On Winged Words...: Day 2: The Adventure Continues...

Day: 2

Countries: 1 Cities: 1

Budapest, Hungary

The Adventure continues…

Monday 21 December 2015

It's 2:35 and we've already done a ton!

Capture the moment of this moment now:

I know my cheeks must be bright, splotchy red because I feel the radiating warmth marking each cheek in the spot right above the corner creases of my typical smile. My stomach is full of a square donut and my insides have been warmed by a cappuccino—though I feel that deepset, damp cold resurfacing. We are sitting in a little blue place called The Box Donut and More, trying to warm up and take a break after a busy morning.

Shall we recap?

Woke up with lingering remembrances of vivid dreams from the night before. I don't usually dream about the place I’m actually in, but last night I did: dreamt people were in our room, that the hostel people were bunking them with us on our floor. It was all just a dream, thank goodness, but maybe I should rethink the whole goulash thing next time I order… J

Showered and layered up for the day. I was fairly prepared as far as layers were concerned, but maybe could have used just one more. Headed out for the day in search of breakfast. Found an indoor market with everything from fruit to meat (snapshot: skinned stretched out pigs longways in a metal wiry shopping cart) to smiling pickled vegetables to an Aldis (of all places! Wisconsin people will appreciate that find) to bakery items to langos, the traditional Hungarian breakfast we had been searching for. We shared a savory one and a sweet one and they were really good. Here, have a taste: basically a big, fried, puffy, pizza-doughy type thing with a variety of toppings. I also got some fruit to try and make at least a step or two in the healthy direction while we are away. (if only that trend would have continued…)

The weather today is cold and misty. So it's a damp cold that penetrates and lingers and is worse that just cold. But it's not terrible. We walked back to the square just down the street from our hostel where there's a Christmas market. We met and signed up for the free walking tour and then grabbed some hot apple and cinnamon (cider) from one of the stands that was really good. One of our cohort almost got ripped off 1000 huf, so if you're traveling and breaking bills: be wary of your change.

Then we started walking. Our tour guide Lara was really good: funny/clever enough, even if the jokes were a bit recycled/just part of the routine. And she was fairly easy to understand which was an added bonus and convenient on our end. And she gave us a bunch of info that we never would have gotten otherwise. And we saw a bunch of the city.

From the Christmas market to a brief 5-minute history of Hungary (they came from Asia following a bird who took their leader’s sword and led them here, where they, the seven tribes who had traveled there, made a blood pact to form a community. This was in the early centuries AD. Then there was some Ottoman rule and some Austrian rule and Huff rule in the 1500s and Soviet for much of the 20th century. And each ruling power left something behind—from architecture to bureaucracy. A huge Jewish presence and influence in Hungary. In 2004 they joined the European Union, the poorest of the ten that joined that year. Still the poorest of those 10 which is why they haven't switched to the Euro yet, otherwise they'd be in the same boat as Greece is right now according to our tourguide...awkward… Anyway that's what I remember about the history).

We saw some statues and the academia building of science (fun fact--Hungary has produced a bunch of Nobel prize winners, like 16 or 60 (I know that’s a huge difference but I couldn’t remember the number exactly and you try saying 16 and 60 in a Hungarian accent and tell me they don’t sound pretty similar), and Hungarians invented things like the ball point pen and cell phone towers and soft contact lenses). We crossed the Chain bridge, which could reconstructed after the Nazis destroyed it because the towers survived. Then we climbed 83 some meters up the steps to the President’s office (who is more symbolic of their republic, kind of like England's queen. The prime minister has the real power and they have elections every four years). And that's where the royal palace formerly known as Buda Castle is. We just saw the gate of it but it was pretty.

It's too bad it's so foggy; it'd be so pretty. If only we could see! So foggy. Anyway.

Apparently mom was right. Budapest really is two different cities: Buda and Pest (pronounced more like Pesch(t) I think). Pest is the part on the side of the river where we are staying and it's more organized and laid out in an orderly way. Buda has the mountains and is a bit more labyrinthy. We also saw Matthias Cathedral which was really pretty with colorful self-cleaning tiles on the roof. And that's where we ended the tour. Tipped the lady and went on our way. Caught a bus back to “The Eye” (ferris wheel) square. Transferred to the blue line on the metro. Came two stops to the train station to activate our Eurorail passes and figure out our reservation to transfer to Vienna via train tomorrow. Then found this square donut box place and have been sitting, warming up, planning bath trip and rest of the day and tomorrow plans, and catching up on the day's events.

Uf-da. A good day so far, here's to the rest!

Now it's 8:05 pm and we've been going strong all day, though it seems and has seemed like it should be much later than it actually is.

Set the scene right now: sitting on a rickety, rocky chair on some uneven pavement around a circle bar-height table, in a Ruin Bar or potentially the oldest bar, Szimplakert—an eclectic collection of stuff strewn (presumably thoughtfully) throughout the winding, deepening labyrinth of concrete rooms—with some light, live jazz playing in the background. Warming up slightly but still cool from the damp, penetrating cold we've been out and about in all day.

Catch back up: After the donut shop we went out and caught a tram to catch a metro to take us to look at one of the oldest bath houses which is right across from the circus (which Bre was excited about). Then we walked around and found the “cardboard castle” (Vajdahunyad)—they originally built it out of cardboard for some reason before actually constructing it—got a couple cool postcards there.. It’s next to a skating rink with people gliding around in ice circles, taking both Gracie and I back to our grandmothers’ living rooms and times of Christmas hall-decking. putting out the little town figurine sets on the side table... J

Next we wandered through Heroes’ Square which was neat. Then metroed over to Parliament which oh my gosh was beautiful, lit up at night the way they have it!

Then we saw the shoes along the Danube River, immortalized there in bronze in memory of the Hungarian Jews who were shot along those bangs during WWII. It's haunting to be in a place where such atrocities happened not all that long ago.

After we wandered along back towards the direction of the Christmas market. Bre and I shared some goulash (pronounced with a soft almost nonexiststant l—“goo-yash”) in a bread bowl which was really good. And added bonus, it was served up hot so helped warm you from the inside and semi-battle the cold fighting its way in from the outside.

Then we made our way to the place where we’re at right now. 23000+ steps. 10+ miles. A good day.

Afterwards, we walked back toward our street then tried to hit up the Christmas market but it was closing, so we just headed back to the hotel. And now the warmth of this place and the tiredness from the day is tugging hard at my eyelids and I may have to turn in real, real soon. So goodnight for now from Budapest. One more morning here but I hope I'll return someday!

And so, the adventure continues!

And here's some pics of the day:

Aforementioned indoor market

Foggy views

Hot apple in the square with some pretty great people

Walking tour views

The first post-cold-war statue that doesn't stand for anything (but consequently in doing so still stands for something...)

A statue of a ruler they didn't really like, but who they honor and respect because he basically invested in and rebuilt the whole side of the city when it was flooded 200-odd years ago.