Stories from the ground.
Every dispatch from here, in one place.
Why Hungary Shuts Down on May 1 (and America Doesn’t)
May 1 brings Hungary to a standstill. Munka ünnepe is really three holidays stacked on one date: a…
I Thought I Knew Budapest… I Didn’t
Follow a two-year-old through Budapest and the city rearranges itself. On playgrounds, green Buda afternoons, and the small…
At Lake Balaton, a Stranger Fed My Son Cake Through the Fence
Lake Balaton is Hungary's sea, and Siófok its summer capital. A look at the southern shore beyond the…
Hungary Inspired a Career I Didn’t See Coming
A touring musician walked into a Siófok nightclub with a camera and walked out a producer. How an…
What Hungarians Notice About Me Before I Say a Word
Hungary's disznótor, the communal pig feast, is less about the meat than the gathering. From an annual feast…
Budapest Is What You See… Hungary Is What You Miss
A capital is a front door, not a house. Why the real Hungary, and the case for spending…
Hungary. The Danube. A Reason I Never Saw Coming
An exile fled the Danube in 1956. Half a century later his daughter, Rebecca, was carried back to…
45 Countries Later, Hungary Is Where I Stopped
A touring musician who played more than forty-five countries, directed a reforestation project in the Brazilian Amazon, and…
Hungary Just Ended 16 Years of Orbán in One Election
In April 2026, Péter Magyar's Tisza Party ended sixteen years of Viktor Orbán in a landslide. What it…
Get the next note in your inbox.
Short, occasional emails when there's something new worth sharing. No schedule pressure, no spam. Just the next note from here.