My apartment and my friends

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Well, last weekend I headed out and took some photos of the beautiful area that is my neighbourhood. This time, I thought it would be nice to give you all a peek inside the actual apartment, though it IS difficult to really get a feel for it without being here. (this is a hint...come and visit!!!)

Anyhow, when you come into the apartment there isn't really an entry hall or anything....the bedroom and bathroom are off to the right and then straight ahead is my kitchen (which is really kind of a hallway) and then the living room. It is very bright...the super-high ceilings certainly help give it a feeling of space (tried to capture that in photos, not sure if it worked). For those who have stayed in hotels here before you will notice the two average-sized pillows on my bed, as well as the sheet which covers the whole length of the bed! The bathroom is at least twice the size of mine at home, if not more....loving the huge bathtub too!!!! Overall the apartment has a cozy yet bright feel to it and my friend Zsuzsa did an excellent job picking it out for me.

The work-week was a busy one...we had a visitor from the Bratislava office here so we had dinners out on Wed and Thurs. Friday night was quiet, just relaxing at home. On Saturday night I had my two canadian friends over for dinner. Both are with the Hungarian National Ballet...we had a wonderful time!!! Good food, okay wine and great company!

Today, the plan was to head to Tesco but since all ATMs rejected me early in the day (something about a huge international system overhaul) and I had no cash we ended up spending the day wandering through City Park and then having coffee and pastries at a lovely cafe...where I also ran into two of my co-workers who live on the other side of the river...small world. It was absolutely gorgeous out today...about 15 or 16 degrees Celcius and blue sky/sunshine....walked around in jeans and a Tshirt!!! Very cool to still see people skating on the outdoor rink at City Park. And was the park ever BUSY.....everyone and their dog (literally) was out enjoying the first of the lovely spring temperatures. It was a relaxing day and definitely the pace and lifestyle that I was hoping to find over here. Looking forward to more weekends like these!

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Photos

Apartment Entrance
Thought I would add a little patriotic flair to my front door....also helps to cover the window.

Kitchen
This is what you see when you come in the door of my apartment....the kitchen/hallway leads into the living/dining room.

Living Room
This is my living room, as seen from the kitchen...was trying to capture the wonderful ceiling height.

My floors
I know, I am a huge dork for taking pictures of my floors....but they are GORGEOUS in the living/dining room and in my bedroom.

Bathroom
This is my huge bathroom - LOVE IT!!!

Dinner with the canadian girls
On the left: Sarah (21, from Toronto, lived here 2 yrs)
On the right: Sahra (27, from Toronto, lived here 5 yrs)
Both are with the Hungarian National Ballet.

Andrassy ut.
This is part of my walk to work, along Andrassy ut. You can see the monument at Hero's Square up ahead and City Park is just behind that.

City Park
Though there are no leaves yet, the park was a wonderful place to spend the day. You can see the castle through the branches.