If you have been in Budapest during the summer, you have probably noticed that the city is full of unusual things to see. But one of the most unexpected ones is definitely the giant inflatable Moon that appears in the city. The first time I saw it, I honestly had no idea what it was supposed to be, but it immediately caught my attention.
As an Erasmus student, I have started to realise that Budapest is a city where you can find something interesting almost everywhere. And sometimes, you don’t even have to look for it.
The Moon
The giant inflatable Moon is basically exactly what it sounds like: a huge Moon installation that you can see in Budapest during special events and exhibitions.
It looks like a giant version of the real Moon, complete with all its craters. During the day it is already quite impressive, but when it is illuminated at night, it becomes even more beautiful.
I remember thinking that it looked slightly surreal. You are just walking around Budapest, probably thinking about where to go for dinner or which bar to visit later, and suddenly there is this enormous Moon in front of you.
It is definitely not something you see every day.
Why I like it
What I like most about the Moon is how different it feels from the usual tourist attractions in Budapest.
Of course, places like the Parliament, Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge are beautiful, but after living here for a while, you start looking for smaller and more unexpected things to discover.
The Moon is one of those things.
It also makes for a really good photo. And, let’s be honest, as an 18-year-old Erasmus student, finding a place that looks good in pictures is definitely part of the experience.
At night, the Moon almost looks like it belongs to another world. With the lights of Budapest around it, it creates this strange combination of something familiar and something completely out of place.
A little bit of science
The Moon installation is inspired by the real Moon and its surface. The details on the inflatable structure reproduce the craters and shadows that we normally see when we look at the Moon from Earth.
Obviously, it is not a real astronomical object, but seeing such a huge version of it makes you realise how different the Moon looks when you see it from a completely different perspective.
Normally, the Moon is something you look at from far away, without really thinking about its size or its surface. Standing next to a giant version of it is a completely different experience.
And I think that is what makes installations like this so interesting: they take something we see all the time and make us look at it differently.
The Erasmus experience
One thing I have really noticed since coming to Budapest is that you never know what you are going to find.
One day you are visiting a famous monument with your friends, the next you are sitting in a park, and then suddenly you discover a giant Moon somewhere in the city.
I think that is one of my favourite things about Erasmus. You start exploring without really having a plan. You get lost, you follow your friends somewhere, or you see something interesting on Instagram and decide to go there.
And somehow, those random moments often become the memories you remember the most.
Our Erasmus tip
If you get the chance to see the Moon while it is in Budapest, I would definitely recommend going in the evening, especially when it is illuminated.
Go with a few friends, take way too many pictures and stay around for a while instead of just seeing it for five minutes.
And if you are in Budapest on Erasmus, don’t forget to look up sometimes. Literally.
Between the lights of the city, the Danube, the bridges and now a giant Moon, Budapest has a pretty good way of making even a normal evening feel a little bit special.
For me, that is what makes this city so fun to live in. You come here expecting to visit the famous places, but then you end up remembering the random, unexpected things instead.
And maybe that is the best part of being 18, living abroad and having no idea what you are doing half of the time.
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