Tourist in Budapest
In Budapest now for the beginning of my month of being a straight up tourist. I spent my first half day here recovering from my Matt vacation in Kiev and the subsequent Matt-leaving-Im-all-alone-again feeling sorry for myself. The woman Im staying with on the outskirts of town (contact through an interviewee/now friend in Kiev) is really sweet and the neighborhood she lives in has little cottages with gardens and looks like its in a cute rural village. The ride into town is relatively long(40 min) , but public transportation is convenient and nice and I wouldnt give up the great set up for a faster trip into town.
Yesterday I saw the huge synogogue (second biggest in the world) and it was truly spectacular. I was really impressed. In the morning I wandered around Pest, saw Heroes Sq. and environs, rode the oldest subway on continental Europe, and then went to the market and picked up a very tasty (salty and spicy flavors Ive been missing!) bean stew and "small" cup of wine, the combination of which incapacitated me completely. So I decided to go take a bath at the famous Gellart Furdo (pictured below). After digesting in the thermal baths I walked over the bridge nearby back to the trendy Soho-like area of Pest around Raday Utca and hopped around to some cafes before heading back to the outskirts at night. The Danube, as you can see below, is very close to flooding. Margarita Island in the center is already off limits to people and apparently lots of central Europe is suffering from huge floods. Aside from the riverside promenades on both sides of the river (all now under water) and the island in the center, in Budapest there doesnt seem to be too much other damage.
Tomorrows my birthday as some of you know and Ive decided to treat myself by taking a day trip to Eger, the city known for its tasty "Bulls Blood" red wine. I hope the spend the day cellar hopping and tipsy. And Saturday Adam, my Peace Corp buddy from Kishinev, is coming into town with a few friends for a Buddhist lecture (Lama Ole) and Im joining them for that and the rest of the evening. It will be nice to see a familiar face.
Yesterday I saw the huge synogogue (second biggest in the world) and it was truly spectacular. I was really impressed. In the morning I wandered around Pest, saw Heroes Sq. and environs, rode the oldest subway on continental Europe, and then went to the market and picked up a very tasty (salty and spicy flavors Ive been missing!) bean stew and "small" cup of wine, the combination of which incapacitated me completely. So I decided to go take a bath at the famous Gellart Furdo (pictured below). After digesting in the thermal baths I walked over the bridge nearby back to the trendy Soho-like area of Pest around Raday Utca and hopped around to some cafes before heading back to the outskirts at night. The Danube, as you can see below, is very close to flooding. Margarita Island in the center is already off limits to people and apparently lots of central Europe is suffering from huge floods. Aside from the riverside promenades on both sides of the river (all now under water) and the island in the center, in Budapest there doesnt seem to be too much other damage.
Tomorrows my birthday as some of you know and Ive decided to treat myself by taking a day trip to Eger, the city known for its tasty "Bulls Blood" red wine. I hope the spend the day cellar hopping and tipsy. And Saturday Adam, my Peace Corp buddy from Kishinev, is coming into town with a few friends for a Buddhist lecture (Lama Ole) and Im joining them for that and the rest of the evening. It will be nice to see a familiar face.
posted by duckie at 12:54 PM
2 Comments:
I can't believe how swollen the river is. I remember standing on that bridge watching giant tanker ships pass below with plenty of clearance.
happy birthday kachkala.
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