The Hills of Buda

Today greeted us with more nice weather, light snow and sun. Bizarre. Will and I headed on over across the chain bridge and into hilly Buda to explore the castle district. A hike to the top of castle hill is the best vantage point of the town. To the east, Pest lays flat, the skyline spiked by the spires of churches and government buildings.
To the west sits Buda below the castle walls, brightly colored apartments against green vegetation, hills rising to the horizon, illuminated by the cloudy sky above.

The Castle Labyrinth stretches beneath the hill, dark and damp. Inside the castle walls themselves were shops, cafes, old churches and ruins of anchient times. This city is filled with so much to see, each day I find something new without even having to look. And for those who are concerned, the falcon man was there.

Sunlight and Another Roomate

Will, the other student from the UA studying in Budapest (and being my roomie), arrived today. The weather decided to be nice and great him with some sunshine. Will slept a bit, the long flights are pretty draining and then we ordered pizza's online for dinner. Yum. Cheap too. For two, 6-topping pizzas delivered to your door, with tip was 3000 forint, a little under 15 bucks. And we have leftovers! Pizza Boy!

I've also been playing around with photoshop a lot...learning, finding brushes and fonts online, creating. Lots of fun. When I make some stuff I really like I'll put it up in a post.

Making Soup!

Yum!

Snow Train

Robs and I awoke early this morning. Grabbed the bags, caught the bus, had enough time for some more delicious German pretzels and then jumped onto corresponding trains. Robert headed west, myself east. Würzburg was fun, I'm glad to have been able to meet up with Robert and to also become friends with his new international friends. Perhaps a return to Würzburg when the weather is nicer? Maybe just a rendezvous in Austria? For now, I'm back in Budapest and starting to think about school. It's raining. I miss Arizona sunlight. Time rolls along.

Also, I highly recomend taking a train through the general Alps area in the winter. The endless snow is beautiful.

Play that Saxophone, Robert!

There is a little pub located in a basement below Würzburg offering music, drink, and a great atmosphere: Omnibus. On various Monday nights throughout the semester, Robert has joined in on the weekly improv Jazz session. This Monday evening being his last here, Robert rocked the house. All his Würzburg friends showed up to cheer him on. Everyone will miss you Robert, and Tucson will be glad to get you back.

Watch some video here

So much fun!

Robert and I have been taking advantage of every waking moment. We've hiked vineyards and farmland, eaten traditional Bavarian breakfast, enjoyed good company and drinks, and have had epic going away parties. Robert has met some awesome friends in Würzburg and they've been friendly enough to extend the invitation back anytime. Perhaps a tour of Austria will happen later in the spring.

I could write and write about what we've done, but a picture is worth a thousand words...

Robs and Würzburg!

So, how does one place get to be so awesome? I mean seriously, this town is nestled in hillside rising beside gently flowing Main River. Atop the main hill sits Marienberg fortress, built in ancient times, expanded and improved by various inhabitants, surveying the red-tile roofed town below. Upon surrounding hillsides are plotted perfectly strait rows of grape vine trellis broken only by the roads ascending the hills. Despite the loss of many prominent landmarks by the destruction of WWII, the town has rebuilt and modernized (seems to be a German trend), while still maintaining it's Bavarian charm.
Hoping off the ICE 728 at 9 am, Robert greets me at the train station. I'm in Germany, so what do I do first? Eat something German, obviously. A local bakery provides the delicious meal to start the day: pastries and coffee. Refreshed and refueled, we set about to see the sights of the city. A stroll down the main boulevard encompasses the rebuilt churches with salvaged artifacts, the quaint storefronts, and everyone upon bicycles. Awesome. We tour the Residence, a palace and early political center of the town. Magnificent gardens surround the palace. The fountains have frozen into pure white ice sculpture. A fellow admirer, a jovial old German gentleman lets us know this is a sight that doesn't happen every year. We stop at another bakery to buy bread and a market across the street for cheese and tomatoes, our eventual lunch. Crossing the Main and passing by the guardian statues brings us to the bottom of fortress hill.

We climb the hill like were were the Swedes who first invaded and celebrated our conquer at the top by feasting on our bröt, cheese and tomato. The view of the town below is splendid. We continue the siege inside the castle walls, happy as two mammoth giraffes at the wine watering hole (sorry, no explanation on that one). We continue the adventures throughout the day, finishing with beer chilling in the snow and dinner at a friends apartment. We are now off for more fun and excitment!

Würzburg!

The train trip was fine, I spent the day exploring the town with Robert and now have a few minutes to use the internet. We explored castles, chilled beer in the snow, had decadent Germany pastries, and basically were awesome. I'll give a full account soon with more internet time...

Cafes and Narrow Escapes

Today I woke to a drizzling, dreary day. Budapest was being drenched by a light, but constant downfall from the gray sky above. On such a day, it seems like there is really only one option: relax at the cafe with more excellent coffee and then jump aboard the tram system for more exploration! I bundled up and headed down to Prága Kávéház, a elegant coffee house offering some excellent espresso. One Hundred Years of Solitude and a Mochachino.

To maximize my ticket worth, I found the greatest loop of the city I could take with minimal transfers: jump on the 47/49 across the Danube to Buda, exchange to the 61 until Maszka square, a major hub of many of the tram lines and the metro, and then return on the 4/6, passing by Margit Island and returning home. So far my tram experiences were quite fun, so it sounded like it was going to be a good trip. After finishing my Mochachino, I headed down to the nearby 47/49 stop. A short wait at the platform and I was abord, ready to validate my ticket...oh no. These ticket machines are different. So far I had used the newer trams that had digital ticket machines, but this older tram had a manual machine. I resorted to what had been working so far, wait to watch someone who knows what they're doing and imitate. A guy next to me put in his ticket and pulled the little lever, so I followed. Ok, nerves calm down. My ticket comes out with a little indent. Should be fine. I take a seat as we cross the river. Getting close to my stop for exchange and I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to a man wearing the arm band of the tram attendants. "ticket" he inquires. I dig in my pocket for my indented ticket to show that I was valid. He takes it looks at it funny, looks at me curiously, and then takes it and then shows me a ticket with a full hole punched through it. He puts my ticket in the validating machine and then pulls harder on the lever. Still with my ticket in his hand we arrive at a stop and he starts to head to the driver of the tram. Nervousness. Is he going to fine me? The door closing chime rings...we're only one stop from my exchange...I jump off the tram as the door closes and cross the street as the tram rolls off. I escaped! I wasn't trying to cheat the system, but my lack of Hungarian would have prevented me from telling my story and probably left me with a fine. And he did keep my ticket, so I paid for the trip. Well...I learn.

Ok, now I know better. The walk to the next stop allowed me to find a really good bakery, so I decided to stop in, partially to enjoy a delicious treat, partially to hide from the ticket man who I imagined might be now patrolling the streets for the rogue American who he probably supposes was cheating him.

The return trip was much better, with no more manual ticket machines. Tonight I'm off to see Robert in Germay. Hopefully this train ride will be smooth.

Slow days...

The air was cooler again today, tiny water droplets falling occasionally. I succeeded in buying metro tickets, and jumped onto tram line #4 across Petőfi bridge to the University campus. After some wandering about the campus area, I ventured up Gellért hill to survey the bustling town below. What a view...Since it was on the way home, I returned to the grand market hall to try some of Hungary's famed Goulash and picked up a pastry for home. Not exactly sure what I bought (I need to learn a lot more Hungarian...) but it looked tasty, and was only 110 forint (50 cents or so). I ate it while watching Obama online. This pastry's to you Obama, hope you get things back on the right track.

I seem to wander a lot...

But wandering is lots of fun. Today was much nicer...the temperature rose to a brisk 8˚C and the sun was feeling a little less timid! The nicer the day, the better the adventure. Today's adventures were Budapest's awesome market halls. Just on the other side of József boulevard is Rákóczi (I think that's the right name, that's the name of the square right next to it) market. Clumsily, due to my current lack of Hungarian language skills, I bought some bananas, an orange, and a quarter of a huge loaf of bread. Tasty! Continuing my journey brought me to the largest market hall in Budapest, Nagyvásárcsarnok. Awesome. It's huge. The first floor stalls were filled with produce, delis, bakeries, even a fish market that had a tank of HUGE catfish. Upstairs the stands were full of trinkets, t-shirts, little restaurants and locals relaxing.

Exploring winding streets eventually led me home. I'm starting to get my bearings straight. Shop windows offer glimpses into the lifestyle of Budapest. Old men inspect glimmering Rolex watches, their female counterparts carry bags of groceries home, bundled up against the cold. The younger crowd drolls at windows filled with the latest mobile phones. The busy stop in the numerous greasy gyros stops, or the McDonalds or Burger Kings that plague the city. The relaxed hit up the bars for pilsner. Did I mention that Hungarians smoke non-stop. In the streets, waiting for the tram, in the restaurant before, during and after food. Public dog crap seems to also be accepted. Cigarette buts and dog crap are two of common sidewalk sights. Watch your step!

In the evening Boris invited me to met up with some of his fellow students for coffee. They're finishing up their semester and almost done with exams. Their Univeristy (Economics) is close by, and housed in a old palace. Plush. We headed down to a cool basement cafe and had Vienna style coffee (served with sparkiling water, of course, i was informed. If it's not served with mineral water, it's not real Vienna). Really tasty. Finished off the night by exploring the stuff closet in the aparment. Found some cool stuff...I'm gathering one of the old tennants was a DJ. Fun fun fun.

Train Stations and more Wandering

I awoke to light snow flurries falling through the frigid -4˚C air. Flakes stuck to the tile roof out the window and the cars parked along the narrow streets. I had a quick breakfast of rolls and strawberry jam, then began putting on the layers. Thermal undies, pants, shirt, wool socks, beanie, hoodie, thick jacket, shoes, gloves. Pockets: keys, wallet, ipod. Good to go. The cold greats me as I open the door and descend the stairs. Out the gate and then the main door of the apartment, I wait long enough to hear the click of the door locked shut before pressing play. I head towards Jósef körút (Joseph Boulevard) to Rákóczi ut towards Keleti Train station. Keleti Station is quite impressive, it's size allows it to be seen from ways down Rákóczi ut. More constrution is going on in Baross square in front of the station, a new metro line (#4) from what I could figure out. Inside, it takes me a while to find the international ticket counters. The teller spoke enough english for me to purchase a ticket to Würzburg; A night train to Munich, and then a faster Intercity Express train from Munich to the Wü. Thursday morning, I'll be hanging with Robert. All good. Also learned about special deals from Budapest for future travels...I returned home slowly, again letting curiousity lead me. I found one of the large open markets of Budapest just behind the constrution at Rákóczi park. Hopefully it will be open tomorrow...I'm eager to discover local produce! I had great dinner at a cafe around the corner, a goat cheese and fried zucchi dish with seasoned potato wedges, DELICIOUS! I also discoverd that the Frank Zappa Cafe is also extreamly close to my apartment ( http://www.zappacaffe.hu/ ). Totally awesome. I will have to try that someday soon. Final note: I made a flickr set to share more pictures. Looking forward to more awesome adventures soon.

Budapest - First Impressions

Tonight I found myself out wandering the streets, beginning to figure this city out. I took a map, but mostly just let my curiosity guide me. As the small vein streets turned into larger arteries, I found the heart of the city: The mighty river Danube with majestic Buda Castle towering above. Letting my feet take me where they wanted, I continued across Széchenyi lánchíd, the robust chain bridge, passing stone lions that guard each end. Stone Lions don't seem to defer graffiti. I guess the city figures not many tourist come in the winter and let apperances slip...we'll see if it changes as the weather warms up. Ice floated along the river currents and gulls swooped overhead as traffic zoomed by.

Returning home allowed more practice in navigating the streets. Street signs are not too popular, most of them are hiding on a building near the intersection. The major streets glimmer with street lights, neon, advertisements, headlights. The minor streets, like mine are dark and quite.It's growing on me. Tonight's little adventure gave me lots to look forward to in living here. I stopped in the 24 hour shop on the corner to buy some strawberry jam for my rolls, and then climbed the flights of stairs to the apartment. I'll finish up by sharing a few pictures of the apartment and the awesome light switches. Oh, and I found an ATM that works. Tomorrow's goals: navigate my way to the train station and buy tickets to Germany to see Robert.

Inside the apartment looking into the bedroom

Awesome light switch!

holy crap, I'm here

I arrived in Budapest around 5pm (17pm) last night (9am Tucson time). Awkwardly found the minibus and bought a ticket to the apartment. The address the landlord gave me was slightly wrong, but luckily close enough that he found me where the minibus dropped me off...he apologized. We went up to the flat, gave him the down payment on the apartment. We went to look for a ATM that would work, but with no success. Number 1 goal today: find a ATM that will accept my card. Arrived back at the apartment, and the landlord left without realizing he forgot to add my computer to the internet access. The roommate, German grad student Boris, kindly let me borrow his computer to send a few emails home. Shortly after I fell asleep. 24 hours travel with small naps in uncomfortable airplane seats or airport benches=12 hours of sleep. Feeling much better and less overwhelmed. Boris said he'd take me out to find pizza in a bit.

I really enjoyed the warm goodbyes from everyone and I'll miss you...but I'll also be having lots of fun.goodbye breakfastsunsets over the oceanout the apartment window looking into the courtyard