Budapesteuropean beauty

Hungarians love their classical music. As you’ll see from the street signs, they’re especially proud for spawning Franz Liszt—even though the composer hardly lived here and spoke little Hungarian. As composers go, Bela Bartok was more authentically Hungarian—he was fascinated with indigenous folk music and even composed an opera in the native tongue. Today, American travelers will spot the familiar name George Soros on new building projects and plaques near the Budapest campus of Central European University. The Hungarian-American businessman and left-leaning philanthropist remains an active donor in his native country and throughout Eastern Europe. Thanks to low production costs and the relatively weak Forint, the Hungarian capital has starred in a long list of Hollywood movies including Evita, Munich and Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut In The Land of Blood and Money.