Budapesters Are Bike Crazy

I've been looking for a photo to do justice to the profusion of cyclists that have hit the streets with the arrival of spring weather. I was amazed at the commuter traffic last Thursday and Friday on the bike path on the Buda side of Margit bridge. And then the numbers quadrupled on the weekend, with cyclists heading up to the Buda hills and along the Duna korzó for recreational rides.

This shot was taken in front of one of the event venues at the Millináris park in Buda. The annual Fringe Festival, a free-of-charge arts and cultural weekend, was on. When I arrived around 10 a.m., just a couple bikes occupied the lone bike rack by the entrance facing Mammut shopping mall. When I left around noon, the rack was overflowing, and the just-for-decoration, DNA helix thing in front of the venue had multiple bikes chained to every one of its bars. I can't remember ever seeing so many bikes parked at Millináris. They've got to get cracking on more bike racks.