We’ll start our tour at your hotel and take the HÉV (suburban railway) to Békásmegyer, one of the first monstrous housing estates that were built in the early 1970s to ease the acute housing shortage in the city. Our host, Erika, a 65-year old retired teacher, has been living there in her small apartment ever since it was built. She raised her three children here alone after being widowed while still young.

Before we reach her home, the 20-minute ride on public transport will allow us to share the feeling of how tens of thousands from the suburbs and nearby villages commute daily on this line to get to work. After arriving at Békásmegyer station, it’ll take us ten minutes to walk to Erika’s 10-storey block of flats. In the meantime, we can observe all the local amenities, including a cultural centre, clinic, and kindergarten that serve the local community.

We’ll spend as much time at Erika’s place as you want. You can see what a typical housing estate flat looks like and how inventive people were in making the best use of a minuscule space. We have no planned scenario for the meeting. You can ask anything about life under Communism, how things have changed since then, how you can survive on a ridiculously low pension, and yet how you can still lead a happy life.

After leaving Erika’s place, we’ll proceed to see the old village as it was before all the local houses fell victim to the grand construction of the housing estate. Here we’ll find a survivor of the old times, a restaurant called Rózsalugas, which serves the locals with all the traditional dishes Hungarians love. The restaurant has maintained the self-service system which restaurants used to have in Communist times – the only exception being that it’s an all-you-can-eat version.

After leaving the restaurant, we’ll take a bus back to Békásmegyer Station and return to the city.