Hungary

June 29 - July 3, 2009

Combine the hilly, green right bank of Buda with the metropolitan, bustling left bank of Pest and voilà, Budapest. The boardwalk along the Danube. Some days it exists, other days it doesn't. On the Buda side, the Castle district and Gellert Hill stand. Holding the impressive Matthias Church, originally built in 1015, under construction now. Fisherman's bastion providing shade for the starving musicians. Citadella park for the locals to picnic. All overlook the Pest side.

The Parliament. A giant building seen from most of the ten, soon to eleven, bridges in Budapest. Walk Andrássy Avenue and find the luxury shops, the outstanding Opera House and the best local, cheap Gulyás, often mispronounced goulash and Fozelék, thick vegetable stew, joint in town. Visit the ever-changing, soon to be all modern, Jewish quarter and find the Great Synagogue. Largest in Eurasia. Second largest in the world.

Széchenyi Medicinal Bath. Largest bath in Europe. A typical day in the Turkish baths. Different degree saunas, steam rooms and mineral baths. The local pros wearing small cloths and swim caps. I played a game of chess while submerged in the outdoor, perfectly tempered pool. Our languages differed, but our facial expressions, chess moves and hand gestures were enough. The intimidating eye of a seventy and some odd year old, Hungarian man was perfection.

Markets. Központi Vásárcsarnok, my favorite, for the building and the goods. A large three story market. All the local cuisine brought in for the chefs and women to choose. Some stands with a long queue. Others with no customers. Easily telling what is best. PAPRIKA! They put it in everything. Gyümölcs leves, cold fruit soup, often sour cherry. I surprisingly enjoyed this. Túró Rudi, a chocolate coated cheese candy only found in Hungary. I surprisingly didn't like this. Somlói Galuska, spongy cake, with rum and chocolate. I loved this. Chefs hate to make it.

And in the night...Abandoned homes and bus stations turned into bars and hangouts coupled with indie, underground Hungarian bands and djs make the nightlife scene unlike any other.