Hungary
- Alana Depaz - Period 6 - May 13, 2015 -
Geography
Climate/Weather
I think the best time to visit Hungary is in May-September because of the nice temperatures at day and night.
The average rainfall for Budapest, Hungary, the capital, is 52.375 mm per year
Conversions from Celsius to Fahrenheit:
3=37.4, -3=26.6
6=42.8, -2=28.4
9=48.2, 2=35.6
11=51.8, 7=44.6
16=60.8, 15=59
17=62.6
22=71.6
23=73.4
26=78.8
28=82.4
Culture
Some holidays include War of Freedom Day (15 March, for the 1848 rebellion and war). How they celebrate it is that they wear the symbol of the War of Freedom Day, which is a small ribbon of the colors of the national flag, called the kokarda, they they hold many ceremonies. Another holiday is the National Holiday (23 October), which remembers the start of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, which is when they revolted against the Soviet-ruled Hungarian People's Republic, and many Hungarians were killed or imprisoned.
Some traditions are for adults to greet each other with a firm handshake.
Major religions are Roman Catholic, which makes up 37% of the population. The rest is Calvinists (around 12%), Lutherans (2%), and Greek Catholics (2%), atheists, and other religions as well.
3 Sightseeing/Activities
Hungary is landlocked, with the northwest having rolling hills and low mountains, but most of the east is flat.
You could visit the Fisherman's Bastion, or the Shoes on the Danube Promenade Memorial. There is also the Hungarian State Opera House.
Fisherman's Bastion
Shoes on the Danube Promenade Memorial
Hungarian State Opera House
Current Information
The currency is the forint. One U.S. dollar is approximately 270 Hungarian forints, or the other way around is around 0.0037 U.S. dollars.
The government type of Hungary is a parliamentary democracy. The president, which is the head of state, is János Áder, and the prime minister, the head of government, is Viktor Orbán.
Hungary's type of economy is a free-market economy. The GDP in billions is $196.6 and the GDP per capita is $19,800. Some important products are from industries and agriculture that are exported, and there are also natural resources like bauxite, coal, and natural gas.
Food
The best-known Hungarian dish is Gulyásleves, in English that is Goulash Soup. The recipe is
Ingredients:2 pounds beef (thick flank and fillet ends)2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 ounces lard
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 raw potato, grated
1 tablespoon tomato puree
4 1/2 pints bone and vegetable stock
1 pound potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 green pepper, sliced
For Csipetke (Pinched noodles):
6 ounces flour
1 egg
1 pinch of salt
Directions:
- Cut the beef into walnut-sized cubes. Fry onions in lard to a golden color and then add the cubed beef, paprika, caraway seeds, and the grated raw potato. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomato puree and 1/2 cup of stock; simmer until meat is nearly done. Then add the remainder of stock and bring it to a boil.
- Add cubed potatoes. If available, add some sliced green pepper to the goulash.
- Hungarian goulash soup is garnished with csipetke. Make them as follows: Sift flour into a bowl and add egg and salt. Knead ingredients into a stiff dough. Flatten between your palms and pinch into small bean-sized pieces; add to the gulyás and boil slowly for 10 minutes before serving.
Hungary is also famous for its pastries like Hungarian Malna Piskotatekercs (Raspberry-Cream Roulade), Indianer (Cream puffs), and Somloi Galuska (Trifle).
Transportation and Lodging
For a weeklong trip to Hungary, the round trip airfare from Chicago to Budapest, the capital, would be either from $1,220 for the cheapest flight, and for the quickest flight, it would be $1,987. I'd visit all the places I talked about earlier, one on each day, which would be about $72.00. The cities I would visit would be Budapest and also Heviz. I would go to the Continental Hotel Zara Budapest because it is not the most expensive hotel, but it still has four and a half stars. It has $161.00 per night. For my itinerary: Day 1- I'd take a Budapest walking tour. Day 2- Go to the Fisherman's Bastion. Day 3- Go to see the Shoes Memorial. Day 4- Go to the Hungarian Opera House. Day 5- Visit the city of Heviz and go to Europe's largest thermal lake to swim in. Then I'd head back to my hotel. Day 6- I'd take a cruise on the Danube River. Day 7- Pack my bags and go back home.
Citations
"Budapest Monthly Climate Average, Hungary." World Weather Online. N.p., n.d.
Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://www.worldweatheronline.com/v2/
weather-averages.aspx?q=Budapest,%20Hungary>.
"Fisherman's Bastion Budapest." Fisherman's Bastion. WordPress, n.d. Web. 1 May
2015. <http://www.fishermansbastion.com/>.
"Hungarian State Opera House." travel.usnews. U.S. News & World Report LP., n.d.
Web. 1 May 2015. <http://travel.usnews.com/Budapest_Hungary/Things_To_Do/
Hungarian_State_Opera_House_Magyar_Allami_Operahaz_22342/>.
"Hungary." CultureGrams. N.p.: ProQuest, 2015. N. pag. CultureGrams World
Edition. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://online.culturegrams.com/world/
world_country.php?contid=5&wmn=Europe&cid=72&cn=Hungary>.
"Hungary Map- Physical Map of Hungary." ezilon Maps. Ezilon.com Regional Maps,
n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ezilon.com/maps/europe/
hungary-physical-maps.html>.
"Hungary Map- Political Map of Hungary." ezilon Maps. Ezilon.com Regional Maps,
n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ezilon.com/maps/europe/
hungary-maps.html>.
Kaiser, Ted. Hungarian goulash soup. N.d. Close up.
"One of Budapest's Most Moving Memorials: Shoes on The Danube."
visitBudapest.travel. visitBudapest.travel., n.d. Web. 1 May 2015.
<http://visitbudapest.travel/articles/
one-of-budapests-most-moving-memorials-shoes-on-the-danube/>.
Rolek, Barbara. Hungarian Stuffed Peppers. 2008. Photograph.