It is a dichotic city with a split personality and chequered history. On the west-bank of the river lies Buda, a swathe of lush green hills dominated by its majestic castle. On the east-bank lies Pest, a bright and bustling metropolis of modern finance and retail. The city has been overrun time and again throughout its often bloody history; everyone from Mongol hordes to Nazi Stormtroopers have taken bites out of it but nowadays, thankfully, the tramp of massed armies has been displaced by the constructive forces of capitalism, tourism and the film industry. I’ve lost count of how many action movies I’ve seen crisscrossing these mighty landmark bridges and, if I’m honest, it feels a bit like a fiction for me to be here now, looking at them in person.Deuce leads me along a wide promenade on the Pest side of the river. Walking these cobbles appears to be a popular evening pastime for Hungarians, tourists and prostitutes alike. The bright and welcoming plate-glass windows of a large hotel frame him as a dark silhouette alongside me.
