Tropicarium

The Budapest Tropicarium does not only present a part of the deep sea world but also a tiny bit of a tropical rainforest, where the sky thunders every quarter of an hour, rain starts to fall and lightning zigzags over the lazily lying Mississippi alligators. Besides, the Tropicarium can boast with the largest sea aquarium in all Central Europe, the shark aquarium containing 1.4 million litres of salt water, housing 8 two-meter-long sharks and hundreds of colourful fish of other species, swimming around in peaceful harmony. In addition to the enormous fish-tank, there are 50 other ‘smaller' aquariums and terrariums (meaning 5-40.000 litres each!) on site.

You can watch:

• fish species of the Hungarian fauna
• squirrel monkeys, birds, snakes, alligators from a rainforest
• chameleons, giant turtles, spiders and scorpions
• fish species from the fresh waters – with piranhas
• sand tiger sharks, leopard and brown sharks. Sharks feeding from 15 to 16 pm every Thursday

Opening hours

Every day of the year between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The ticket office closes at 7 p.m.

In the Christmas period - on 24th, 25th and 31st December and 1st January - we have modified opening hours. The ticket office closes one hour before the closing time on these dates, too.

24th December                10-14

25th December                12-19
31st December                 10-18
1st January                        12-19

Contact information:

Address: 1222 Budapest, District XXII, Nagytétényi út 37-43. (South Buda area)

The Tropicarium is situated in the Campona Shopping Centre (www.campona.hu).

Tel: 06-1-424-3053, web: www.tropicarium.hu, E-mail: matrai@tropicarium.hu

How to get there:

By car directly from motorways M0, M1 and M7, via highway 6 or from Nagytétényi út. (Free parking facility of 1800 places for cars and buses).

By bus from Móricz Zs. körtér by bus 3, from Kosztolányi D. tér by bus 14 and 114. Bus 233 connects with the city centre (Astoria, Ferenciek tere).

Visitors have to take off all three buses at the bus stop in Lépcsős utca.

By train: Through the train station named Budatétény next to the Campona.

Prices:

Adults   (18-62 years)                                                                                 2300HUF

Children (4-18 years)                                                                                 1600HUF

Students (full time student card is required) (18-26 years)               1900 HUF

Pensioners (over 62 years)                                                                       1600 HUF

For group prices, Budapest and Hungary Card discounts, please visit the Tropicarium website: www.tropicarium.hu

Busójárás 2012

The Busójárás, the buso carnival will be 16-21 February 2012 in Mohács.

Dave Seminara visited Mohács and published his experience on the Gadling.com travel portal.

"Welcome to Busójárás, Hungary's version of Whacking Day. I'd heard about the colorful pre-Lenten carnival held in Mohacs each year but no one had warned me about the devlish little busós who run around whacking people.

 Busójárás (pronounced Boo-show-yar-us) is a six-day festival that runs from February 16-21 this year. On the final day, always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, locals burn a coffin in the town square to symbolize the death of winter. The festival's highlight, however, occurs on Sunday when the carnival march of the busós starts. Busós are the scary, wooly-cloaked men with wooden masks you see in the accompanying photos, who arrive in a convoy of rowboats on the Danube River...

The full post can be read here: http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/08/busojaras-hungarys-version-of-whacking-day/

Busójárás 2012 - the program

This folk tradition of Mohács for bidding farewell to winter and welcoming spring was included on the UNESCO – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in autumn 2009

Programs:

16 February – Thursday – „Little Carnival”

15:15 - Carnival procession starting from the Sokac Circle (Táncsics St. - Szabadság St. – Széchenyi Square)

16:00-17:00 - Széchenyi Square: Demonstration of tools and accessories of the Busó Carnival

19:00 - Busó dance house (music by: Egy Húron Pendülünk)

17 February – Friday

17:00 - aula and upstairs gallery of the Kossuth Movie Theater (3 Deák Square): Exhibition from the selected works of local Busó-mask carvers, gallery of Busó accessories and opening ceremony of Teppert Ferenc’s exhibition entitled “Busójárás Moments”

18:00 - open-air stage at Deák Square: Introduction of Busó groups

19:00-22:00 - „From tavern to tavern” (wine tour with the Busós)

20:00 - Duna Office House (4-6 Szabadság St.): Dance house

18 Feburary – Saturday

10:00 - city centre: folk art and handicraft fair

14:00 - Kossuth Movie Theater (3 Deák Square): Gala program of the 40th “Lajos Schneider” National Meeting of Folk Singers

13:00 - Wedding march of the Busós from the ferry to Deák Square and back to Széchenyi Square, on the way with wreath-laying at the Busó statue at Bensheim Square

15:00 - open-air stage at Deák Square: Foretaste of the Piper Meeting, then introduction of Busó groups

16:00 - Schneider School of Arts (3 Vörösmarty St.): International Piper Meeting

16:00 - Széchenyi Square: „Rebirth of the Legend” the Busó Club remembers the Second Battle of Mohács

16:00 - Wreath-laying at the statue of the Three brave soldiers, then dance of the Busós

20:00 - Duna Office House (4-6 Szabadság St.): Dance house with the music groups Poklade (South-Slavic dances) and Bartina (Hungarian dances)

20:30 - Carnival Dance Evening at the School of Arts (3 Vörösmarty St.)

19 February – Carnival Sunday

9:00 - main street: Folk art and handicraft fair

10:00 - Kossuth Movie Theater (3 Deák Square): Folk-dance program of nationalities

9:00-12:00 - Preparation of the Busós, or feasting with the Bödönhajós Busó group and the band Šokadija (address: 60 Bajcsy-Zs. St.)

10:00 - Széchenyi Square: Short show of the Busó groups

10:00-17:00 - Presentation by Antal Englert, Master of Folk Art – Busó-mask carving ‘live’ and in close-up (7/a Kígyó St.)

10:30 - Széchenyi Square: Sokac dances directed by István Darazsacz, with music by Poklade

13:00 - former port, the so-called “Sokac-rév”: Busó groups from the Mohács island cross the Danube in boats Featuring the Dance group from Duboševica

13:30 - Wreath-laying at the memorial plaque of István Pávkovics „Páták” together with the Busó Club (36 Gólya St.)

13:30 - open-air stage at the main square: Folk-dance show of the nationalities

14:00 - Kóló Square: Gathering of the Busós and Carnival groups

14:20 - Busó procession from Kóló Square to Széchenyi Square

15:15 - open-air stage at the main square: Busó initiation ceremony, welcoming toast of the Mayor

15:30 - Free Carnival celebration in the main street and the main square

15:30 - Shows of the Busó groups and the folk dance groups from the procession

15:00 - stage of the Millennium Monument at the Danube: Presentation of the Poklade Busó group

16:50 - river, from the ferry: Setting the Carnival coffin afloat on the Danube, featuring the Bödönhajós Busó-group

16:30 - Sokac folk songs performed by Éva Menyhárt

17:00 - assembled tamburica orchestra plays folk music from Mohács

17:30 - Széchenyi Square: Lighting the bonfire and circle-dance of the Busós

19:00 - Dance house at the Duna Office House (4-6 Szabadság St.)

20:00 - main hall of the Schneider School of Arts (3 Vörösmarty St.): SOKAC DANCE EVENING

20 Feburary – Monday

17:00 – Movies about the Busójárás in the Kossuth Movie Theater.

8 March – Shrove Tuesday

14:30 - Kóló Square: Gathering

15:00 - Departure of Busó groups

15:45 - „Busó picture” on the stairs of the Town Hall, then free Carnival celebration in the streets of Mohács

16:00 - Sokac folk songs performed by Éva Menyhárt

16:30 - stage at the main square: Show of folk dance ensemble Zora

17:00 - Live tamburica music on the stage performed by local players

17:30 - Széchenyi Square: Lighting the bonfire – burning the coffin of winter

Information

Town Hall, Tourinform Office

1 Széchenyi Square, Mohács 7700

Tel: +36-69/ 505-515, 505-504

Mayor’s Office, organizers

1 Széchenyi Square, Mohács 7700

Tel: +36-69/ 505-527, +36-20/98-05-964

School of Arts, organizers

3 Vörösmarty St, Mohács 7700

Tel: +36-69/ 510-405, +36-30/641-59-60

Kossuth Movie Theater

2 Deák Square, Mohács 7700

Tel: +36-69/311-031

Website:

www.mohacsibusojaras.hu

Hummers in the Balaton

In the beginning of February 2 Hummers fell in to the icy Lake Balaton. Young guys drived to the ice of the lake by two hummers and the ice broke under them. The vehicles was towed ashore by a special machine. The story spread around the world in some minutes.

Some photos about the Hummers:

Etyekwood, the studio theme park

Etyekwood, Hungary's first movie studio theme park is located only 18 miles from Budapest, in Etyek. The vistor's center of the Korda Studios is the first movie theme park in Hungary.

You can walk through two urban scenes: the streets of New York next to the reneissance Rome. Update: From 8 February 2012 the scenes of Borgias TV series can be visited, and some new renaissance scenery as well. With these new attractions an area of 10 ha can be discovered during an advanced studio tour.

Discover the evolution of the movie tricks. You can touch and try at everything from the animation through set designs to post-production.

There is an exhibition for presenting the life of Sándor Korda and his brothers, Zoltán and Vince. They was greatest figures in Brithis and American film produdction and the development of film technology.

After the exciting studio tour you can have a meal in the park's restaurant together with the celebs.

Korda Filmpark: 2091 Etyek

Opening hours: Wednesday-Sunday: 10.00 - 18.00; Monday-Tuesday: closed

Korda Filmpark

Tickets: 2500 HUF/adult on weekdays and 3000 HUF/adult on weekends. You have to book the tickets in advance. Inquire for tickets and transfer booking here: Korda Filmpark tickets and transfer

National Holidays of Hungary 2012

March 15: National Day
April 8: Easter
April 9: Easter Monday
May 1: Labor Day
May 27: Pentecost
May 28:  Pentecost Monday
August 20: St. Stephen’s Day
October 23: National Day
November 1: All Saint’s Day
December 25-26: Christmas

The shops, supermarkets and hypermarkets are closed these days.

Some fun from Budapest: the troll bus driver

I have found this comic on http://9gag.com/. This is a maybe true story about a bus driver of Budapest, or maybe more bus drivers in Budapest. Citizens tells stories humorous drivers in more bus lines of Budapest. On the lines I regularly use in Budapest, I have never met one of them.