When I was 13 I had a great friend named Jared. We would spend hours on the phone night after night talking about everything from our tweenage crushes to Bryan Adams' new CD. You would think that after all that time over the phone I would know his voice well enough to not be taken by his frequent prank calls, yet somehow that wasn't the case. Despite my naivety, Jared and I would have heart-to-hearts that were about as deep as a pair of 13-year olds can produce. Time after time, he would remind me that I was a very deep thinker for my age, which, of course, was absolutely true. I remember the first time he said, 'Gosh you're deep.' The truth of it caught me by surprise and as a result has stuck with me. In all my deep thinking I had never stopped to think that it was anything different from any other middle-schooler. He meant no criticism, he was simply stating the obvious. And, of course, he was absolutely right.
I think of Jared's comment every time I catch myself lost in thought instead of enjoying the moment. There you go being deep again.
Recently Reggie and I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit Budapest, Hungary. Halfway into our trip we went to a pub to meet friends of a friend to watch the Champions' League Final soccer match. Because Budapest is in Europe and all European countries love themselves some soccer the place was P-A-C-K-E-D. This is nothing new for us and we loved it. Standing at the bar with Reggie, intermittently being pushed and shoved by Hungarians, Brits, and everything in between, and desperately trying to catch the waitress' attention to no avail, I caught myself tuning out of real time and being deep. Again.
Budapest is the most recent on the list of great cities I have visited since this unequivocal adventure started. Prior to this I spent years collecting travel books and maps awaiting my chance to see the world. This year the opportunity presented itself and for that I couldn't possibly be more grateful. The fact that this adventure is a rare one is not lost on me. And so, standing with Reg in a crowded pub in Budapest, I caught myself smiling for reasons only clear to me (and my deep, deep self).
Until now Budapest seemed light years away, an Eastern European city I knew I'd fall in love with but never expected to get to. This sense of satisfaction, mixed in with my natural sense of bottomless depth, brought on a rush of serenity that somehow sang louder than the Barcelona supporters when Messi and his teammates began their domination of Manchester United. I cheered with them, but not because Barcelona was blowing MU away, but instead because life feels really good these days. It doesn't even take me digging below surface level to recognize that.
Beauty-pest served us well. Our friend Ingo served as our travel partner and tour guide as we gawked our way through Buda, Pest, and the darling Danube River that divides them.
Until 1873 Buda and Pest were two separate cities divided both by geography and personality differences. Though they are now united courtesy of a handful of pretty bridges, the two halves of Budapest are completely different.
We started with Buda:
Buda is antiquated, hilly, green, and bold. It is dominated by Castle Hill, the city's highest-profile tourist zone. Castle Hill is a historic chunk of land looming above the bank of the Danube. On the breather breaks we took on our hike to the top, we caught some great views:
The walk from the Royal Palace to the other sites in Buda provided for lots of ooohing and ahhing opps.
A short, 90-degree-walk-that-felt-really-long later, we came upon this beauty:
The current Matthias Church is a ornate rebuild of the 800-year old original. It's lovely orange roof is unlike any I have seen and gives this beauty its striking splendor.
Next to Matthias Church is the Fisherman's Bastion, or Halaszbastya in Hungarian. (I went to and left Budapest without knowing a single Hungarian word, and words like this are the reason why.) The Bastion offers beautiful views over the Danube to Pest.
After we strolled and sweated our way through Buda, we headed over to purdy Pest. Our first stop was the Hungarian Parliament Building. This spiky thing looks just like London Parliament's little brother and it kind of is--it was designed by an architect that did his schooling in London. As much as I am absolutely obsessed with London, it would be a lie not to say that the Hungarian Parliament building is more than just slightly cooler.
Next up was Great Hall Market, a monsterous indoor flea and farmer's marketplace. Goose liver, golden Tokaji Aszu Wine, and kitchy Communism tees are among the M-A-N-Y goods for purchase. As I always do when there's a market to visit, I bee-lined my way to Great Hall Market with my biggest purse.
After two historic sites we were ready for a break. Though now rare, grandeur cafes are a big part of Hungarian history. In the late 19th century, a vibrant cafe culture erupted in Budapest, as it did in Vienna and Paris. Coffee houses became an institution--people unable to afford heating in their homes during the day or those just looking to escape their tiny flats spent their days in these comfortable coffee houses. For nothing more than the price of a coffee, folks could enjoy fancy leather seating, loaner newspapers, and the company of their friends. The Communists became wary of all of this socialization and shut down the cafes or converted them into less comfortable hang outs. Nostalgia has recently brought back these super fun coffee houses, and luckily we were able to take part in the fun.
Our guidebook suggested Central Coffee House, and we are glad it did. So glad that we even went twice.
Central is as grand as it is famous, with ridiculously inventive and scrumptious eats and drinks to boot. Located across the street from the university library, Central offers modern choices that I wouldn't have expected from the look of the interiors. Here I had my most memorable coffee experience to date. After a very, very long deliberation I finally decided on a coffee with local honey, milk, and cinnamon. When it arrived it was even prettier than I had dreamt it would be.
When we had tackled the big touristy sites we were ready for relaxation. Like Baden Baden in Germany and Bath in England, Budapest sits on a thin layer of earth above thermal springs that power its many thermal baths. Because we never turn down a good bath, we headed to Szechenyi Baths to soak with the locals awhile.
Szechenyi boasts two outdoor and at least five indoor pools. Unlike the other baths we've visited, this one felt like the neighborhood swimming hole, only a heck of a lot fancier. The 100-degree water came with a 20-minute advisory that we neglected completely. When we stepped out into the rain-cooled air it was a good hour before I felt anything but boiling inside. Now THAT's the way to relax.
All that relaxation brought on a monster appetite, so we arranged to have dinner at Sir Lancelot, a medieval restaurant catering to large groups of people looking for comedic peasants and knights and an unusually social fire eater. Not sure if this was us, I tried to keep an open mind and, of course, loved it.
According to Sir Lancelot himself only cheaters use silverware, and we were cheaters. Something about sticking my hands into honey-soaked fruit at the dinner table was too far out of my norm. Next time, Sir Lancelot, I'll do it your way. Promise.
In any city we visit we attempt to see all of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die mentions. I also seek out the city's best dark chocolate to bring home. This time, I really lucked out. One of Budpest's mentions was Gerbeaud, referred to by Patricia Schultz as, "...a temple of delectables." Yep, she's right. This gorgeous coffee house and confisserie certainly deserved the mention...and their dark chocolate should have, too.
It doesn't take a philosopher such as myself to enjoy the heck out of Budapest. It's beauty supplies a shock factor that will appeal to anyone lucky enough to witness it. For me, though, enjoying city as far off the normal tourist track as this great place offered the chance to be overly reflective, which in turn became a reminder of how great life can be.
I think of Jared's comment every time I catch myself lost in thought instead of enjoying the moment. There you go being deep again.
Recently Reggie and I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit Budapest, Hungary. Halfway into our trip we went to a pub to meet friends of a friend to watch the Champions' League Final soccer match. Because Budapest is in Europe and all European countries love themselves some soccer the place was P-A-C-K-E-D. This is nothing new for us and we loved it. Standing at the bar with Reggie, intermittently being pushed and shoved by Hungarians, Brits, and everything in between, and desperately trying to catch the waitress' attention to no avail, I caught myself tuning out of real time and being deep. Again.
Budapest is the most recent on the list of great cities I have visited since this unequivocal adventure started. Prior to this I spent years collecting travel books and maps awaiting my chance to see the world. This year the opportunity presented itself and for that I couldn't possibly be more grateful. The fact that this adventure is a rare one is not lost on me. And so, standing with Reg in a crowded pub in Budapest, I caught myself smiling for reasons only clear to me (and my deep, deep self).
Until now Budapest seemed light years away, an Eastern European city I knew I'd fall in love with but never expected to get to. This sense of satisfaction, mixed in with my natural sense of bottomless depth, brought on a rush of serenity that somehow sang louder than the Barcelona supporters when Messi and his teammates began their domination of Manchester United. I cheered with them, but not because Barcelona was blowing MU away, but instead because life feels really good these days. It doesn't even take me digging below surface level to recognize that.
Beauty-pest served us well. Our friend Ingo served as our travel partner and tour guide as we gawked our way through Buda, Pest, and the darling Danube River that divides them.
 |
| Hilly Buda on the left, metropolitan Pest on the right, and the purdy Danube River in the middle |
Until 1873 Buda and Pest were two separate cities divided both by geography and personality differences. Though they are now united courtesy of a handful of pretty bridges, the two halves of Budapest are completely different.
We started with Buda:
Buda is antiquated, hilly, green, and bold. It is dominated by Castle Hill, the city's highest-profile tourist zone. Castle Hill is a historic chunk of land looming above the bank of the Danube. On the breather breaks we took on our hike to the top, we caught some great views:
 |
| The Royal Palace dominates Castle Hill. It houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum. |
A short, 90-degree-walk-that-felt-really-long later, we came upon this beauty:
The current Matthias Church is a ornate rebuild of the 800-year old original. It's lovely orange roof is unlike any I have seen and gives this beauty its striking splendor.
Next to Matthias Church is the Fisherman's Bastion, or Halaszbastya in Hungarian. (I went to and left Budapest without knowing a single Hungarian word, and words like this are the reason why.) The Bastion offers beautiful views over the Danube to Pest.
 |
After we strolled and sweated our way through Buda, we headed over to purdy Pest. Our first stop was the Hungarian Parliament Building. This spiky thing looks just like London Parliament's little brother and it kind of is--it was designed by an architect that did his schooling in London. As much as I am absolutely obsessed with London, it would be a lie not to say that the Hungarian Parliament building is more than just slightly cooler.
Next up was Great Hall Market, a monsterous indoor flea and farmer's marketplace. Goose liver, golden Tokaji Aszu Wine, and kitchy Communism tees are among the M-A-N-Y goods for purchase. As I always do when there's a market to visit, I bee-lined my way to Great Hall Market with my biggest purse.
 |
| The quintessential ingredient in Hungarian cooking, hot-ish bell peppers were everywhere. |
After two historic sites we were ready for a break. Though now rare, grandeur cafes are a big part of Hungarian history. In the late 19th century, a vibrant cafe culture erupted in Budapest, as it did in Vienna and Paris. Coffee houses became an institution--people unable to afford heating in their homes during the day or those just looking to escape their tiny flats spent their days in these comfortable coffee houses. For nothing more than the price of a coffee, folks could enjoy fancy leather seating, loaner newspapers, and the company of their friends. The Communists became wary of all of this socialization and shut down the cafes or converted them into less comfortable hang outs. Nostalgia has recently brought back these super fun coffee houses, and luckily we were able to take part in the fun.
Our guidebook suggested Central Coffee House, and we are glad it did. So glad that we even went twice.
Central is as grand as it is famous, with ridiculously inventive and scrumptious eats and drinks to boot. Located across the street from the university library, Central offers modern choices that I wouldn't have expected from the look of the interiors. Here I had my most memorable coffee experience to date. After a very, very long deliberation I finally decided on a coffee with local honey, milk, and cinnamon. When it arrived it was even prettier than I had dreamt it would be.
 |
| The bottom layer is local honey, followed by a layer of local milk, then the best bio decaf coffee on the planet, and finally froth covered with cinnamon. Hellooo, heavenly coffee! |
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| On multiple occasions I heard waiters tell guests that Central's pastries are Pest's best. After seeing these I'm pretty sure he wasn't being arrogant and was just stating the facts. |
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| This spinach salad knocked the wind out of any other spinach salad I have had before. Plain and simple. |
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| I had never seen a ceramic fry-sleeve. Impressive. |
When we had tackled the big touristy sites we were ready for relaxation. Like Baden Baden in Germany and Bath in England, Budapest sits on a thin layer of earth above thermal springs that power its many thermal baths. Because we never turn down a good bath, we headed to Szechenyi Baths to soak with the locals awhile.
Szechenyi boasts two outdoor and at least five indoor pools. Unlike the other baths we've visited, this one felt like the neighborhood swimming hole, only a heck of a lot fancier. The 100-degree water came with a 20-minute advisory that we neglected completely. When we stepped out into the rain-cooled air it was a good hour before I felt anything but boiling inside. Now THAT's the way to relax.
All that relaxation brought on a monster appetite, so we arranged to have dinner at Sir Lancelot, a medieval restaurant catering to large groups of people looking for comedic peasants and knights and an unusually social fire eater. Not sure if this was us, I tried to keep an open mind and, of course, loved it.
 |
| You never know what you're going to get when you order from a country other than your own--even when the menu is in English. This menu, in old English, was not quite as confusing as one in Hungarian, but close. I was pleasantly surprised with my feast of apples, cucumber, and walnuts cooked in honey, with potato dumplings and a strangely large amount of fresh fruit. The verdict: really unusual and really delicious. |
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| Reg had baked chicken with smashed potatoes and awesome BBQ sauce...and, oddly enough, fruit. |
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| In case we wanted to smoke, the largest ashtray in history was on our table ready and waiting. |
According to Sir Lancelot himself only cheaters use silverware, and we were cheaters. Something about sticking my hands into honey-soaked fruit at the dinner table was too far out of my norm. Next time, Sir Lancelot, I'll do it your way. Promise.
In any city we visit we attempt to see all of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die mentions. I also seek out the city's best dark chocolate to bring home. This time, I really lucked out. One of Budpest's mentions was Gerbeaud, referred to by Patricia Schultz as, "...a temple of delectables." Yep, she's right. This gorgeous coffee house and confisserie certainly deserved the mention...and their dark chocolate should have, too.
It doesn't take a philosopher such as myself to enjoy the heck out of Budapest. It's beauty supplies a shock factor that will appeal to anyone lucky enough to witness it. For me, though, enjoying city as far off the normal tourist track as this great place offered the chance to be overly reflective, which in turn became a reminder of how great life can be.
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| Budapest's famous Chain Bridge connects Buda and Pest. |
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| The handmade wares were exceptional. This lovely dish was crafted just outside of Budapest by an art school student. |
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| Sheesh. And I thought German was tough! |
Wow Laur, another blog entry so well written, I learn so much every time I read each of them - I wish I would have taken that trip to Hungary now! Miss you! xoxo
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