Osterferien Update Budapest: Are You a Buda or a Pest?

Fun facts about Budapest:

1) The modern city of Budapest, the capital of Hungary, was created in 1873 from the formerly separate cities of Buda, Óbuda and Pest.

2) Approximately 25% of the population of Hungary lives in the greater Budapest region.

3) The same geothermal activity responsible for many of the baths in Budapest created one of the world's largest cave systems (right under the city).

4) At the time I was in Budapest, the exchange rate of Hungarian Forints to the Euro was approximately 270 HUF : 1 €.  To things in perspective, the nicest meal I had in Hungary cost about 2800 HUF or about  $14.50 (USD).

I had originally planned on taking a bus from Braşov to Budapest but when that was canceled on the day I arrived to Bucharest, I ending up scrambling for a ticket on a night train.  At first I was a bit worried because you don't hear the best things about night trains in Eastern Europe.  It's never stories like I had so much fun and met so many cool people on the night train but more like I got mugged and harassed by people who didn't speak English.  I really lucked out on this--I don't say that because I, in fact, didn't get mugged or harassed (don't buy into all the hype), but because I actually did end up having a good time and meeting someone cool.

I ended up springing for a six-bed sleeper car (instead of the cheaper plain seat or couchette), and thankfully I only shared it with one person meaning the normally cramped car was quite roomy.  My traveling companion through the Romanian countryside was Marian, a 30-year-old engineer from the outskirts of Bucharest who was traveling to Budapest to install a new machine.  I don't remember the name of the company he works for, but they apparently make most of the bottle caps for Pepsi and a few other big bottlers in the area.  It was a fun ride because my timidness was balanced out by Marian's excitement to practice his English which he said he has been using more and more in his daily work.  We talked about current politics, the efficiency of German trains, the status of post-communist Romania, bottle cap making and how great Florida is (he has two friends there but has never been).  Marian shared the coffee his wife packed for him with me, and he even bought me a croissant in the morning (I bought more hot coffee to reciprocate).  I was kind of sad to say goodbye to Marian in the morning as we rolled into Keleti station in Budapest but ready for my Hungarian adventure to begin.

After checking into Paprika Hostel I decided to wander around a bit for some food and ended up happening upon some of the best falafel of my life.  Seriously, foodgasmic.  Later on I decided to head back to the hostel to find out what this caving trip they had explained to me was really about, and even though I was a bit reluctant at first, I decided to sign up.  I had an awesome time, and we crawled and squeezed our way through this amazing cave system with at times huge caverns and other times tiny passageways.  I ended up meeting three brothers from Buffalo traveling Europe for a bit (any other Hankins thinking what I'm thinking?), and we grabbed a celebratory beer before heading back to the hostel to get washed up and meet the others out at a bar.  I, being a bit sleep-deprived, stayed out later than I should've and definitely overindulged in the cheap and abundant Hungarian beer which resulted in Subway at 4:30 am (it's like I never left the US!).  The next day was rough...really rough.  I was surprisingly sore from caving and a bit, well...dehydrated, but I soldiered on and walked around the city for most of the day.  I then decided to treat myself to an afternoon at the Széchenyi Thermal Spa, the largest medicinal bath in Europe, which was definitely quite a cultural "experience" (code for there were tons of fat Hungarian dudes wearing speedos).  Check out the awesome pictures on Wikipedia.  

I gave myself the night off from partying and went on a nighttime walk around the city highlighted by the Buda Hills and Buda Castle which were absolutely amazing at night.  At times it definitely felt like I had the city to myself!  I made my way to Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion before heading back across Chain Bridge to the hostel.

I spent my last full day in Budapest walking up Gellért Hill to the Citadella, walking up and down the banks of the Danube River and hitting up both the awesome covered Great Market Hall near the Liberty Bridge in Pest and an Easter Market at Vörösmarty square complete with Hungarian Folk Dancing and awesome food stalls.  That night I grabbed a few beers at this ridiculously hipster "deconstructed" hipster bar with creepy baby doll part sculptures and plastic gasoline tank hookahs.  The next day, before my early afternoon bus to Vienna, I took in the House of Terror Museum which is a beautifully designed memorial to the victims of Fascism in Hungary and the Soviet-instituted secret police during the Cold War.  I ran back to the Easter Market to grab a quick lunch before hitting the road to Austria!

Note to others: don't eat a really big fatty Hungarian meal before running to catch a long bus ride.  Just take my word on that.