newcastle is amazing, we have a part of the city called the Pink triangle right in the city center. It’s three streets forming a triangle with plenty of things to do there: drag bars, pubs and even a place called Boulevard. It is a bit closer to what Alterego is in Budapest, but they have shows every night with three different performances depending on the season. The good thing about Boulevard and the gay scene in Newcastle is that it’s not only gays: lots of people go there because it is something a bit different to the normal ‘straight’ scene and because it’s also very fun, I’ve even taken my mum down the ‘gay scene’ and she loved it.
What are your favorite places to go to in Budapest?
I have been to this place called Lärm recently, it’s like a very small underground techno club which recently reopened. I also like to go to Corvintető and Zipp Club, as well as to the Zipp Terrace; but I am always looking for something new and interesting to go to. I like to feel more relaxed and not care much about how you look or what people are wearing. But I also like the gay scene; you meet a lot of fun people there looking for a good laugh.
Something I really miss here is a good old-school British pub. If I go to the pub back home, there is always a really nice cozy comfortable atmosphere. They normally have open log fires and the people who serve you are so friendly and willing to have a chat with you about anything. I also love beer so I would love to find a really good pub with really good beer in Budapest.
Would you like to stay here?
I certainly don’t have any plans to run back home! I love this city. I’m planning on staying here for a couple of years and then I will probably move to Berlin. That’s really a city, where I could imagine myself living forever.
What would you like to say to people who are here on their first visit in Budapest?
I would tell them to explore everything and don’t just go down the beaten track. There are lots of nice things and places that you can find away from the so-called tourist spots. Don’t just stick around Király utca, it is nice but there is way more to see.
What places would you recommend outside of the traditional tourist areas?
For people who want to do something very Hungarian and very different, try going to a butcher and eating there. I am not really experienced enough to be a tourist guide here but I would suggest to take the metro or the tram, get off at a random stop and just explore. You’ll find loads of new things that way.
Author: German
