Budapest

Why Budapest? I always have had a fascination about

Central/Eastern Europe. Just on the edge of the western culture I've

grown up in while still harboring the culture and traditions of the

Eastern Europe. What better place to start exploring than Budapest?

Budapest was once two cities divided by the Danube; Buda and Pest. Buda

is situated on the hilly bank of the danube and houses the Castle,

thermal spas and roman ruins. While both interesting and beautiful Buda

can be done in a day. Wander around the castle and the

palace-turned-museums. These areas, as one might expect are often

filled with tourists so beware. The thermal spas must be on your list

of things to do. You can unwind, hide away in a corner and do some

people watching if you like or be adventurous and strike up some

conversation. The ruins are pretty amazing. If you've got some time

stop at Margaret Island. A well kept recreational area on the Danube

with fun benches and a nice place to sit and read for a while in the

hot afternoon. One must be warned that the island is not a place you

want to be when the sun goes down.

I can to Budapest to see the city so most of my time was spent on the

Pest side. I spend most of my time wandering the streets and finding

every nook and cranny of the city. It's got every sign of a hip

metropolitan city while, simultaneous, it was glowing with remnants of

(most prominently) the Hofburg and communist influence. My favorite

walk was down Andrassy Ut. A long street that starts near the Basilica

that is full of shops, restraunts, and coffee shops. Here it is

important for me to recommend stopping in for a coffee at least once

during your trip: the "classical" cafe experience that just doesn't

exist anymore. Halfway down you'll find oktagon, a huge circle that was

once the center of commerce in Pest. There is also the House of Terror.

A  building both the nazis and communists used to make people

"disappear" and has now been turned into an interesting and provacative

memorial/museum. At the end of the trip you'll be at Millenary Park

which is denoted by a massive monument and two art museums. Behind the

memorial is some nice greenspace and the botanical gardens. And don't

worry, a metro line runs right under the street so when you are tired

and it's dark it's easy to get back.

The nightlife was more clubs than pubs, certainly not my style. Though

a fun place to stop for a beer (Dreher Pilsner a local favorite) is the

Zappa cafe. Near the Freedom Square. The food was all great, mostly

meat and potato sort of dishes.