Richard and Luba Borschel
@borschelrh
American expat in Hungary
Forum posts
37
Contacts
1
About me
American
Lives in Balatonfured
Speaks German and English
Registration: 23 November 2009
Best cities to live in Hungary by Julien
Hi, It聮s not always easy to decide in which area to settle in when moving to Hungary. According to you, what are the best cites to live in? Which regions offer most of the job opportunities, a good quality of life, an affordable cost of ...
You are correct, the expat experience is colored by our personal issues. Language being a big one but for us it has not been a problem. We live in Balatonfured which I can fully endorse as a great place to live. It has more than adequate shopping ... Read More
Which HU bottled mineral water is the best? by Marilyn Tassy
There are just so many different brands and price ranges for bottled mineral water in Hungary. I have tried most of them, from the pricey to the store brands. Used to drink the bubbly water but have gone to the flat water. Is there really much value ...
Absolutely true and a big problem in the US as well. Naegleria fowlerii infections are rapidly fatal as it is an amoeba that infects the brain and lives in slightly brackish water. It was first discovered in Australia and then several outbreaks in ... Read More
Which HU bottled mineral water is the best? by Marilyn Tassy
There are just so many different brands and price ranges for bottled mineral water in Hungary. I have tried most of them, from the pricey to the store brands. Used to drink the bubbly water but have gone to the flat water. Is there really much value ...
I do the same. There are actually 7 different springs around Balatonfured including 2 in Csopak. It is high in sulfur and magnesium but very healthy. The heart institute water is also slightly carbonated. Our water in Balatonfured is spring fed ... Read More
Pit falls of living in Hungary by marwood47
Many out there some of witch are new to Hungary and others being hear some time. I my self been hear first just visiting and then hear moor often but ill health I have to return to Uk many times in a year. I wish to make one or two things clear if ...
Interesting questions and post. I am dying of curiosity though. You state you don't speak Hungarian and you travel frequently to the UK yet English is obviously not your native language. So, out of curiosity, where are you from originally? I ... Read More
Healthcare in Hungary by Julien
Hi, how does the healthcare system work in Hungary ? Is it efficient ? What are the main differences between public and private sectors? Is it recommended to purchase private health insurance in Hungary? Thanks in advance for sharing ...
We have used it extensively and are very happy. Doctors here are well trained and all specialists have real PhDs so are at the top of their game. I am a PhD Immunologist and I can categorically state that medical doctors in the US who get PhD's ... Read More
Anyone know of Ski Clubs with bus trips ?
k枚sz枚n枚m sz茅pen. I didn't know this website before. It looks sort of like Craigslist but I found a few things that might help me out. Read More
Anyone know of Ski Clubs with bus trips ?
My wife doesn't ski and I am looking for better deals which often are through ski clubs. Living in Balatonfured makes this more difficult but I am assuming in Budapest (or other cities) there must be some. Searching the internet though I ... Read More
Magyar Posta, DHL, or UPS - have you ever sent a big envelope to USA? by GuestPoster116
Hi everyone. I searched the forum, and have seen general opinions, but no concrete price ranges. I need to mail some big envelopes (A4 papers) to the US for immigration. Price quote from fedex was about $100. Not gonna happen. I can't figure ...
Sorry, I am late too. I just sent a 3 day last week using DHL for an 8 1/2x11 inch envelope by DHL for a fixed cost of 9990 HUF. It was mailed on Tuesday and received in Virginia on Thursday. I believe every Shell station has a DHL drop point and ... Read More
New Law about Registering a Car as a Foreigner by tmt0685
Hi guys and ladies! There's a new law recently about foreigner, specifically 3rd world citizens can not register a car without Hungarian Address card! Can anyone please give me (or us?) some more details about this new policy of the ...
We are Americans who emigrated to Hungary and brought a car with us. As non-EU members we had to get visa's to permit us to live here and renew them every 5 years. The latest visa is now on a white card and is essentially the same things as the ... Read More
Driving USA Licensed Car in Hungary & E.U. by laszlo01
Hello. I am trying to find the laws that pertain to US citizens bringing and driving a USA registered car in Hungary. I know you need to have the green paper insurance as well as clear title on hand. Does anybody know all the details of how long i ...
The 30 day rule is now real and enforced. It is because of all the Hungarians who register their cars in Slovokia or Slovenia. The driver's license is another big problem with Hungary not offering reciprocity to any US licenses. So, you either ... Read More
Good Art Supply Stores in Budapest? by Little Miss Zen
Does anyone know of an art supply store that sells Prismacolor brand pencils and/or markers, or a brand very similar to them in Budapest? I am from the US, and I usually buy Prismacolors, but can't seem to find them here. I've tried googling it as ...
Be careful as the customs duties have been increased from the US. Recently I got some vitamins and the duty was 50%. Ouch! It is part of the new tax laws implemented recently by Fidez to get out from under the IMF. It is better to try and order ... Read More
Internet Security by fidobsa
I use a lot of internet forum sites but over the last couple of years I've had quite a few problems with accessing certain sites because I'm in Hungary. If sites are getting spam or virus attacks originating in eastern Europe they are quite likely ...
It has happened several times to me as well so you are not incorrect. It is an issue with the Domain Name Servers and how UPC (in my case) interacts with them. I also have a paid VPN service and if I turn that on I have no problems at all and can ... Read More
Driving license in Hungary by Armand
Hi all, Can a foreigner take the driving test in Hungary? What are the formalities to get a driver聮s licence in Hungary? Do you need special or extra documents being an expatriate? How much does it cost? Thank you for participating ...
Worst case if I pass, I'll just have to go back to the US and renew my expired VA license and then make sure I leave the country (EU) and have my passport stamped. Bosnia is only 5 hours away and I like to visit Sarajevo for skiing so can schedule ... Read More
Driving license in Hungary by Armand
Hi all, Can a foreigner take the driving test in Hungary? What are the formalities to get a driver聮s licence in Hungary? Do you need special or extra documents being an expatriate? How much does it cost? Thank you for participating ...
TornadoHH is more or less correct. I am going through the process now. You don't have to register at a diving school but I did it through a friend as you can only take the practical test in a driving school certified training car. The written is ... Read More
Is a gross salary of EUR 30,000/ annum is ok in budapest by ayanbishnu
Hi friends I am an IT consultant in the field of SAP supply chain with 9 years of experience across the globe in various industry in the field of supply chain. Recently I have got an offer from a company in Budapest for the position of a IT ...
You would be rich here. The President only makes $87,000 a year so you have to keep things in perspective. The salary for a physician (for example) here is a bit over $1,200 Euros a month although most supplement for cash office visits after ... Read More
Orders from USA problem by Iltoroblu
Hi fellow expats, I'm having a problem with my orders from USA. I order 2 months ago from Amazon USA some books and a month ago from Cadence Watches. Both Amazon and Cadence say I should contact the Customs Office from Budapest because maybe the ...
I have had similar experiences. Things from the US can come as soon as 48 hours or as long as 2 months. It depends a lot on luck. The customs is hit and miss. Sometimes I pay duty and sometimes not. The same is true if I order from China. ... Read More
International driving licence. by momotaro
I would like to drive here in Hungary altough I haven't been driving for quite sometime. So I would like to get some information about the driving licence here. I am getting mix information at the moment. Since I am not a EU citizen, I was told ...
Unless you ae leaving Hungary/EU every 90 days then you are okay. I was working 1 week a month in the US for a long time which has now ended. Sadly (or maybe happily as I was hating the travel) it ended and now I can't renew my license in VA. So, ... Read More
International driving licence. by momotaro
I would like to drive here in Hungary altough I haven't been driving for quite sometime. So I would like to get some information about the driving licence here. I am getting mix information at the moment. Since I am not a EU citizen, I was told ...
So, I can now update this process. I went throught he recommended hassle in 2010 and was told I needed a complete driving course and both tests so I bagged it and put it off in hopes Hungary would adopt some rational concept of reciprocity. Now it ... Read More
Beef, Lamb, and Foreign food in Hungary by borschelrh
Can anyone explain to me why there it is so extremely difficult to find beef and especially lamb here in Hungary? I see lot's of cows and sheep grazing in our area so where does the meat go? We have made special trips to Budapest in search of this ...
As for locally produced agriculture it is non-existent out here in Balatonfured or Veszprem. I have friends who are related to farmers and there is some organized system to prevent them from selling in the local markets. I have heard though that ... Read More
Beef, Lamb, and Foreign food in Hungary by borschelrh
Can anyone explain to me why there it is so extremely difficult to find beef and especially lamb here in Hungary? I see lot's of cows and sheep grazing in our area so where does the meat go? We have made special trips to Budapest in search of this ...
I dunno, butter is butter and the labels say exactly what is in there. As for choices I go for the best bang for the buck regardless of where it is made. You can't really tell any more anyway as so many parts are made somewhere else and then ... Read More
Beef, Lamb, and Foreign food in Hungary by borschelrh
Can anyone explain to me why there it is so extremely difficult to find beef and especially lamb here in Hungary? I see lot's of cows and sheep grazing in our area so where does the meat go? We have made special trips to Budapest in search of this ...
That is interesting and opens a whole other topic f how prices are set in Hungary. I understand from my Hungarian friends there is no such a thing here as a Farmer's Market and that all the produce being sold in the local village markets in fact ... Read More
American living in Budapest by amylynn11
Hey everyone! My name is Amy and I am an American living in Budapest. I have been here since Feb and I am looking for some fellow Americans to get to know ! :)
The simple answer is jam still has the fruit in it but jelly has it all filtered out. Both have a thick consistency. Jelly as made in the US probably has no and never had, any fruit in it and is some concoction made from artificial flavors and corn ... Read More
Converting non-European driving license by EuropaExpat
Got a little question... has anyone directly converted a non- European car driving license to a Hungarian one before? It was my understanding that probably only European ones could be converted without the need to do any driving tests etc (so just ...
As I understand it the EU is mandating consistent driver's license rules between all member countries which also includes standardized reciprocity for certain foreign countries. The last I heard it was supposed to be in place by Jan 2014 but as ... Read More
Beef, Lamb, and Foreign food in Hungary by borschelrh
Can anyone explain to me why there it is so extremely difficult to find beef and especially lamb here in Hungary? I see lot's of cows and sheep grazing in our area so where does the meat go? We have made special trips to Budapest in search of this ...
I agree with you. It might be different types of frying but that does seem to be the main method for cooking. Grilling doesn't seem to be popular. I did bring over with me a very large stainless outdoor BBQ grill which was already converted for ... Read More
American living in Budapest by amylynn11
Hey everyone! My name is Amy and I am an American living in Budapest. I have been here since Feb and I am looking for some fellow Americans to get to know ! :)
Growing up my favorite sandwich was peanut butter and brown sugar. We also used to eat celery stalks with peanut butter dipped in brown sugar. I actually use my peanut butter the most making Thai dishes or sometimes Vietnamese. I thincken the stir ... Read More
Beef, Lamb, and Foreign food in Hungary
Can anyone explain to me why there it is so extremely difficult to find beef and especially lamb here in Hungary? I see lot's of cows and sheep grazing in our area so where does the meat go? We have made special trips to Budapest in search of this ... Read More
American living in Budapest by amylynn11
Hey everyone! My name is Amy and I am an American living in Budapest. I have been here since Feb and I am looking for some fellow Americans to get to know ! :)
Have you ever given any of your Hungarian friends a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? The result is very humorous. I also see the same thing with Mexican food to Russians (haven't tried with Hungarians as I haven't found anything even close to ... Read More
Converting non-European driving license by EuropaExpat
Got a little question... has anyone directly converted a non- European car driving license to a Hungarian one before? It was my understanding that probably only European ones could be converted without the need to do any driving tests etc (so just ...
Sorry, I have a tendency to digress. The relationship is the dysfunction of government as a cause of the problems which are broader than just getting a driver's license and include other bureaucratic processes not only here but the US as well. My ... Read More
Anyone know about hungarian wine? by engie_bengie
Hi all, I'm not much of a wine drinker but I hear its really good and quite cheap as well. I'm a red wine drinker when I drink it and quite like merlot. normally when i do drink it its with dinner. Bouhht a bottle today and its a strange taste to ...
Excellent points all around. I am particularly fond of the Szeksard reds and have experimented in Spar with some of the others available. In Spar they have a line of wines with the Pincemeister label and I have found all of these to be good to ... Read More
Converting non-European driving license by EuropaExpat
Got a little question... has anyone directly converted a non- European car driving license to a Hungarian one before? It was my understanding that probably only European ones could be converted without the need to do any driving tests etc (so just ...
Still, I love it here and hope that once they find a fair and equitable government (not likely in the near future) things will settle down in not only Hungary but also in Europe. Maybe that is a pipe dream though. If economists stopped working for ... Read More
American living in Budapest by amylynn11
Hey everyone! My name is Amy and I am an American living in Budapest. I have been here since Feb and I am looking for some fellow Americans to get to know ! :)
I can vouch for the Tesco Peanut Butter. It is a wimpy version and extremely expensive but if you are desperate it will work in a pinch. The big Tesco in Veszprem has it in the International Foods section (a tiny space near the frozen foods with ... Read More
Converting non-European driving license by EuropaExpat
Got a little question... has anyone directly converted a non- European car driving license to a Hungarian one before? It was my understanding that probably only European ones could be converted without the need to do any driving tests etc (so just ...
Yes, I understand the zero tolerance for alcohol and fully support it but the danger from speeding and very poor driving habits (no signals, tail gating, passing on shoulders etc.) is perhaps even worse now. Also, note that all traffic fines have ... Read More
Converting non-European driving license by EuropaExpat
Got a little question... has anyone directly converted a non- European car driving license to a Hungarian one before? It was my understanding that probably only European ones could be converted without the need to do any driving tests etc (so just ...
I understand what you are saying and it is a relative comparison especially when compared to Slovakia or Italy which are really bad. However, if you drive like me at speeds at or just below the speed limits you will see what I mean. I drive a Prius ... Read More
Converting non-European driving license by EuropaExpat
Got a little question... has anyone directly converted a non- European car driving license to a Hungarian one before? It was my understanding that probably only European ones could be converted without the need to do any driving tests etc (so just ...
That didn't work for me. I did everything which adds up in expenses BUT I have driver's license from Virginia which for passenger auto's states class as NONE To Hungarians this means I do not have a driver's license in Virginia and no amount of ... Read More
How's life in Hungary for you? by joe1973
Hello there, Can you share your experience with me about interacting with Hungarians while living and working in Hungary? I am not a journalist but it was interesting to read fluffy2560's post mentioning the dark side of the UK and I grew ...
First off before I say anything negative let me state for the record I love Hungary and also plan to spend my last days here. That said I can also say we have had both wonderful and horrible experiences here which isn't too surprising. As Americans ... Read More
International driving licence. by momotaro
I would like to drive here in Hungary altough I haven't been driving for quite sometime. So I would like to get some information about the driving licence here. I am getting mix information at the moment. Since I am not a EU citizen, I was told ...
I am an American and can say it is a real hassle. I also had an International DL but basically that is unnecessary. I did try and get a license here and paid for the official translation of my Virginia license (roughly 13,000 forints), got a ... Read More