well, here I am.
back on the internet, back in the continental United States. feels like a lifetime ago I stuffed everything I could into two carryons and took an overnight flight to Iceland.
22 flights, 14 countries, 18 cities, five continents, two embassy visits, one police report, and about a dozen sunburns later, and I am back in Brooklyn with my cat and my tv and my slowly deteriorating motivation to ever leave my apartment.
turns out blogging while traveling at a rate of one international flight every three days is not the easiest thing to commit to. once the occasional disaster starting popping up every couple days/minutes I figured I’d err on the side of sanity and put more spare time towards things like sleep and enjoyment.
I know, how dare I?! whilst you were waiting patiently for my updates.
turns out stuff like night market tours of Ho Chi Minh and swimming at Waikiki beach are much more fun than editing a bajillion photos in a dingy hostel dorm room.
but, since it is long overdue, here are a few notes and ramblings about my short stay in Budapest, Hungary.
lovely Fisherman's Bastion.
the view of the Danube & Parliament from Castle Hill.
Budapest's own "Lady Liberty" high above the city.
Budapest was pretty and pleasant and had an air of mystery about it. it’s very much how I pictured typical “Eastern Europe” in my head; ornate architecture, cozy taverns, hearty food, and hearty people. lots of dark haired men with beer bellies and acid-washed jeans and thin pretty women smoking cigarettes.
but to be honest I don’t feel like I can give any assessment or description of Budapest that would be fair or accurate. any significant cultural experience of the city was overshadowed by meeting up with my friends Christina and Adrian, which was by far the most fun part of my brief visit!
unfortunately my camera was being as moody and mysterious as its surroundings and so the only photo I have to prove we actually saw each other is this one, that actually looks more like a bad photoshop job. so it really isn’t much proof at all, but you’ll just have to take my word for it.
the three of us did a free walking tour together in the afternoon because- thank goodness- they are just as nerdy and touristy as I am. I don't see the problem with being "touristy" anyways. people are so snooty about it; "don't go there it's so touristy," "that part of town is so touristy," "oh you only did the touristy stuff." always said with such derision. I got news for you, people- when you're traveling, you are a tourist. and those things are usually touristy for a good reason.
well, anyway.
we had a lovely afternoon exploring and chatting and catching up. Christina and I went to journalism school together and we've both moved many times since then, always ending up on opposite sides of oceans or countries (you'd think we really didn't like each other). but now it's years later and we just casually hang out in Eastern Europe. no big deal.
can't wait to see where we meet up next!
a sampling of lovely Budapest architecture (the Hungarian Academy of Sciences).
the difficult-to-fit-all-in-one-picture Matthias Church.
Buda Castle Labyrinth; Dracula was held prisoner here, apparently before he had the ability to transform into mist and such.
just me. and Parliament.
the walking tour itself was nice enough- no complaints, especially since it was free. it provided a pretty good overview of the city's history and offered some lovely views. (you can check out the same tour here). afterwards our little party ventured into Budapest's famous "ruin pubs" where we tried Hungary's spirit of choice- Palinka- and sat sipping beer in an old car that was turned into a booth.
let me tell you, Palinka is no joke. it smelled like jet fuel and made it hard to say whether these bars are named more for their rustic decor or the state tourists are in when they leave them.
of course we three behaved ourselves and called it a night after one little shot because we are mature and classy and not because it was Sunday and all the pubs we tried to go to after were closed...
Szimpla Kert, a quintessential ruin pub.
Lenin greets you as you arrive at Memento Park.
Sarah for scale.
I didn't particularly want to mimic the statue, but my guest photographer insisted...
my solo adventures in Budapest were slightly less exciting.
I paid a visit to Memento Park, which was described somewhat hyperbolically as a "Socialist Disneyland" and was more accurately a sparse garden full of very large Soviet-era statues. it was a interesting, but hardly comparable to any type of amusement park.
I took a tour bus from a town square which was very overpriced considered that the term "tour" was applied very liberally- we were just dropped off at the entrance and left to wander for two and a half hours, which was far too much time. the whole walk around to see every piece took about 20 minutes in total and there was zero information or backstory offered. I sort of saved the experience from being a total bust by searching Trip Advisor for some trip advice, where I learned that the $5 guide book would shed some light on the history of the park and make the whole experience slightly more meaningful. all in all the whole thing cost me about $50 and wasn't worth it, but I did get a few pictures out of it. lemons and lemonade and all that.
the Central Market Hall was also underwhelming and I regretted choosing it over going to the more famous Turkish baths. I did have a big Hungarian lunch and buy a souvenir for a friend, though. so again, lemonade.
I know I don't really have all that much to offer in way of advice or travel tips. all I can say is if you ever find yourself in Budapest for two days just have a wander and enjoy. eat langos, hang out in a ruin pub, take in the architecture...and if my friends are around maybe give them a call and stick with them.
