Budapest, Hungary - April 2012

Budapest: melancholy, cool, clean, quiet, low, efficient, unoccupied, gentle.

Budapest was beautiful. Zach, Eliza, and I spent two and a half days strolling the streets, breathing the atmosphere, and tasting the culture and history. The city was clean, surprisingly clean. And the buildings were incredibly well-maintained. The locals and tourists were sparsely scattered throughout the city, even in the downtown area. The closest that we came to a crowd was trying to get some food in the narrow isles of the downtown market. People were nice and welcoming to foreigners. The views from the Chain Bridge and Castle Hill were spectacular. The parks were long, green, and quiet. All of it combined made our walks melancholy and gentle. Therein was the charm of the city and the gratification of the trip.

And the food... oh yeah. I mean, Ohhhh Yeahhhh! PORK!! Goulash soup, pretzels, and beer... cheers! Summer sausage with sweet mustard...uh huh! Chicken, beef, and pork combo with carmel onions over rice and veggies; include some wine and a serenade by a Hungarian violin/guitar duo... WHAT!?! Stewed turkey and rice rolled in cabbage with a mound of sauerkraut, and beer... omg! Hungarian pork square pizza... watch out Italy! 1/3 pound gourmet burger with a sunflower on the table, and real green vines growing on the wall inside the restaurant... this is getting absurd!

If you've read about Budapest, then you know of their baths. At first, we had them on our itinerary. But after some further research into reviews, we decided to pass on the baths. My daughter wrote to me, "Wow! Sounds kinda cool, but ew..." The "ew" said enough; I was convinced not to go. We did visit an interesting underground hospital. Built for WWII within a secluded natural cave structure under Castle Hill, the hospital was used extensively during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. It was a cool historical tour.

There was so much more of the city that we didn't see. But we weren't quite sure if we actually missed anything because we saw everything that is printed about visiting Budapest. So, I'm guessing that the rest of the city is just residential and mainly for locals.

Budapest gets an A for, "Aw, it was really nice."

Check out Zach's and Eliza's photos from the trip, and read about their other travels too at: http://zandeinitaly.blogspot.com/

Click on the slideshow to see the photos individually.

Stay Tuned

The Worst Blogger in the Universe... I know that I have uncontestedly earned the title. But I am eager to shed my brand and share my travels. So, stay tuned for some upcoming posts. Cheers!

Budapest, Hungary

Moab, UT; Canyonlands National Park

This past summer (2011) I took a trip up to Moab, UT with my friend Jeff to visit our mutual friend, Kevin.  He was working as a boat and jeep tour guide on the Colorado River and in Canyonlands National Park. Kevin badgered me for the longest time to go visit him in Moab, all-the-while knowing that I am not an outdoorsman (I have some camping disaster stories).  I am certain that he was highly anticipating shaking me up on an outdoors adventure. So, I enlisted Jeff who is an avid outdoorsman and an expert Arizona anthropologist, and we went to Moab in July. I am glad to say that it was one of the best trips that I've ever taken!

When Jeff and I arrived in Moab at the Navtec dock we happily found Kevin in full Grizzly Adams character loading the jeep and ready to head out to the Colorado River. We didn't waste any time with a long greeting, and as soon as two other friends joined us we quickly hit the river. It was awesome! The canyon was beautiful and the clouds drizzled just enough rain on us to keep us on edge. Kevin was the best guide and captain; mixing it up between giving us a history lesson and yelling paddle commands, "ALL FORWARD HARD!!" through the rapids.

The second day Kevin took us on a jeep tour through Canyonlands National Park. It was a spectacular place! I was overwhelmed by the scenery and what seemed to be 60º rock climbs that Kevin was making in his lifted Lexus 4 Runner Jeep. We had a beautiful picnic in a natural rock atrium in Devil's Kitchen, and hiked nearly 2 miles to the plateau of Chesler Park. The park is so well preserved that, at times, it felt like we were the first ones to have set foot there.

Jeff and I spent the second night in Coconino National Forest by a fire, a case of Bud Lights, and laughs over a portable DVD player with season 1 of The Office.

All-in-all, it was one of the best trips ever. Thanks to my friends Jeff, Ray, and Erin for sharing the experience. And special thanks to Kevin for putting it all together. Cheers to you, brotha!

Click the slideshow for the complete web album full view.