Coming up in this edition of Budacast… Rave Reviews…We speak to musical composer Albert Markos in a preview of a live performance of his award winning musical score to the Hungarian film “Lost Times”. Enjoy the silky sounds of Hungary’s jazziest female performer, Veronika Harcsa, who sings on the soundtrack and will also be belting it out in a concert performance of the film music at Budapest's Palace of Arts on October 20th.

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In this edition of Budacast, "Duel Citizen" What would you do to escape a communist dictatorship? How about changing your citizenship from Hungarian to Italian? That’s what Vera Blinken and her mother did just after world war two and it’s a part of the tale that Mrs. Blinken recounts in a book she’s co-authored with her husband, Donald Blinken, who was a US ambassador to Hungary in the 1990s. Vera Blinken says that after she and her husband returned to the United States, after the ambassadorship, she felt that her story had come full circle and had the added dimension of her husband’s stint as a diplomat in Hungary. The Blinkens tell their story in a book called Vera and the Ambassador: Escape and Return and have great insights on Hungary, past and present.

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In this episode of Budacast, a middle aged yet still sexy expatriate tries to reclaim his youth by dragging his roommates out to several Budapest nightclubs. Enjoy a less than politically correct night out in the Hungarian capital as we crack bad jokes and ogle the ladies in clubs called Instant, Kuplung and Szimpla kert. Be sure to go to our website to find photos and addresses of these cool underground clubs. Stay tuned!

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In this episode of Budacast film producer Gabor Zsigmond Papp, who specializes in nostalgia documentaries, takes us back to communist Hungary to explain what happened on the workers' holiday, 'May Day'. We speak with Gabor at Heroes' Square, the scene of many festivities on May 1.

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In this episode of Budacast we speek to Bence Turanyi, an architect who designed the mod buildings on Budapest's 'Kopaszi gat', a dike in the middle of the Danube river, not far from the Lagymanyosi bridge. In the past, he says, it was an abandoned industrial site that was quite polluted. He and his father took part in an archiectural competition to re-vamp the dike. Standing among the new buildings on the short peninsula one can see a variety of historic industrial buildings on the Buda side of the river. Just before the refurbishment project, the Kopaszi Gat was the site of Budapest's wonderful underground nightclube West Balkan. Today the property is a lengthy, tree-lined open space with numerous contemporary lightweight structures to greet you as you make your way towards the far end.These buildings, says Turanyi, were inspired by buildings built near Hungary's lake Balaton in the late 1960s. He adds that the buildings,which make extensive use of wooden panels and have lots of shaded open space on their exteriors, were not built for an eternity but just for a temporary period. Bence offers us his assessment of architecture in Budapest and even talks about the lack of will to preserve some of the capital's architectural heritage.

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Make sure to stop and smell the tulips, because it's spring in Budapest. In this episode of Budacast, 'Birds & Bees', we speak to fashion and lifestyle mavens Dora Henger of the blog 'Our Style in Hungary' and to Henrietta Trapp of Cotcot.hu about the arrival of short skirts and cleavage to the Hungarian capital with the arrival of spring. They also give us the lowdown on what makes the Magyars so damn sexy and romantic. Finally, the offer some special advice for foreigners looking for love or even just a booty call in Hungary.

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In this spring 2009 edition of Budacast we are accompanied by the birds and the bees in Budapest to let you know what's been happening this spring: drinking too much Czech beer, mustache parties, artsy fartsy theater performances, Finnish installations, hiring an assistant, hanging out with the funky monk in Nottingham and breaking in the grill on the mother ship of all Budapest balconies. Stay tuned!

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In this episode of Budapest we get the backstory on a YouTube video which captures the behavior of Budapest's most infamous tourist guide who lurks around in the Castle District. We interview Tyson Sadler, the guy who was holding the camera and was threatened and eventually kicked by the Hungarian loony who keeps asking "Do you want to die?"

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In this episode of Budacast you can enjoy the mellifluous sounds of Uncle Drew's voice as he talks about his new flat in the Buda hills, the Bad Plus Concert, drinkin' alone, and how persistence really pays!

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Visitors to Central and Eastern Europe don't necessarily put Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia on their list of cities to visit, but maybe they should. This relaxing little town of just over 400,000 people is a great place to chill out compared to battling the tourist hoards in Prague. In this episode of Budacast we catch up with an American living in Bratislava who offers up tips and insights about the sights of and living in Slovakia's capital.

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When I met ethnomusicologist Bob Cohen he not only told of how he had unearthed nearly lost melodies in far away lands, he also let me listen to them. Bob's been resuscitating the musical traditions of the Carpathian Basin for years now. Among other projects, he and his band Di Naye Kapelye play many of the dusty old tunes he has happened upon in his travels. Bob's band has just released its latest recording called "Traktorist" - its a great way to chill out after a hard day tilling out in the fields. Seriously, check it out on the Di Naye Kapelye website which we're linking to on Budacast.

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The Pal Frenak Dance Company is one of the movers and shakers of the modern dance movement in Hungary - just check out one of their eclectic, angst-filled dance pieces. In this edition of Budacast we speak to choreographer Pal Frenak about what inspires the incredibly emotive movements in his various dance productions. One source of psychic fodder may be his family background: he grew up communicating in sign language with his parents, both of whom were deaf.

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Check out this "almost live" edition of Budacast which is sure to be spine tingling for those who dig the unique sounds of Hungary's singing sensation, Bea Palya. Bea tells us about her latest recording, "Adieux les complexes", what it's like becoming so famous, both in Hungary and around the world, and how her grandfather's heritage has left a mark on who she is and what she does. Our guest host is Zoltan Radnai from the cool cultural blog called Kultplay.

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Hungary is so gorgeous and wonderful during the warmer months, but when it gets cold there are a still lot of fun things to do and great places to see, inside. Looking for a classic but comfy place to while away the day reading a book? Well, you might want to check out the mozi, the hungarian word for cinema. Budapest is loaded with art house cinemas which offer a more eclectic selection of films and have a wide variety of coffeehouses where you can hang out and sometimes even drink cheap beer. Our cub reporter agnes emri takes us on a tour of two wonderful movie houses on budapest's rakoczi ut.

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The contemporary performing arts center called Trafo has put together a series called Dunapart, a comprehensive mish mash of drama and dance performances by uniquely Hungarian performers happening November 13th through the 17th. Get two free tickets to one of the performances - a show by Fortedance at Trafo on November 16th. All you have to do is put a text comment on the Budacast website and send us an e-mail with your full name.

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In this LIVE edition of Budacast we speak with Matt Ellis who edits Pilvax - Writing from Central Europe about the latest edition of his magazine (which contains some translations of Hungarian work into English), and with Carolyn Banfalvi, who has authored books on Hungarian gastronomy and is editor of Hungarian food blog Chew.hu.

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In our second episode on the Hungarian city of Szeged, we rub elbows with the locals at the Szeged Wine Festival, which was bustling and has no entry free – yea! We also drank a gorgeous glass of Villanyi Cuvee there. Be sure to visit the Reok Palota, a regional modern art center located in a gorgeous secessionist structure. We also visited Szeged’s ornate and imposing synagogue. The Anna Thermal Baths have been nicely renovated and the entry fee won’t break your budget – go on a weekday and you’ll have the whole place practically to yourself. Line up with the locals to drink some stinky water from the Anna thermal spring, which is just a little hop from the thermal baths. Be sure to eat some fisherman’s soup or catfish paprikas at the Kiskorosi Halaszcsarda, which is a popular fish restaurant that started out as a tiny cottage sitting right on the bank of the Tisza River. Finally, Szeged has a load of parks where you are accompanied by a number of atmospheric statues. This city is a wonderful and less expensive place to wander around but never feel lost.

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In this edition of Budacast… Heavy history… we talk to a long-term foreign correspondent who says that because of history, Hungarian nationality is almost like a religion. Reporter Kester J. Eddy, an Englishman who first came to Hungary in 1982, has lived in Budapest since 1986 and says that to understand the contemporary political scene in Hungary, one must understand a bit about the Hungarian past. Eddy contends that what he experienced in the 1980’s was that while Hungary was indeed ruled by a communist regime, it was a regime that was fairly liberal and eventually willing to relinquish its power.

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In this archival episode of Budacast... For many Hungarians born in Hungary visiting Transylvania is a pilgrimage of sorts, a place where they can meet their ethnic Hungarian cousins and get in touch with the pristine landscape. While not a Hungarian, Drew Leifheit is a regular visitor to an ethnic Hungarian village in Transylvania called Torocko. Check out the audio postcard he produced over 10 years ago on one of his visits there. Also, hear about Hungary's wonderful modern arts complex, the Palace of Arts.

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In this episode of Budacast, join us for a trip to Hungary's spectacular neighbor, Slovenia. We talk about rafting and canyoning on the Soca river, climbing Triglav, the country's highest peak, and chilling out at lovely Lake Bled.

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It's a meditation on trying to catch 40 or so winks at Budapest's biggest outdoor cultural festival. In this episode of Budacast, Agnes Emri talks to Sziget residents about the prospects of getting some "shuteye" at the festival. Sleep, who needs sleep?

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The scents of a gargantuan music and cultural festival can be pretty rank. But Budacast wants to give you a whiff of the good stuff at this year's Sziget Festival. So we've collected the best of the comments submitted by participants in our Sziget Six contest AND we've got an almost live report, directly from the Festival, from our intrepid reporter Agnes Emri.

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Budapest's history runs deep, especially in the historic castle district on the Buda side of the Danube. Many of the structures in the "Var" as it's known in Hungarian go back a few centuries, and it's a joy to stroll past them down the district's quiet cobblestone streets. How does a few nights in this historic and serene atmosphere sound to you? Well, starting this August feel like royalty in a soon to be opened fashion hotel up in Budapest's Castle District. In this episode of Budacast, director of hotel development at Mellow Mood Hotels and Hostels, Jo Gowie tells us about the brand new Buda Castle Hotel, offering you a luxurious and personal stay in the Hungarian capital.

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For towns on Hungary's great plain Szeged is their big city, a friendly university town that invites you to gaze at its gorgeous secessionist architecture. Spanning the Tisza river, it's the scene of numerous cultural festivals. So climb on board with us in this episode of Budacast for the two and a half hour journey to way down south. But don't be late for the train!

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In this episode of Budacast: While the Hungarian capital continues to expand its offering of places to stay for those visiting Budapest, some guests want to walk right out the door of their hotel and be in the thick of things, to stroll along the Danube or peruse the goods at Budapest’s Grand Market Hall. Well, if that sounds enticing, the Promenade Hotel could be the place to put up your feet in Budapest. Later this summer you can book a nice room in the promenade right on Vaci utca, Budapest’s luxurious shopping street, for a nice price. Director of hotel development at Mellow Mood Hotels and Hostels, Jo Gowie tells us about the brand new Promenade Hotel. But first, Jo clues us in on the success of Mellow Mood Hotels, a local company with a diverse array of great places to stay.

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In this archival edition of Budacast, Drew Leifheit discovered that communism was alive and well on a guided tour which attempts to give visitors a feel for what it may have been like living in Hungary during the communist regime. Sometimes the tour even dredges up painful memories for some.

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In this episode of the Budacast Bull Session Bianca and I check out the bland renovation of Budapest's Gozsdu Courtyard, talk about the Balaton Sound Festival, compliment the bureaucracy and recount the story of how the thirst for a really strong coffee, coupled with a really strong Hungarian accent, doesn't get you too far at Starbucks.

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In this episode of Budacast hear yours truly on the other side of the microphone, held by Chris Vallance, reporter for the BBC show 'Pods and Blogs'. Hear us enjoy one thousand forint cups of presszo kave at Budapest's New York Cafe. Thanks to Chris for picking up the tab!

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In the first of our series called 'Best Guest' we talk to visitors about what they're enjoying in Budapest and where they stayed. This month's episode took place at Budapest's Star Hotel. "It's new and it feels fresh," according to Swedish guests who stayed at the Star. Budacast's Best Guest is sponsored by Mellow Mood hotels and hostels, offering great places to stay in the Hungarian capital. To find a Mellow Mood hotel or hostel that will suit your budget, go to the lower left hand side of the Budacast website and click on the ad for Mellow Mood.

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In this episode of Budacast we introduce you to the 'etkezde', a modest and inexpensive type of Hungarian restaurant where you can order from the daily bill of fare and eat something real and local for a nice price. Hear a recording made in 1993 of my visit to the Bakats Etkezde, where I was a regular diner for a couple of years. As I hear Lajos bacsi calling out the orders I can almost see the wooden paneling and the checkered table clothes... Jo etvagyat!

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In this episode of Budacast our expert Aron Mozes from Mellow Mood hotels and hostels gives us the scoop on how Hungarians beat the heat during the summer. Aron describes 'strand' culture - the Hungarian beach - as well as Budapest's hot nightlife.

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What listeners are saying about Budacast, Hungary's podcast... "Awesome! I lived in budapest from 93-95...miss it so much i might be going back soon!" In this episode of Budacast, Budapest-based photographer Andreea Anca Strauss who says her love affair with photography started in 1996 when she took her first photographs in Bosnia, where she was surrounded by great photographers and journalists.

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This episode of Budacast features an update, announcements, links and a little about you Budacasters who are staying tuned... For one, have you been to one of Budapest's open-air vegetable markets lately? Well the strawberries are succulent and the cherries are a popping with flavor. Indeed, these are the salad days in Budapest when our weaved baskets floweth over with gorgeous fruit that is delicious and which rots. Get it while it's hot!

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What listeners are saying about Budacast, Hungary's podcast: "Taking the chance to thank you for your great podcasts. I'm not new to Budapest but sill enjoy your stories a lot." In this episode of Budacast, the Budacast Bull Session crew saunter into Budapest's VAM Design Center to check out their facility's "fab rehab". Our Hungarian word of the day is "meleg" and the crazy Hungarian story is about the beer that almost got spilled in Cafe Csiga.

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Hear what listeners are saying about Hungary's podcast: "Just to say I've been listening to your show for a while now and really love it!! The Paris courtyard was a place I've totally overlooked too. It is great to get the low-down on the topical stuff going on in Bp and elsewhere, esp. when I really don't have much command of the language yet (I'm an Irish student studying here)!" In this archival episode of Budacast, Mark Griffith and I hit Budapest's famous Nagyvasarcsarnok, the 'Grand Market Hall' to divulge in Hungary's artery-clogging treat, 'langos' - a golden brown disk of fried dough typically topped with sour cream, grated cheese and sometimes a bit of garlic oil.

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Places to go in Budapest. In the first of a series Budacast introduces you to art historian, tour guide and antiquities consultant Jeff Taylor. Jeff takes us to Budapests 'Parisian Courtyard', a stunning landmark in Budapest that's in need of a little tender loving care.

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Hear what listener are saying about Budacast: "Great podcast. Your shows are always well done and interesting. Hope to visit Budapest sometime soon." In the 3rd episode of our interview series with the author of the Bradt Travel Guides to Budapest and to Hungary, Adrian Phillips tells us about Budapest's cafe culture and its renaissance and paints a portrait of the Hungarian countryside, including the wonderful university town, Szeged.

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In this episode of Budacast, Bianca and I catch up, have a glass of skin, and talk about Hungary's cure-all for everything that ails you. And we give you tips for great stuff to do in Budapest in the month of May (2008). Find links to the the Budapest Palinka Festival and the Museum of Fine Arts in the "Around the Web" Section of Budacast!

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What one listener says about Budacast, Hungary's podcast: "Nice work on the podcast. I downloaded all of them and listened to them on a recent 4500 mile ocean voyage from California to Florida and enjoyed them a great deal." In this episode of Budacast Izabella and I 'poke around the piac' - we take you to Budapest's Ecseri flea market and find food, fun and a flycatcher.

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Here in Hungary, one of the most attractive things in Budapest is that it still has a thriving city center, where people live, shop and socialize. But anyone who's walked around Budapest lately has probably noticed a lot of empty storefronts. It makes me wonder if the proliferation of shopping malls here will lead to the same blight suffered by my hometown back in the US. Keeping all that in mind, the other weekend Izabella and I went shopping at the new mall, the Arena Plaza, which was built on the site formerly inhabited by Budapest's funky old horseracing track.

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"If you're planning a trip to Budapest or other parts of Hungary or just have an interest in Hungarian culture, I highly recommend tuning in to Budacast.hu." - Amanda Kendle, Suite101.com In this episode of Budacast we talk to massive media star Attila Till about riding his bike around Budapest and about an upcoming 'all bikes, no cars' event called Critical Mass, happening 20 April in the Hungarian capital. Till is the host of Hungarian TV shows like Big Brother and Megasztar.

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"Budacast is not a visitor's all-inclusive programme guide to Budapest. But it has never pretended to be. It is a user- (and visitor-) friendly podcast and site that will provide the listener with a uniquely characteristic taste of the Hungarian capital. A taste that isn't likely to be found in tourist guides..." This episode of Budacast let's you enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the Hungarian countryside, starring a magyar Porky Pig. Stay tuned!

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What one listener thinks of Budacast: 'Neat - succinct and easy to follow, very well put together' This episode of Budacast features the 'dueling Andrews', who gave us some tips for things going on in the Hungarian capital and how it's their mission to try and do this every week on their events portal: www.thehub.hu

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In this Bull Session for the week ending 28 March, Bianca and I speak about all the great cultural happenings this week, chilling out in Hungary's wine regions and our general BS.

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A marketing pro with over two decades of experience, Alain Heureux says that marketers have taken notice of how we spend our time these days on the internet. President of the Interactive Advertising Bureau in Europe, Mr. Heureux explains that advertisers and media agencies are rapidly shifting massive amounts of money from traditional media to digital interactive media, what is even more exciting is that traditional players like publishers and broadcasters are also entering the digital landscape as they develop their websites, portals, digital television and podcasts. The development and growth of digital media in Central and Eastern Europe is even more exciting he says because of both the youthful, tech savvy populations in those countries and young creative marketers throughout the region.

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Find out what my grandmother is listening to when she's not watching Oprah. Stay tuned! Uncle Drew www.budacast.hu

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Introducing the Budapest Bull Session with Bianca, a regular feature here on Budacast. In this show we talk about an 80s dance party, Budapest's thermal baths, where to go for a Thai massage in the Hungarian capital and more.

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Way back in the early 1990’s an American named Phil Lewis ran a film production company here in Budapest. Like a lot of foreigners living in Hungary, Phil eventually moved on, but today he’s back in town doing great things to bolster the art scene in Hungary and around the world. Come along on our little tour of the Castle District and hear how a 20th century Hungarian painting turns into a fairly valuable commodity, with a little help from the "Picasso factor".

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Let's say you're just coming to Budapest for a few days and not only want to taste a bit of Hungarian wine and the delights of the Magyar kitchen but also want a little background about what you're eating and drinking. Well local tour company absolute walking tours has put together a package just for you. The Hungaro Gastro tour let's you sample a wide range of Hungarian eats and drinks over the course of an evening and takes place at three different venues in Budapest. Absolute Walking Tours invited Budacast to join Karen and Norm Soucy of Atlanta, Georgia as they embarked on the Hungaro Gastro tour. And it turned out to be one hell of a night out.

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Any trip to Budapest is not complete without a trip to one of the capital's thermal baths. But there are several ways of taking the waters depending on which bathhouse you choose to visit. One of the most unique is the Rudas baths which were built by the Turks in the 16th century. Even though the mosque-like atmosphere has been open to women on Tuesdays for the last two years since the bathhouse's renovation, in my mind it is still essentially a place for men. Take a tour of the Rudas with Budacast!

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Things get a little sleepy around Budapest between the holidays as many of the locals either travel home somewhere to the Hungarian countryside or stay at home with their families. But that doesn't mean that there aren't great things to do and places to go. A guy named Simon and his girlfriend left us a message, asking for a few suggestions - so we've assembled a panel of "experts" on this edition of Budacast to offer them some travel tips.

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