Official Tour of the Flat

As Dad kindly pointed out, I have yet to post pictures of the flat that has become our home in the last few months. Embracing the procrastination of a homework assignment, I thought I would take the opportunity to give everyone a grand tour.


This first view is from the front door. We have a nice little kitchen table as you can see, with the kitchen there on the left. This picture is from very early on, and we have since bought a charming little red table runner that brightens up the space considerably. The room in the back is our living room, separated by two doors that we always keep open, although you can see one slightly ajar on the right. Our bathroom is through the white door on the left between the kitchen and the living room entrance, and our two bedrooms are on the left and right side of the living room. The third bedroom which was originally the maid's chambers is to the immediate left-- out of view-- but nicely holds our vacuum cleaner and the three extra beds that are being stored in the flat.




This would be our kitchen, and from what I've seen it's one of the nicest out of all the flats. We have an electric four-burner stovetop and an oven below it, a full set of kitchen utilities, pots and pans, and lots of counter space. Our microwave was great until Sarah tried to set it above the lowest setting that it had been left on (we were wondering why it took 5 minutes to warm a slice of pizza) and it caught on fire. It was a few weeks before we got another, but we both had a good laugh when we realized the landlord had left the broken one in our empty room. I don't have a photo of our food nook, but our fridge is moderately sized. We have a freezer the size of a shoebox, but decent storage space in the body of it; we've have never had a problem with not having enough room for our food. This would be our living room. It's quite simple, but we thought we were quite innovative when we decided to throw the sheets on to add a bit of color. It's was very drab when we first moved in! When we have a group over this is where we all sit to eat because we can only fit four at the kitchen table. It's quite nice, although neither one of us spends any amount of time in there unless we're socializing with friends.



Have you noticed that you can't see the ceiling in any of the pictures? I tried to capture the sheer size of the room in this photo of my bedroom, but even still it doesn't really convey how much "space" there is. Both of our bedrooms could be described as spartan. They came with the basics: Bed, desk, bookshelf, closet and wastebasket. I didn't like it too much at first, but now when I come home from a weekend away I'm kind of looking forward to snuggling up in my own little Ikea bed.


I don't have a photo of our bathroom (not sure why I would want one anyways) but we're rather lucky in the sense that everything is in one room. I say lucky because that's how it always is at home, but apparently it's a bit abnormal here. We have a mini-sized washing machine that holds about two pairs of jeans, three shirts, and some underwear. We don't have a dryer so we use a fold-away clothes hanger, and the water here is incredibly hard so once our clothes are dry they're as stiff as boards; makes walking around in clean jeans a bit funny for the first few minutes. Our washing machine empties into our bathtub, so if you're not careful while showering you can get a cold sudsy surprise if the load is done. Although we can shower standing up because there is a showerhead holder, we're in a tub and there's no curtain. With 20 foot ceilings we never really get the "steamy shower" effect, which basically means that the side under the shower is quite warm, and the side in the air is quite cold.

This last shot is of the building itself. The entrance is just behind the poster column there, and it usually smells bad so I try and hold my breath and have my keys ready by the time I'm on the block. We're in a very centrally located area, right off the main drag. The metro is a block and a half away (there's only 3 lines in Budapest) and the central tram line is also a block and a half away. I just recently adjusted my route to school as I found a more direct way, but on any given day I will walk about 3 blocks to the trolley stop, hop on and ride for about 5-7 minutes, and then walk one block from the stop to school. Both the bigger grocery store and the smaller convenience market are within two blocks left of our flat, and there's a great big mall just around the corner.

Everything has been pretty good for the most part, although there was a week where our water heater broke and the repairmen came about 8 times because they would "fix" it and then it would break again later that afternoon. The flat next to us has been under renovation for the last two months so we usually wake up to a pleasant banging on the walls. They've also started on something outside which causes such a thumping that our apartment shakes-- you can actually hear the wine bottles clinking sometimes. It doesn't really faze me since I was within sneezing range of the renovation on the gym last year, but I am very much looking forward to the peace and quiet of home.

Thanksgiving in Salzburg, Black Friday in Munich

After living on cereal for two days because I wasn't home long enough to justify a trip to the grocery store, I was definitely excited to be on my way to Salzburg last Wednesday morning. I'd packed my backpack, taken out the trash, picked up some munchies for the train ride, and had myself all chipper and ready to go when I arrived at the train station only to see that our particular train was not listed anywhere on the Departures board. And there was a big banner across two of the platforms that read "Strike."

Great.

Upon inquiry, I was informed that some of the German/Austrian railways had also been on strike, but that it was scheduled to end that day at noon. I guess you could say our timing was rather lucky, but once they announced the platform of our train, we sat for about two hours in the station before finally going anywhere. As a result of the delay we had to transfer trains in Vienna so we could continue on to Salzburg, and we had about 5 minutes to do it. It's kind of hard to run with a backpack, so we scurried as fast we could, and hopped in a car with a minute or two to spare. We'd boarded a high-speed ICE train, and the interior looked more like the lobby of a Hilton than a train. They really put our American trains to shame. We finally got into Salzburg around 9pm, found our hostel without a glitch, had a glass of the local wheat beer in the hostel's pub before crashing for the night.

The next morning though, I do believe the hills were alive with the sound of music! We started our adventure with the Original Sound of Music Tour; it sounds cheesy, but it was a lot of fun. I'd just seen the movie for the first time this past summer and our tour guide, an English lady named Sue, had all sorts of interesting stories about the making of the film. They took us out a ways into the hills where the opening shot was filmed, and the Austrian alps were just stunning. I could buy a house with a front porch and a rocker and just savor the sight of them all day long. We had a lunch break in the quaint town of Mondsee, home of the church where the wedding scene was filmed, and then finished the tour back in Salzburg at the "Do, Re, Mi Gardens." It was a very busy day for us because after the Sound of Music tour, we did the tour of the Salzburg saltmine. Which one exactly, I'm not sure, but it was a lot of fun too!

On our way to the salt mine we drove across the German border and up into the Alps where Hitler's Eagle's Nest is located. From our vantage point, we could just barely make it out as a little dot perched on the very highest peak. Again, the views of the snow-capped mountains were breath-taking. Once at the mine, we were given suits to put on over our clothes which made both of us look like navy-blue, reflective power rangers. I was glad for it though because it got a bit chilly on the train ride that took us into the mine itself. The nature of the tour was a bit odd because the tour guide would speak in German, and then once done, would start speakers that reiterated what he had said in English and Japanese. My favorite parts of the tour were the slides-- so much fun! And fast too! We got to take a boat across one of the salt lakes, and then taste the water from it, which I decided was saltier than swallowing a mouthful of the ocean. I learned a lot about the mining process too. Did you know it can take up to 30 years to mine a salt cavity?

Our driver was kind enough to drop us off by the city center, and from there we reveled in the wonders of the Christmas market. A small band was playing Christmas tunes, and it was the most charming spectacle. Garland and ornaments everywhere, twinkling lights giving everything a homey glow. It was hard to believe we were in Salzburg on Thanksgiving. We treated ourselves to a nice, 3-course Italian dinner, but lamented that it just wasn't the same as turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. Even though I loved the city and everything about it, I was the most homesick I've been all semester. As we were walking along one of the bridges, chatting about what our families would be doing at home right about then, I felt compelled to give Amanda a hug. We cheered to all of Salzburg, "Happy Thanksgiving!" and then made our way back to the hostel. It was still early, so we hit up the pub again and started chatting with another couple that was on their way to Paris. I was shocked when the gal, Jen, told me she was from Columbia, Maryland. What are the odds that you bump into someone who lives 20 mintes from you while traveling in Europe? Moments like those are when my world gets an itty bitty bit smaller!

The next morning we bought our train ticket to Munich before heading up to the castle. The view over the city was postcard perfect, and we were delighted to find that around the far side of the Abbey was a perfect overlook of the snowy Alps. I did a bit more Christmas shopping for myself, and warmed up with a cup of delicious Gluhwein. Before long we were on our way to Munich!

It was an easy train ride and we got in around 7pm. After checking in, we poked around a bit and then headed downtown to see the sights. I was rather surprised at how dressed-up people were, but it seemed to fit the somewhat "uppity" vibes that I was feeling. Starving, we were thrilled to stumble upon a Turkish kebab store, and completely devoured our gyros. As I was munching away, I felt a sense of contentment like I was eating something from "home" because there are great gyros places in Budapest.

Hold up! Home? Budapest? It was a rather funny thought that I had subconsciously associated Budapest with "food from home," but then again, Budapest is my home. I guess that's just what happens when you live somewhere. Anyways, right next door is the world renowned Hofbrauhouse, which literally translates to "House of the Royal Brew."

In a night, they can go through up to 10,000 liters of beer! Crikee! We got there and it was quite busy, but we managed to find some seats. Between the traditionally dressed Om-pa-pa band, the old German men with their steins that they can keep in a locker at the beer hall, and the tables of rowdy Englishmen singing rugby and football songs, it all made for an experience that left such a unique impression that I can only say that you just had to be there. For most of the time, I chatted with a fellow from New York City that was in Munich on business for Audi. Meanwhile, Amanda was getting her ear talked off about American politics by a pair of Czech brothers. Even though she didn't think it was so funny, I was very entertained by that fact that neither one of them could speak English very well, but between the two of them they managed to fill in each other's blanks. Talk about teamwork! It had begun to rain, so we took a cab to our next destination. It is with great sadness that I cannot take any credit for the pictures in this blog because my camera fell out of my coat pocket on that very cab ride. I realized it about 5 minutes after we had warmed up inside the Munich Hard Rock Cafe, and was rather devastated for the rest of the evening. I still am, but at least it is replaceable.

The next morning we took the free walking tour that is organized by the hostel. It was cold and gray, but I learned a great deal of history about the city and got to see a lot of the big sights downtown. Our guide was very informative and engaging, and because he had family in the area, he knew a great deal about the culture of the city as well. I was most surprised by the fact that the majority of the city is less than 60 years old, even though it looks much older (most of it was oblierated in WWII.) After the tour, we warmed up in a cafe, contemplating what to do next. We were both a bit tired, and opted to go back and rest in the hostel for a bit; we would have needed another day to give any of the museums in the area due justice. I headed over to the police station to try and figure out how I could get my camera back, but was kindly informed that there was really nothing I could do unless I came back to the city's lost and found in a week or two to claim it (if it actually gets turned in). I didn't really like Munich, but I think part of that has to do with the fact that I accidentally gave it my beloved camera.

The evening was very relaxed and laid back. We met two soldiers who were stationed in Germany, had just finished a 15 month term in Iraq, were in Munich to take a vacation, and thrilled to be talking to other Americans (and girls at that!) A few of us went around the corner for some more gyros and then we settled down in the hostel's bar/pub just swapping stories. After having a few liters the night before, I opted for the much milder "clear beer" beverage, which most know as water :) My world got a little bit smaller (again!) when a guy noticed my Green Terror sweatshirt and told me his cousin had graduated from there a year before. I really enjoy the social aspect of the hostel experience; we meet the most interesting people and I always seem to walk away with so much more than when I first arrived.

Our train left at 9:30 Sunday morning, so we fueled up on a very nice breakfast buffet and walked the 5 minutes to the station. Unlike the chaos of before, this train was a direct route to Budapest. We ended up talking with a fascinating guy from New Hampshire, Alex, who was getting his master's in Biotechnology at a school in Austria. He was also a musician and composer, and because his classes don't start until February, he's been traveling around and playing gigs in Europe since he arrived about a month ago. The four hours that he traveled with us felt like 5 minutes, and I've never had so much fun talking about everything under the sun with a complete stranger! Who knew? I would never have been so open to a conversation like that before and now look where I am. The ride was about 8 hours long, but I loved watching the world go by. It's a much more intimate way to travel than by airplane.

Overall, I really enjoyed how different this trip was from Paris. I loved Salzburg-- so much so that if I had to move to Europe, that's where I would go. It's simple, but with substance. Charming, but not nauseatingly touristy. And the Alps... well... they're incredible. Munich, on the other, I didn't like as much. There is not a lot of "positive" history associated with it, but they certainly aren't kidding when they refer to it as the "beer capital of the world." I had a great weekend, it was quite an adventure, and in a few days I'll be off to Ireland. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday, and I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Parisian Perfection

There is nothing more memorable than going to a city that is in the throes of a mass transit strike. Both my friend Amanda and I were wondering how things would play out as we boarded our plane to Paris, but now that I have safely returned to my Budapest abode I can say that it really wasn't all that bad. Some of the metros were running, although we were never really sure which ones, and it worked out that we could get out of the city from a particular line that was about 8 blocks from the hostel (better than nothing!). We didn't have to pay a cent for transport either which was a bit of a bonus.

Early Thursday morning we flew in on a discount airline that lands about 50 miles outside of Paris, and then took a private bus from the airport into the city. It worked out perfectly for us because we didn't need any public transport to get downtown; some of our roommates who had flown into Charles de Gaulle had quite a fiasco getting into Paris because of the strike. Things were going smoothly as we hopped on the main artery line that was working normally, and it wasn't until we needed to transer to the second line that we walked down the steps and into a scene that looked exactly like a newspaper photo I'd seen the day before...

We tried to get on once but the crowd was rowdy and unhappy, so we decided to hoof the two miles to the hostel. We were blessed with clear blue skies all weekend, so even though it was rather cold it made the walking tolerable. On our way we stopped to gawk at the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Stravinsky fountain, two of the coolest modern structures I've ever seen. The Pompidou was built in the 70's with the look of being "inside out" so all of the pipes and reinforcements are on the outside, and the fountain was a playground of whimsical imagintation.

After checking in and dropping off our things, we set off for the Arc de Triomph. It was big, bold and beautiful, surrounded by traffic mayhem. I was so excited to just be there-- I was in Paris! I loved the energy of the city and the diversity of the people; so many colors and languages, races and faces. I got a great taste of people-watching as we walked down the grand boulevard Avenue des Champs Elysees. There were so many high-end fashion shops that I can see now why Paris is considered the fashion capital of the world. We made a right and headed towards the Hotel des Invalides, which we could see perfectly because of the linear layout of the city even though it was over a mile away. That was the other thing I loved-- every major point in the city lines up perfectly with another, which makes every view seem like a perfect portrait of Paris.

The sun was beginning to go down as we reached the ornate bridge of Pont Alexandre III. It was a gem of a vantage point, and we spent about 20 minutes trying to get the "perfect picture" of the Eiffel tower and cityscape at sunset. We both shared a bit of a love affair with the tower, getting excited every time it came into view, because it is without a doubt the idol and image of Paris; like a supermodel made of steel. Everytime I saw it I was awash with the starry-eyed feeling that I was really in Paris. It was getting a bit chilly, but we walked the mile and then some to the Eiffel tower. On our way over I looked up just in time to catch the dazzling display of lights that lit up the tower like a diamond tiara. It was beautiful! However, beauty could only justify our numb fingers for so long, so we made our way back to the nearest running metro to return to the hostel.

For dinner, we opted to utilize the kitchen in the hostel and stopped by a nearby grocer to pick up frozen pizzas and a bottle of 3 euro wine. Turns out the full kitchen didn't include an oven, but after a little improvisation on the stovetop, we sat down to a very pleasant meal. Finally retiring to our room, we met two of of our roomates Corey and Volcan who were from Turkey, but studying in Florence. They were heading out to see the Moulin Rouge, and thrilled with the opportunity to see the infamous red-light district with two bodygaurds, invited myself and Amanda along. Another student from the U.S. joined us as well, and we ventured into the seedy lowlife of Paris. It was fun, but something I only need to do once in my life.

The next morning we made our way back into the city to check out La Maison du Miel, or "House of Honey." It was a charming store that's been in establishment since 1908 and offers over 50 different varieties of domestic and imported honey. The experience was extra-special because one of the clerks spoke English and chatted with us about the fascinating process of specialized honey-making and the different varities we were sampling. This aspect was probably what made the experience the most memorable because there's a tremendous difference between simply sampling a product versus sampling and learning all about it's intricacies. Here in Hungary that just doesn't happen with the language and cultural barriers. I purchased their signature French Lavender Honey and left with that warm fuzzy feeling that the little things are what make a city truly special.

We then walked in the direction of the fountain of St. Michel, which is the meeting point of a free tour that our Turkish friends had strongly reccommended. On our way over we walked through the Jardin des Tuileroes, which stretches out from the Louvre. We met two girls who were students of American University studying abroad, and like us, visiting Paris for the weekend. It was so fun to meet and chat with other students and travelers, but with over 5 million visiting tourists a year, it was much easier to bump into them in Paris than Budapest!

Our tourguide, orginally from New York, had moved to Paris to live the life of a starving artist. He had lots of stories and theories about French history, as well as ancedotes from his own personal experience, that made the walk much more fun and interesting. Although we didn't enter any buildings, it gave us a good layout of the city and ideas for where we might want to visit. Halfway through we decided to go our own way, and headed back to Notre Dame because the doors closed around dusk and it was already past three.



Notre Dame is the quintessential image of 12th century Medieval architecture. It took over 200 years to build, and I loved the fact that each of its bells has a name (Immanuel is the biggest, weighing 13 tons). There was no wait to get in, and it wasn't absurdly busy, which made walking around and admiring the gothic interior quite nice. Again, I couldn't believe I was actually in the Notre Dame. While contemplating the multi-lingual confession room, a choir had begun to sing, so we sat and listened a while before heading back out into the cold. Just around the corner was a place that I had wanted to check out, so we made a stop at the english bookstore Shakespear & Company. It was a bohemian place crammed with books from floor to ceiling, like something you would see in a movie. By now it was evening, and we walked back to the Louvre. On Friday nights entrance is free for anyone 26 and under, so it was a great way for us to save a bit of money and still have a great weekend.

Presently, the museum has over 35,000 works, and if you spend about 10 seconds admiring each one it would take almost 7 months to see all of them. We did the more concise trip and saw the bigger works, like the Mona Lisa, Venus Aphrodite, sculptures of Michaelangelo, The Raft of the Medusa, the pharonic Sphinx on display and the Medieval moat excavation. I found the Da Vinci's small portrait to be rather anticlimatic, but I loved it nonetheless. I also saw the painting much closer, but I thought the paparazzi picture was much more entertaining. The building itself is a work of art, and all the while I couldn't believe I was actually admiring the works of the Louvre.

The next day we started with the Musee d'Orsay, which is home to an entire floor of French impressionist works. I was so high on this whole Paris experience that I could only drool and gawk at the works of Monet, Manet, Ronoir, Matisse, and Van Gogh (my favorite). I LOVED them! I was overwhelmed with this sense of wonder that I was actually seeing the real and very tangible paintings that I had only known through textbooks and art classes. I was really quite moved by the experience! After a few hours, we decided to enjoy the nice day (and warmth of the sun) and took a leisurly walk along the Seine


Finally reaching our beloved Eiffel tower, a lunch break was in order. It was our last evening in Paris, and we both were interested in climbing the tower. So, 700 steps later that's where we were! We started climbing around 4pm, and after a picture from every corner, we found a bench on the West face of the tower on the second level, plunked ourselves down, and watched the sun set. I can't really begin to describe how it feels to watch the orange hues melt into the Paris skyline from atop one of the greatest monuments in the world, but it was pretty darn cool. We decided to conclude the evening with a river cruise, and picked up some fresh croissants and pastries for the ride. It was quite Parisian, if I may say so myself. On our way back we met a young man from Morrocco who was studying in Paris and ended up walking with him and his friend a good ways because the metro wasn't coming anytime soon. I don't think we ever learned his name, but it certainly made the mile we had to walk go by much faster :)

The next morning we made a last venture to the nearby Sacre Coeur; only about 10 minutes from our hostel and perched the highest point in central Paris, it was built as a memorial to the 58,000 soldiers killed during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870. Our original intent was to watch the sunrise from its entrance, however it was very cloudy and overcast, so we opted to go inside the building to warm up. The interior was simple, but grand. Just before leaving, the nuns that had been arranging themselves in the front began to sing morning prayers. Instead of an organ, they were using something that sounded like a harpsichord, which made the arrangement of their prayer quite mild and harmonious. That they were singing in french made it a thousand times more beautiful. I was completely captivated, and decided that even though I had not seen the beauty of a sunrise, I had enjoyed beauty of another sense; their music was intoxicating.

On that note (pun intended) we munched on some hostel breakfast, chatted with a few Aussies, and set out on the trip back to Budapest. Our jars of honey, though measured in grams and not mililiters, had to be checked, and after a bit of running around everything was taken care of. Due to a bit of a delay, we ended up flying over the Austrian and French alps at sunset, and in all my flying experience I have never been so captivated by the window view.

All in all, it was a perfect weekend. I refused to say it until I our plane to Budapest had taken off, but now I can gush that it was everything that I'd imagined it to be, and more than I could have ever wished for. I love Paris!

Skanzen and Snow

Quite frankly, the title of this blog sounds (to me)more like a ritzy Law Firm in New York than my weekend in Budapest, but indeed it is most appropriate. This past weekend was one of festivities, goose and wine. Why the celebration, you ask? November 11th is St. Martin's day, a day for feasting and welcoming the fall harvest. Story goes that St. Martin, a Roman soldier, was returning home when he spotted a poor peasant out in the cold. Rather than walk by, he cut his cloak in half and gave part of it to the peasant, and so he is rememberd as a saintly figure to the poor. Here in Hungary, tradition has it that if you don't eat goose on St. Martin's day, you'll go hungry for the next year, and if you don't drink wine, next years harvest will be spoiled. So, naturally, festivals pop up around the country to ensure that these travesties should never occur.

The day started out cold, and for whatever reason it seemed like we were always *just* behind the ball on catching public transportation. We took the HEV train out to Szentendre, and as we went to buy our tickets for the 15 minute bus ride out to Skanzen I saw the bus waiting for us at the depot. After buying the tickets, I look again and the bus is gone. No big deal, right? It'll come back in 20 minutes and we'll be on our way. Wrong! We waited in the cold for 25 minutes only to have the bus driver inform us upon returning that the next bus doesn't leave for another hour. It worked out well enough though because we went into Szentendre for a bit and stayed warm in the small souvenir shops, and then returned in time to catch the next bus and finally were on our way.

Skanzen is very much like the Hungarian version of Colonial Williamsburg; it's an open-air museum that depicts village life and regional architecture across Hungary. They even had signs in English! I had been really looking forward to exploring the museum, but it had begun to rain a bit and was very cold and windy. We took immediate refuge in the large festival tent which made the whole experience worthwhile. The food was fantastic, those stand-up heaters were everywhere, and live music filled the room. After a very satisfying meal (I was the rebel and got kolbasz and kaposzta [pictured] but I did try a bite of goose) we poked around a little to discover a traditional Hungarian farm -cows, mules, and windmill included. I'd never met a Hungarian mule before, but while it was sampling the sleeve of my jacket I decided that Hungarian mules and American mules are pretty much the same; they all like to chew on your clothes!

I warmed up with a cup of mulled wine, and we listened to some more music before catching the 3 o'clock bus back to the train station. By the end of the day I was beginning to feel the tingling sensation of frostbite (not really though, I'm just a drama queen) and happily dethawed in our toasty warm flat that evening. The next day, however, I was sitting in my pj's working on homework when I glance out the window, expecting to see the ghostly shimmer of rain, and instead see big fat slushy snowflakes. In the city where it never snows! I even took a picture of it for proof because everyone who's told me it never snows in Budapest probably won't believe me if I told them that it did. Granted, November is the wettest month, but it's just so darn cold that we got a mushy snow shower instead. Global warming? Maybe....

Wish me luck on my trip to Paris, my flight leaves in three days!

Funny trip to Spar

Last night was cold, grey and rainy. Nowadays it gets dark by 4:45 pm and the November weather isn't what I would call "morale boosting." I was very much looking forward to the family dinner that evening, and was planning on bringing a big big bottle of mineral water that I had had in my custody for quite some time. Sarah, however, asked if we could stop at the little grocery store on the corner, Spar, so she could pick up a bottle of wine to take over.

Sure, no problem.

Cradling my 1.5 liter mineral water, I delinquently followed Sarah and Amos through the entrance door and into the grocery store. It was only once I'd gone through the one-way carousel and paused for a moment did I realize what sort of situation I'd just gotten myself into. About three feet to my right is a mountainous pile of the exact same water bottles for 197 forints each. Great. And the only way out is through the two checkout lines around the other side of the store.

I quickly run through my options. More likely than not they'll make me pay for it, but I really, really don't want to pay for something that I've already bought. What if I stuffed it under my jacket-- would it look too much like I was trying to hide a telephone pole? I could go back out the front, except the door has no handle and the gate only goes one way; that's a bit of a problem. I know for sure though that there is no way in Hades I'll be able to explain to them that it was mine before I walked into the store; that's just not happening. So, I put it back under the crook of my arm and go to see what Sarah and Amos are up to, all the while talking to myself trying to figure out what I ought to do about this problematic situation.

Meanwhile, my ears pick up the pleasant voice inflections of English; I find Sarah and Amos chatting with two other American students who are also studying in Budapest. In this particular Spar, that's like hearing Bohemian Polka on DC 101. Anyways, I'm still trying to figure out what to do as I join them in line, lamenting this horrible fate that I'm going to have to pay for the water that I've already bought. On a whim, I decide to make an escape out the front, and signal Amos (who was waiting in line) to meet me at the door so I could get out. He, not being in possession of pre-purchased items carried into the store, met me around the other side with ease. Rather than make a scene of wedging myself through the gate that is only meant for people legitimately entering the store, I simply pass on the water bottle and resume my place in line with Sarah. I was glowing with pride at my successful water smuggling.

The icing on the cake was when Sarah went to pay for the bottle of wine. Until this point neither of us had had any issues regarding our "legality" to purchase alcohol; however, after the cashier scanned the wine, she looked at Sarah, raised her eyebrow a bit like a mother does when she's suspicious, and said a whole lot of Hungarian that neither one of us understood. The effect is similar to throwing marshmallows at someone-- it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean anything, and is oftentimes somewhat amusing. From the hodgepodge of "clucks" and "sh's" I managed to isolate the word "tizenyolc" which means 18. Putting everything together, I realized that Sarah was being carded and started cracking up at the notion; I've never heard of anyone getting carded here! The cashier was about as stone-faced as Mt. Rushmore throughout the ordeal, and suspiciously inspected Sarah's California driver's license before handing over the wine. I have no doubt in my mind that her thoughts were something along the lines of "crazy Americans..." but hey, we're here, and we're who we are. Not much Hungary can do about that!

La luz de mi semestre

As awful as it is, all good things inevitably come to an end. I blinked and found myself back on the metro heading to Ferihegy, wondering how the minutes had slipped by so quickly. In the unsmiling and rather unfriendly Hungarian culture, Andy's happiness and humor was the sunshine on my cloudy day. Against all odds, he still managed over the course of the week to crack the most fleeting, nano-sized smiles in a handful of Hungarians, attempts which were, of course, accompanied by my rolling of the eyes and stoic disapproval (usually followed by a smile that just couldn't seem to hide itself for any longer).

In the company of Andy I saw Budapest in a whole different light; no longer was it the poor and dilapidated city that I had come to regard it as, but rather a playground of cafes and cozy restaurants, parks and promenades, beautiful views, and benches perfect for sitting close and watching the world go by. On Sunday, we took a leisurely stroll along one of the poshest boulevards in Budapest- Andrassy Utca. I took great pleasure in watching the wind stir up the yellow leaves that had blanketed the sidewalk, and we would often pause to admire the window wares along the way. For lunch we sought out Fatal Restaurant, known for it's great food and large portions, and of which I had read about online. Indeed, both Andy and I were briefly thrown into shock when our wooden plates, filled with enough food to feed China for a week, were put before us. Both of our lunches were scrumptious, and we nearly had to roll ourselves out of the restaurant.

In an attempt to burn off the first spoonfuls of lunch, we walked around Margit Island for a few hours. I really can't say it enough, but the turning of the trees was simply sublime. For those wondering, the island is about a mile and a half long. We didn't walk all the way to the end and back, but we did get to see the petting zoo (deer, bunnies and ducks) and the ruins of the Nunnery that housed St. Margit, for which the island is named. I like the place a lot, but I liked it better walking along it while holding hands with Andy.

The next day I met up with Andy at the school after my class, grabbed a virslis, and headed over to the old cemetery. It might sound a bit morbid, but the grounds are quite nice and very peaceful. It's about 150 years old and spans something along the lines of 56 hectares. I don't think I would have had the gumption to go by myself, but in the reassuring presence of Andy, I felt like I could appreciate the beauty of the tombs and grave markers without losing myself in the dismal atmosphere of walking amongst the dead.

Tuesday was wonderful until I realized I needed to pack up the duffel that I would be sending home with him. To be honest, I just didn't want to face the music that he would be leaving tomorrow when it felt like he'd only just arrived! I wanted time to crystallize, not run away like rain drops.

I'm not sure what I would have done without his help; I managed to send him back with a more than 30 lbs worth of stuff! I am so very thankful for the opportunity. Not only was I able to send him back with souvenirs galore, but all of the clothes that I would not need, nor want to carry along on my trip through Spain. Thank you so much Andy!

It is safe to say that I miss him tremendously already. It was so wonderful to see him and show him this city that I've learned to claim as my own. His visit has also rekindled my feelings of simply looking forward to going home. With only four weeks of school left, I am very much excited for my upcoming vacation and returning to my cocoon of comfort in good ol' Glenelg, MD.

Ambassador Andy, U.S.A.

Palms sweaty, heart racing, I felt like a nervous wreck on a sugar high. I'd successfully made my way out to the airport via public transit (very very easy to do, just time consuming) and was now eagerly anticipating the arrival of Andy. Surprisingly enough his flight was on time, but he also wasn't coming in on a Hungarian Airline. Word to the wise-- those who find themselves flying in on Malev Hungarian Airlines should brace themselves for some sort of delay. Anyways, as the masses started to come through the doors, I became slightly distracted by a large Portuguese Rotary club that was now gathering in the window of what was a perfect view of the doorway. Out of the corner of my eye I spot a small wave from a tall, handsome Asian fellow...wait! That's Andy! Now picture Roadrunner, photochop my head onto the body, and you've got a near perfect image of what I am sure I looked like as I slalomed through the crowd, leaving a wake of disgruntled tour guides and travelers, and launched myself into the greatest bear hug Ferihegy Airport ever did see.

That night we had my infamous "I Cleaned Out The Fridge and We Need To Eat This Before It Spoils" risotto and then walked around Budapest that evening. The night was perfect, and there's nothing more beautiful than the Chain Bridge and Palace on a clear night. We had some very tasty Hungarian palacsintak (something like a deflated American Pancake crossed with a crepe) and called it a night. I made *real* American banana pancakes for breakfast, and was rather happy that they actually turned out the way they were supposed to. We headed out to City Park where we walked around Hero's Square and the Millennium Castle. Thanks to the rain a few weeks ago the fall foliage on the trees is simply stunning.

Located in the park is one of Budapest's most popular thermal baths-- Szechenyi Furdo. It was an experience that I would recommend to anyone. I loved it, and especially loved the fact that it was something I got to try for the first time with Andy. The tickets are in English and very easy to understand, although we opted for a cabin to change in and that was rather confusing as no one really seemed inclined to enlighten us on how everything worked, but we did eventually figure out. We tried just about all of the different baths-- some were blue, some were green, some hot, some cold. The outdoor pool that hovers around 100 Fahrenheit pool was incredible-- it's 50 degrees outside and the steam is just rolling off, but we were warm and toasty in the water. Our fingers were starting to look like prunes so we took a few minutes to roast in the sauna. When we'd had our fill of thermal fun we received a small refund for leaving early and headed back to the flat.

On our way back we stopped at Kaiser's, the grocery store I frequent. Eggs, milk, strawberry juice, bread, and mushrooms (dinner!) were all on the list. I don't suppose Andy had ever seen the bagless checkout phenomenon, but I was quick to inform him of the redundancy of the procedure: Pull food out of basket, put on belt, watch lady scan food and throw to the end of the counter, hope she doesn't break the eggs, pay for food, return food into basket, take basket to loading counter, unload food (again) out of basket, load food into personal bags and/or backpack.

Sigh.

Later that evening I took Andy to the local restaurant Red Pepper for some classic kettle goulash and beef porkolt. The food was so filling and tasty that I had to take a siesta after dinner before we headed back out into the nightlife. I have a feeling that because it is a holiday weekend things aren't as "hoppin" as they usually are, but we did have a nice night at the nearby club Banhof. I was surprised at the friendliness of the bartenders (and their English) and after some drinks and fun, Andy and I walked the entire 3 blocks back to the flat. Who knows what this weekend has in store for us?