Private tour in Budapest Katalin D
4.7
(3) reviews
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Katalin D.
4.9
Guide rating
181
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Welcome! I'm Cathy, and tour guiding is my passion and chosen profession. I want to show you how we live our life in this great (but small) country: Hungary. Born and raised in the capital Budapest, I used to be a professional musician (classical music) and played the cello in many orchestras. With my string quartet we performed, toured, and did recordings in North America and Europe. Having spent 7 years in Canada, I settled again in Budapest. Since 1993 I have been guiding individuals and groups in four languages: English, French, German, and Hungarian. I stayed faithful to art, so I guide theme-tours on fine arts: music, painting, architecture. I am happily married and the mother of two sons, so family life inevitably taught me how to put together a fun program even for your 6 year old kid. . . ! Visitors are usually astonished by the splendid beauty of bustling Budapest, and the contrasting peacefulness of the countryside. While showing you "the best of" Hungary, I will tailor your tour to your particular interests. So, if you take a tour with me, please, let me know any interests and hobbies, like: history, pictures, cats, cooking, modern art, music, engineering and Hungarian inventions, science, food, train, boat, embroidery, Hungarian economy, ice-hokey, etc, so we can plan your tours accordingly. All my tours can be done by coach, car, or using public transport and walking. I always hire car + driver. If you come with a big group of friends, family, or colleagues, I can arrange a minivan or bus. I hope to meet you here in Hungary! Licensed guide in English, French, and German, national certification in 1993. Master in Music (McGill University, Montreal, Canada,1991), Tour Leader Certificate (Canada, Montreal,1992). Guide certificate in the Museum of Fine Arts, (Budapest, Hungary, 1996). BMA in teaching of English language and literature, (ELTE University of Budapest, Hungary, 2005)
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Katalin D.
What was life like during communist times in Hungary? (1945-89) We had two distinct periods: the Very Bad Years, and the Not So Bad Years! The dark years were my parents' youth, and I grew up in the mild communism-parody. As we walk and visit, through family-stories I will show you both faces of Hungarian communist times. The House of Terror reflects those miserable years of total communist dictatorship. Then Liberty Square shows the story of 1956 Hungarian revolution and how dictatorship gradually lost its power and control on people, turning into a bitter comedy: we learned and were allowed to laugh at ourselves until the Hungarian communist system happily collapsed in 1989. As a friend wrote me in 1990: "nobody realizes yet but the system in which WE GREW UP will completely vanish forever. . . " With a very happy childhood behind me, through these communist tours, I also intend to set a memorial to these mild decades of Communist Hungary, when yes, it was still possible to live a happy life!
• House of Terror, Budapest exhibition: this eerie but excellent museum shows you the dark past of Hungary in those miserable years of total communist dictatorship - if you've taken George Orwell's book 1984 a far-fetched phantasy, you will change your mind. • Walk or take the first subway/underground of the European continent to the center • Walk on Liberty square and the area of the Parliament in the center of Budapest: statues and bullet holes, astonishing memorials Please note that the House of Terror is CLOSED ON MONDAY! I am happy to customize the tour to fit your preferences.
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This is a walking tour.
Budapest, Hungary
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3 reviews
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