Blogs from Pest, Budapest, Central Hungary, Hungary, Europe - page 2

That title could be taken so many ways, especially with no context. But if you understand that I'm in Budapest, and that on one side of the Danube River is the old town of Pest, while across it sits the old town of Buda, then maybe that'll help. Today was definitely not as jam-packed as yesterday, as I woke up this morning to realize that I'm still on vacation, and Iget to set my own hours. So I did what I felt like doing, and it was good for me. I slept until after 8AM, which is kind of a miracle. I normally don't sleep that late in hotels, even after being on this trip for over a month. I've got probably the best blackout curtains of the trip, too, so maybe that has something to ... read more

Budapest! 01/12 There’s no other Hungarian city like Budpest!! At the very heart of Europe, this kidney shaped country claims a unique place in the continent’s soul. Doubters need only listen to the music of Franz Liszt and Bela Bartok, view the romantic Danube River as it splits Budapest in two, or taste the nations unique (paprika infused) cuisine to be convinced! There’s no other Hungarian city like Budapest in terms of size (2.55 million), and importance. But, it’s the beauty of Budapest, both natural and constructed that makes it stand apart. Straddling a gentle curve in the Danube, the city is flanked by the Buda Hills on the west bank and the beginnings of the Great Plain to the east. Architecturally it has enough baroque, neoclassical, eclectic and art nouveau elements to satisfy anyone. Budapest ... read more

We have spent the last five days biking from Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, to Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Compared to the neatness and manicured presicion of Germany and Austria, rural Hungary feels raw and rough around the edges. The roads and trails are certainly rough with patches of pavement missing, more dirt trails, and rougher areas everywhere. The bike trail signs are not so plentiful and finding the route is sometimes a challenge. And even though Hungary is officially using the Euro, many vendors only take Forints, the old currency, and give a very unfavorable exchange rate if they do accept Euros. But the people we have met are warm and welcoming and we have managed to communicate with English and a few words of German. For most of this leg, all the way ... read more

We flew into Hungary last night from Malta via Frankfurt and by time we settled into our suite we decided that it was too late for a big meal. However after wandering the streets a little we ended up back at a little restaurant right next door to our hotel and we settled on a cup of Goulash soup. We were thinking more of our version of a cup of soup and what we got was like a little stainless steel bucket. The soup was extremely tasty and along with the lovely fresh bread we were quite satisfied. This morning, once we managed to get our act together we set off to find the hop-on-hop-off bus. It was another beautiful sunny day, slightly cooler then we had been experiencing in Malta and it wasn't too long ... read more

I left the hostel quietly without waking my roommates. The early morning bus out of Ždiar (in the Tatras Mountains in northern Slovakia) left on schedule, dropping me about 20 minutes later at the mountainous border with southern Poland. I hopped off the bus, looking around at the still-dark, empty nothingness, wondering where to go next. To my relief I spotted the only other humans around in the predawn hour - three gals walking up the road a short distance away. They were dressed to perfection, struggling to push, pull, and carry their oversized suitcases on the uneven and icy-slick surface. Turns out, they were also heading to Zakopane. The border was deserted, save for the four of us and our bags. We quickly realized the frequency of the buses slows down considerably in the wintertime ... read more