Well Travelled Budapest
After a full week of on-location shooting in the Scottish Highlands, the Well Travelled team decided to get a taste of European life and head to Budapest, Hungary for another unbelievable destination feature. Along for the trip was the usual crew of Kelsey Genna, her husband David and irreplaceable stylist Yvette Edwards, we were joined by our Well Travelled Photographer Brendan of Bear Deer Fox and his sweetheart of a wife Rose from Australia, and a new collaborator photographer Marcos Sanchez from Spain! The eclectic group of creative spirits kept the week lively and action-packed, as we hopped from destination to destination and captured the heart and soul of this historic city!
Although Budapest was an unfamiliar location for most of the Well Travelled team, we were lucky enough to work with our bride Bea, who is a Budapest native. She helped us navigate, explore and order just the right types of food and wine. Our time in Budapest was a whirlwind – we spent eight days shooting, but after a while all the experiences blended together into one marvelous adventure.
We couldn’t begin to recount the highlights of our Budapest trip. Difficulties are, of course, to be expected. “Arriving in a foreign destination and working with a minimal tool kit is a challenge,” our stylist Yvette Edwards recounts, “and a real test of your creativity and quick thinking, no matter how organised you are beforehand.” But, as she points out, “One of the things I love about travelling is when I get time to soak up the culture and the energy of a place. I enjoyed all the walking we did and discovering all of the untouched charm that this city has. It’s a bit more edgy than other cities I’ve visited.”
Budapest is definitely an edgier city – vibrant and full of life and culture. But it’s also been called the Paris of the East by many because of its exquisite Gothic and Neo-Renaissance architecture. We loved how the locals were always out on the streets, socialising and sharing stories. We spent our days exploring the streets by foot and shooting along the way. We spent three days on foot exploring all there is there is to see – our styling team trotting about with Samsonite luggage by their sides and photographers capturing everything along the way. We drank lots of delicious coffee and Hungarian wine, did some shopping, walked through some of the city’s gorgeous museums and danced at Heroes square. And of course spent an afternoon recharging at Széchenyi Thermal Bath post-shoot – a thermal bath ornate enough to feel like a museum itself!
Our ‘Well Travelled passes’ allowed us access to some of the most stunning venues and spaces in Budapest. The Writer’s Villa is one of the most gorgeous private homes we’ve ever set foot in, as is its counterpart Brody Studios - a trendy members club. Fisherman’s Bastion, where we shot the wedding ceremony was absolutely magical and forever memorable. Not to mention cruising down the Danube in Dunarama’s luxury speedboats and spending a night out on the town in the infamous ruin bars. Our trip was complete with a night at the Aria High Sky Note Bar, taking in the incredible views.
We absolutely fell in love with Budapest and all the city had to offer and are already searching for ways to visit again. As our trip drew to a close, we packed up our Samsonite luggage and hopped on a train to Vienna, but more on that soon…
Photography by Bear Deer and Fox and Marcos Sanchez