Budapest
Trip Start
Jan 03, 2008
1
20
38
Trip End
Apr ????
Budapest,
Hungary
Monday, February 18, 2008
Budapest
. My path crossed a Spars on the way to the metro system, Spars is the Europeans standard super market. From here forth I have advanced to a more superior level of traveling as my experience points have risen and am now cashing them in. Things on the list to buy: Bread, Nutella, Jam, Peanut Butter, and fruits. Peanut butter is near impossible to find in Europe, they find the tasty cream repulsive and 'smelly' and for this reason when I find it in a store I stock up on all they have - great for protein. However, Euro's love their Nutella and so do I. Nutella is a very rich chocolate spread with the same density as peanut butter - great for getting you sugar fix throughout the days without wasting your precious dollars on candy bars. Bread is the trunk of the tree that all the branches rest on, you can lather anyone of these and in any fashionable combo on bread and still it becomes rather filling.
Sorry to digress - the metro station I took to the center of town placed me strategically on the Dunbar river that passes through Budapest. Walking the Dunbar in the morning was beautiful, along side on either bank of the Dunbar is a wealth of rich architecture. I arrive at the hostel to an amazingly beautiful and bashful girl as the receptionist - I conjured up as many questions and problems I could deviate her from her work just to get a few more giggle from her - I should have asked her to show me around town after her shift... darn. To begin my tours I headed toward what was called the Terror museum where in the building the museum is in was the former headquarters for the administrative power of the Nazi, Soviet and Communist Hungry leaders delegated authority
Budapest
. The museum was extremely interesting about Hungarian involvement and influences by this and the best part was the museum was completely free! The museum ended 3 hours later in the basement where the cells of the stone walls are still in tact where the punished, tortured and celled those who were a threat to the administering party of the time. After this blast from the past I toured the opposing side of the river Dunbar that offers a gorgeous view of the parliament building. I proceeded to walk up the hill to find government buildings that have been strategically build atop of the old ruined castle that is still to this day being excavated. It was here that I stayed and watched the sunset over Budapest. The same evening as my arrival, I stayed in touch with Sarah whom I met on the train from Athens to Thessoliniki, Greece and appears we were both in the same city that night coincidentally. I joined her and other friends from her hostel at an all you can eat, and drink, Mongolian buffet. Before attending the meal, we were to meat at this specific address at 7pm, I was that at what my clock told me 7pm, I waited an hour outside with no arrival until 8pm and walked home - I was somewhat relieved that I didn't have to pay the cost of the buffet that evening. On the metro station back I realized the time said 7:15, appears I crossed a time zone from Romania to Budapest. I rushed back to the Mongolian grill huffing from the running to be fashionably a half hour late and caught up on my 3 course meal and all you can drink alcoholic beverages until midnight
Budapest market
. I got to the metro systems just before closing and back to my hostel to find the beautiful receptionist gone. Alex, the Canadian that I met in Romania woke me up here, when I got to Budapest the previous morning I told him if he were to stroll through Budapest he could find me at this specific address. After he took a mid afternoon nap we both headed toward Hungary's most infamous thermal baths. The thermal baths are outside water spas as big as pools for the communities to relax in, I didn't bring any swimming shorts on the trip and luckily they had rental shorts there. As Alex and I headed for the rental desk, Alex with his own shorts in hand, I ask for a pair of trunks - they pull up from beneath the desk a pair of thronged swimming trunks - Alex just broke out laughing at my terrible situation. I said, " no, no, no, there has got to be a pair of shorts back their somewhere" she said sorry all she said she had was children's - I told her children's will do. Good thing I have a children's size waist, they just barely fit.
Later that evening Alex and I headed out for some beers to talk about our common interests we discovered while relaxing in the baths, foosball and sailing. That night, we met up with another friend of Alex's at an awesome underground bar with MANY foosball tables and rooms. The cost to get into this bar was 2 Euro at the door which included 3 free beers. The bouncer accidentally gave Alex 13 free drinks and the beer was flowing all night until we were restricted by the metro closing times. It was the next morning I had to awake at 4:30 Am to catch my train to Croatia.
