The capital with the eye of an expat
Slow down for the cows
I’ve been in India for the last few weeks. It was my fourth visit to this wonderful country, my first as a tourist. We spent most of our time in South India, in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, with a brief side trip up north to Rajasthan.
The capital with the eye of an expat
Gifts that keep on giving
The older you get, the quicker time passes. If you’re one of the lucky ones. If you spend your time worrying about whether your pension will last out the month or having to choose between heating your flat or eating nourishing food, time might ...
The capital with the eye of an expat
How to Hungary
When I first moved to Budapest, what seems like many lifetimes ago, I asked newfound friends for reading recommendations. What books should I read to give me an idea of what I’d let myself in for? What books would help me navigate this strange, ...
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The capital with the eye of an expat
The Ladybug Recipe: How a Chef Blends Food, Tech, and Menopause Care
One word that’s guaranteed to stop a conversation dead in its tracks: menopause.
The capital with the eye of an expat
More than a museum, it’s a living room
What seems like many lifetimes ago, when I was searching for somewhere to call home, friends warned me about buying in Budapest’s eighth district, Józsefváros.
The capital with the eye of an expat
Bringing a growth mindset to learning Hungarian
When I first moved to Hungary all those years ago, I had plans. Big plans. Great plans. I was going to be the most resolute Hungarian-language student ever to set foot in the city and be fluent in six months.
The capital with the eye of an expat
One starry, starry night
How little I know about space and space agencies is embarrassing. Mind you, this lack of knowledge hasn’t kept me awake at night and until recently, I’d kept my ignorance well hidden. Even from myself. I had no clue how much I didn’t know ...
The capital with the eye of an expat
Finding delight in the ordinary
It seems like an easy thing, to find beauty in everyday life. Yet for many of us, including myself, it requires a conscious effort, particularly when we’re fighting the tide of madness and mayhem that is engulfing our world.
The capital with the eye of an expat
Pathways to healing
The first time I remember meeting Elmira Mezei was at her 50th birthday party. Her husband, my good friend, had invited me. I may have met her before, but that’s the date that sticks in my head. She was wearing the most fantastic pair ...
The capital with the eye of an expat
From Dublin to the Danube
We’re living in turbulent times. It seems as if each new day announces another raft of changes to the world order. Change is good. It keeps things lively. But so much change at once though? That’s destabilising. Discombobulating. Downright worrying even.
In the face of uncertainty
I’ve thought long and hard about what to write about in this, my first column of 2025. I recently returned from Sierra Leone where I read about Hungary’s Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme. Last year, 32 students from Sierra Leone were awarded scholarships to study ...
Most read articles What Lies Beneath
The capital with the eye of an expat
The Albanian Riviera: New builds and daydreamers
I like to think that I can spot potential. In plans. In people. In property. Especially in property. I’m not for a minute suggesting that I know the real estate market and know where to invest to get the best return. I’m clueless in ...
The capital with the eye of an expat
7scents
I have a peculiarly impulsive sense of smell that has led me to stopping random people and commenting on the scent they're wearing. Women usually smile, take the compliment in their stride and volunteer the name of their perfume. Men, once they get over ...
The capital with the eye of an expat
Where there’s a need…
One of the silver linings in this whole COVID-19 phenomenon is that we’re all slightly more aware of the fortunes and misfortunes of others. Life as we know it came to a standstill and is now limping forward, trying to regain some semblance of ...
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The capital with the eye of an expat
Tut-tuts no more at The English Garden
Sam Cartwright arrived in Budapest in 2002 with two small kids and a husband. Fed up with life on the hamster wheel in Liverpool, she didn’t think twice about moving to Hungary when her husband, Andy, got a job at the Central European University ...
The capital with the eye of an expat
From Dublin to the Danube
We’re living in turbulent times. It seems as if each new day announces another raft of changes to the world order. Change is good. It keeps things lively. But so much change at once though? That’s destabilising. Discombobulating. Downright worrying even.
The capital with the eye of an expat
On wanting to be a Zen Master
With so much being written about Covid-19, there's very little left to say. Yet writing about anything else seems inconceivable, as the virus consumes our thoughts, restricts our movements and turns our worlds upside down.
