UniqueBudapest’s “Retro” tour
The weather turned to summer, and this happily coincided with our “Retro” tour of Budapest by the courtesy of UniqueBudapest’s alternative sightseeings. I have to admit I had my preconceptions: noone can tell me much new stuff about this city. I also dislike tour guides’ panel speeches about “this three-aisle temple being built in eighteen-blah-blah, BLAH-BLAH-BLAH”, and their awkwardly funny little anecdotes too.

However, our tour guide here, Zsófi, could still make me crane my neck enthusiastically and snap pictures at places I have seen a hundred times.
The next surprise awaited me in Eclectick, on Irinyi street. As I learnt, this visit to the shop includes dressing up in clothes fitting the “Retro” feeling of the tour, and they also take a photo of the whole group dressed up like this; but what thrilled me was rather that we got to go up to the workshop above the store, where the owner, Edina Gyovai-Farkas was working, and she readily struck up a conversation with us. Our guide told us that there are in fact several small stores where Unique tours are similarly welcome (in “Unique Deluxe” tours, they mainly visit these stores).

Another pleasant experience was in Király street, the optician Tipton Budapest: here we heard a funny story how owners of glasses that include a bottle opener as an element of their design held a contest last year – they opened their way through two crates of beer. And finally I made it to the Museum of Electronic Technology, where the courtyard wall was decorated with old neon advertisement like a platter of grilled chicken, a champagne bottle with two glasses, or a sign saying ‘Knittery’.

At last we said goodbye to Zsófi on Deák square: we had to skip the Buda side of the tour, since our two-months-old daughter Anna was also sightseeing with us, and now she preferred her lunch instead of Moszkva square.

Check out the pictures taken at the “Retro” tour in the Gallery.