In the last 13 days, Michal and I have traveled well over 2,000 miles and have been in 5 different countries. We have rode on trains, busses, trams, subways, airplanes, taxis and covered hundred of miles on our own feet. In that time frame we have also changed our “travel base” 3 times.
Today I woke up with what I like to call a travel hangover. I felt sick to my stomach, confused about my whereabouts the last 24 hours (actually maybe the last 2 weeks), a little light headed and in a complete, overtired, dehydrated daze. I was feeling so hungover from traveling that I did not even go out in search of a Starbucks. I am still not sure what the cure for a travel hangover is; especially since we are still traveling for a couple of weeks. It has also been a difficult adjustment to go from beautiful, quiet, seaside towns to a busy, noisy city. Today I have attempted to cure my travel hangover with Hungarian food, a nap and an early bedtime.
Michal and I explored Buda today. Budapest is actually divided by the Danube river. Buda is on the West bank of the river and is quite hilly. Pest is clearly on the East bank of the river and known for being flat. Budapest is also divided into districts. We are staying in District 1. Yes, this reminds me of the Hunger Games. If we use Hunger Games theology, we are staying in the most powerful district.
Anyway, most of the sightseeing in Budapest is actually in Pest. Castle Hill is the main area to see in Buda. From Castle Hill there are great views of the Danube river and Pest. My favorite site on Castle Hill was Matthis Church. The Hungarians are quite fond of the last Hungarian King, Matthias Cornvius and there are several monuments and this church dedicated to him. I personally love the architecture of the church.
My favorite part of today was eating. Hungarians are known for their delicious food. Did you know that the average Hungarian eats about a pound of lard per week? Lard and paprika are main ingredients in most dishes. This afternoon I had a tasty meatloaf sandwich followed by warm apple strudel.
For dinner, Michal and I headed down to the Víziváros (translation: Water Town) neighborhood. Michal ordered some sort of Hungarian Goulash and I had Chicken Paprika. Both of our dishes were absolutely amazing. Usually when we travel, we only eat out once or twice and cook wherever we are staying to save money on the other nights. However, we plan on eating out more often here in Budapest because the food is just that good.
Tomorrow our plan is explore Pest and of course eat more Hungarian food. Oh, and I happened to find a Starbucks just down the street from where we are staying, so tomorrow morning will begin with an excellent cup of coffee.