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