We Like It

we really do. We walk around Budapest with our hearts wide open, letting this spring of newness take over. We're narrowing down our list of favorite cafes and fruitstands; we've even found Calcium-fortified soymilk in a supermarket.

We're still on the lookout for:
hummus
buckwheat
drip-style coffee
and a music scene.

Wednesday afternoon we spent at the Szechenyi Baths. It was a wonderful, peaceful and yet fun experience. I (Ljova) couldn't help but imagine what a bathhouse of such proportions would be like in the USA -- without a doubt, it'd have six restaurants, lots of advertising panels and poolside bars, on-deck massagers, and loud music. But here, in this oasis of sanity, things are different -- just one lousy buffet overlooks the pool, and the only music is the splashing of water and the occasional screams of joy from little kids.

Our apartment is roughly 8 minutes walk to Deák Ferenc Ter, which is the very center of Budapest. Yet it doesn't feel like The Center, or a main street -- it feels like anywhere else. I've hardly seen anything which may resemble a critical mass of people.

The streets are half-empty.. but they don't feel deserted, they feel just right. Just like the Baths, and most other things around here -- except the complete lack of hummus and the vile overuse of sour cream in local dishes.


We're off to visit Nyíregyháza -- back soon!


--Ljova