I SAW JESÚS THAT night in Alicante, and it wasn't all that fun. We weren't the same. We said goodbye, and thats okay. That night I walked around Alicante alone for a bit. I ended up in the port, where I took some photos.
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ON MONDAY IN ALICANTE, I decided to visit my old University, and it was great to see my old professors. I also went to breakfast with María, and we had chocolate con Churros, a traditional Spanish breakfast dessert food.
Later that night, I packed my bag, told María goodbye and that I would see her next year, and left for Budapest. I'm not sure when I will be back in Alicante, hopefully sooner than later.
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AFTER A THREE HOUR flight to Budapest, Hungary, I touched down at 11p.m. I speak no Hungarian, and its not a language that has anything in common with Spanish, French, German or English. Nothing makes sense. I was stressed trying to find a ride into the city, and it only got worse once I did; in the dark from the airport, Budapest looks like a complete trash-hole that the Soviet Union hadn't cared for at all.
Rather, the next day I realized that Budapest is as beautiful, vibrant and busy a city as any other European Capital. I prefer Budapest over Paris. Call me crazy.
The currency in Hungary is the Forint. The exchange rate of is 223 Forint: 1 Dollar. A drink is 300 Forint, an full breakfast is 750-800 Forint, a taxi ride across the city was 27000 Forint. This city is extremely cheap!
Of course, the food is incredible. Nevertheless, Budapest has only two restaurants in the entire city with a Michelin Star. One is Costes while the other is "Onyx" which is where I went. Naturally, in The States or a Western European country I couldn't afford to eat there. But with the incredible currency exchange, I was able to afford a lunch there at 4590 Forints, or $20ish dollars. Expensive, but it was well worth it.
My 3 course meal consisted of:
ON MONDAY IN ALICANTE, I decided to visit my old University, and it was great to see my old professors. I also went to breakfast with María, and we had chocolate con Churros, a traditional Spanish breakfast dessert food.
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AFTER A THREE HOUR flight to Budapest, Hungary, I touched down at 11p.m. I speak no Hungarian, and its not a language that has anything in common with Spanish, French, German or English. Nothing makes sense. I was stressed trying to find a ride into the city, and it only got worse once I did; in the dark from the airport, Budapest looks like a complete trash-hole that the Soviet Union hadn't cared for at all.
Rather, the next day I realized that Budapest is as beautiful, vibrant and busy a city as any other European Capital. I prefer Budapest over Paris. Call me crazy.
The currency in Hungary is the Forint. The exchange rate of is 223 Forint: 1 Dollar. A drink is 300 Forint, an full breakfast is 750-800 Forint, a taxi ride across the city was 27000 Forint. This city is extremely cheap!
Of course, the food is incredible. Nevertheless, Budapest has only two restaurants in the entire city with a Michelin Star. One is Costes while the other is "Onyx" which is where I went. Naturally, in The States or a Western European country I couldn't afford to eat there. But with the incredible currency exchange, I was able to afford a lunch there at 4590 Forints, or $20ish dollars. Expensive, but it was well worth it.
My 3 course meal consisted of:
Roasted duck liver with strawberry-asparagus sauce and corn loaf
Pike-perch fillet with dilled-butter squash and cottage cheese dumplings
Sour cherry sorbet with tarragon and olive-white chocolate with sour cherry consommé
Ohh and I also drank some water haha.
Other than that, Budapest is complete mix of Middle-Eastern, Western and Russian Foods. I ate Goulash. I ate potato pasta. I ate a lot of dishes with Paprika.
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I HAD NO IDEA there was so much History and culture in Budapest. It wasn't on my map as a "European" developed capital. I was entirely wrong and obviously pretty naive. The city was originally three different towns 1) Buda 2) Pest 3) Óbuda, which were combined into one city. Obviously only Buda and Pest were remembered in the naming ha. Buda is on the west bank of the Danube River, Pest is on the east bank.
Ohh, the only thing I knew about Budapest is that Katty Perry had filmed her "Fireworks" Video in the city.
Naturally, being a totally NYTimes snob/reader, I checked out the sites and points of interest I "should"see while in Budapest.
1) The Hungarian Parliament in "Pest", the 3rd largest in the world,
2) The Royal Palace in "Buda." This has been destroyed and rebuilt 4 times. This is also where Katy Perry did the final part of her "Fireworks" video.
3) The largest Synagogue in Europe and the 2nd largest in the world! Built in 1985 and of course super damaged in WW2. A memorial and a "tree of life" to commemorate those lost in the Holocaust are next door.
4) This is me at Fisherman's Bastion-- a structure around St. Matthew's Cathedral to commemorate the 7 Magyar chiefs that settled Hungary in 896.
There are several other places I went; the city was beautiful, walkable and warm.
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BUT THE TRUTH IS that Budapest is known best for its insane nightlife. After the Soviet Union ended in whenever (1989?), Hungary (which was a part of the USSR) was left with plenty of abandoned buildings/warehouses. Naturally, as the city slowly began to put itself back together without the oppression of foreign rule, culture began to emerge. Artist, party-goers and other citizens transformed what were once communist buildings into funky, super weird, offbeat dance clubs/bars/ lounges/culture meeting points. Old cars, unscreened movies, machine guns, old buildings with overgrowth. Tons of alcohol. Probably some other unspeakable substances and activities.
Here is a few photos from the night. Obviously when I drink I decided to take part in the Art and take photos!
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BUT NOW I'M IN the city of Vienna Austria. Its 1:30 in the morning and I've spent the last hour updating this blog and sorting through my photos!
I'm having a great time but wish everyone was here with me!
