Fried in Hungary-Day 1

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Budapest, Hungary
9.1.09

We flew into Budapest Hungary after about 12.5 hours of flight from Ottawa. As you could expect we were bushed! At first that our porter friend did not show up at the airport but eventually there was a nice Hungarian man with a sign that said Cramer. He took us to our quaint hotel Erzabet in the old town square.

Our first stop in Budapest: the Gellert public bathhouse. The structure was leftover from the Turkish rule of Budapest. A beautiful, art nouveau structure adorned with marble, fountains spouting out of stone creatures, and beautiful domes towering over the courtyard. There were at least 6 different baths in this particular location. A couple of the baths were similar to swimming pools, one was a mineral bath that was heated, there were male and female only baths, and there were other thermal baths as well. The public bath is really quite different from our frame of reference in the US. While we have swimming pools, we do not have spaces like this where “swimming about” is prohibited and sitting together quietly or to socialize with others is encouraged. It was more like a coffee house than a swimming pool. It was the perfect way to rinse away our jet lag.

After our public bath we took a nice stroll across one of the beautiful bridges spanning the Danube River. It was a mild night defined by a gentle breeze and the soft-lit monoliths on both sides of the river. We walked down one of the streets in the old town square, did some shopping, and decided on an outdoor restaurant publicized by a nice Hungarian woman who personally invited us in. We enjoyed Hungarian beer and fresh soup. I wish I could tell you we enjoyed the fried cheese and veggies as well. During our dinner we enjoyed people watching and each other’s company on our year and a half anniversary.

One and one half years
over the ocean.
Nothing is lost in translation
between us. Learning to speak
each other,
tomorrow and our love the
only permanence.
A cup of wine, some foreign
delight and your eyes and arms
wrapped around me—
I put our good fortune against anyone who has owned a castle.

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Comments

[Ann]

Romance in the air
Hey you two love birds. There is romance in the air.

[Don and Deila]

Happy Trails
Your holiday is off to a wonderful, fun filled time together. Enjoy each other, drink in the sites, people, sounds and smells and please know we all see the world through your eyes on this trip. Thanks for sharing. Deila and Don

[Mom]

How romantic!
Sounds like you're having a fabulous time! Keep up the good "work"! Love you both!

[Auntie Ann]

Dear Fried
You had quite a day! I really am curious as to whether the Danube is "blue", and did they not know to change the oil for frying? Love you, Auntie Ann

[eze]

Is a a sexy-time poem yes? I like!