Dániel Glöckler

Etched in stone, from as early as 2422 BC, primitive human figures are carved into the walls of the once lively 5th Dynasty, Nyuserre Ini sun temple. Faded colours are still visible on the stiff Egyptian workers, depicted blowing smoke at beehives. Their motions are captured in unison.

With confusion dominating the world after a plane crash killed Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski and much of the country’s elite, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajoekull could not have chosen a worse time to erupt, shooting clouds of ash into the atmosphere and grounding nearly every plane in Europe. The gods were clearly very angry.

High above, atop a slender column is Archangel Gabriel. Perched, both hands are full. In his right, the Hungarian Holy Crown of St. Stephan – the first king of Hungary – in his left the king’s two barred apostolic cross, awarded by Pope Gregory VII for ushering Christianity into Hungary.

A little over a century after its founding, the Vienna Secession is again scandalizing the city with exhibitions that run against public propriety. Founded in 1897 by Gustav Klimt, this union of artists now presents Christoph Büchel’s sexually deviant club themed exhibition at the base of the Element6 building.

For the next two months all sexual taboos will be broken. For 18 and up, the museum includes a dress code of no t-shirts or jeans, including many DJ’s, strippers and dancers. Bondage, mask-mystery, body painting, red walls and black velvet, benches and beds, sculptures in erotic poses and women and men of different ages making out and having their fun was all part of this sexual experience.

As if it were an international conference of young international students, a Starbucks in the first district is full on its last day of business. A few older customers linger about, obviously feeling out of place. Amid the silent sea of lounging students, many of whom are speaking English, I too ask myself, “What am I doing here?” This is Vienna, after all, the Kaffeehaus capital of the world.

Arriving at Südbahnhof with minutes till departure time, we boarded the train for Budapest in high spirits, Ferdinand (my accomplice in this daring venture) and I on our first trip ast together without a plan. We missed the connecting train from Györ to the spectacular Budapest Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern train station).

So it was nearly 22:00 when we arrived in my native land.

Walking through the streets of Budapest is a breathtaking experience at any hour, in part because of the genuine beauty of the city, but also to see the morbid reality of how decayed some of it is.