Hello, Hungary!

Bratislava was vastly more enjoyable than any of us expected. On our way to the train station, the city seemed to beckon me to stay or plan a return trip soon by presenting me with what might be the single greatest thing I’ve ever seen: a cheese vending machine!

Despite the temptation to stay, Budapest was calling and so we found our way to the train station. The train was 10 minutes late, which was apparently a big deal based on the frequency of announcements about it (the T has to be at least 100% slower than normal for anybody to make an announcement). We boarded, settled in for the 2.5 hour ride, and then my companions all fell asleep.

After dropping off our bags in what turned out to be another A-level accommodation (reminds me of the place I always stay at in Barcelona), we headed out to the suburbs to see Momento Park. This is an outdoor museum filled with propaganda and memorials from Hungary’s communist past. I knew Luke would love this place, and I was right.

One shortfall of the US educational system: I do not know my communist figureheads. Lenin, Stalin, Engels…sure, but who led the Communist party in Hungary? In Slovakia? Not a clue. Well, at least until today. I still may not know their names, but I got to see them in 20 foot-tall bronze sculpture format.

After mastering the bus and subway systems to make it back to town, we made our way over to the Gellért neighborhood. Since we hadn’t had lunch, we stopped at a bakery. OH MY GOSH!!!!! I read that bakeries were good here, but this was so much better than good. Makes the Italian pastries in my neighborhood seem pretty trashy. I will dream of that fresh cheese danish forever.

Before heading to the thermal baths, we climbed up a hill that was much steeper than I had hoped/planned to see the Citadel and the Liberty Statue (aka Freedom Statue). After climbing nearly 500 feet up, we get to the top to find a sign explaining that the sights are closed for renovation. As Luke noted, that sign would’ve been a whole lot more helpful at the bottom of the hill than at the top!

After the climb up that hill, we were ready to hit Gellért Baths, a spa/pool/thermal bath complex. It’s absolutely stunning, and the water was at the perfect 36-40 degree Celsius range to relieve all stress and sore muscles.

We spent 90 minutes enjoying all of the tubs and pools. After changing, we crossed the Liberty Bridge and headed back toward our side of town for dinner.

Dinner was at a traditional Hungarian restaurant. Kiddo had duck breast and Luke had a garlic-marinated and grilled pork cutlet. I was desperate for veggies so I got a salad (without meat, which seemed to baffle the server).

We ended the night with something called a chimney cake. It’s a yeasty, raised dough (like a doughnut) that’s cut into strips and then baked around a cylindrical mold over charcoal. It’s coated in butter and sugar so it gets a caramelized crust, then it’s rolled in a topping while it’s still warm. Amazing!