Postcard from Budapest

And, that's a wrap! One of my dream trips for many years now was completing the Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest circle. Those four cities alone, along with a few day trips I made from them, could easily be the trip of a lifetime, but I shouldered them between and Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin, and Dresden trip and am now on a plane to Reykjavik. (Man, and I thought Budapest was a bit expensive. Iceland is gonna kill me.)

Opera house. Couldn't get tickets to see the premier of "of Love and Demons," but I was able to see the ballet "Onegin."

Budapest had cultural possibilities like Vienna, the gorgeous architecture and prices like Prague (while feeling like NYC), and just the pleasant happy feel where I wasn't ready to leave like Bratislava. I spent a stupid amount of money (well, maybe $300 including food and accommodation) on the bathhouse ($55 for the day including the Beer Spa. I regret nothing) and the most expensive theatre tickets of the trip ($45 for the ballet). 

A fraction of the summer crowds. 

I definitely gained weight the past two weeks. Brie is cheap, beer is cheap, and I've had a bread-based carb every day. 

Fruits and vegetables everyday, but still. Lotta carbs. Fried. 

So much more delicious than it even looks. 

I wasn't able to get as much walking in as I usually do, either. On vacation, I usually do 22+ kilometres a day. Between the freaking ice and my boots getting stretched out, I just wasn't walk as fast so I wasn't going as far. I also kept getting distracted by birds and watching ice in the river. 

Just. Stood here for a good thirty minutes. Watching ice. It sounded like cut-up pieces of Pepsi cans being stirred in a paper bag. 

Didn't have much conversation compared to the first half of this trip. Listened in to a lot of conversations but didn't join in. Which was really great. Relaxing. Between the long stretches of silence, the lack of mental output, long soaks in hot water, the lazy mornings, and the splurges, I think this was the second time in just a year where I was thinking, "this is an actual vacation and not just my usual stumbling about."

Sprawling metropolis that reminded me of NYC but with consistently amazing architecture. 

Just a fantastic city. So, socially and physically rested, it's time to head north! 

One thing off the proverbial Bucket List. Two things on.