Settling in in Budapest...well really, in Pest

[slideshow]Buda and Pest were two separate cities for most of their history. The Danube river was a formidable barrier that was hard to "bridge." And in World War II, all of the bridges that had been built were destroyed again. Pest is the flat side of the river; and Buda is the hilly part -- the part with the castle. We are staying in Pest -- very close to everything. And we have crossed to Buda twice today.

But let me go back to Kiev. On Monday we met up with Trish and Peter and ate yet another great traditional Ukrainian lunch. (This time I had borsch. Fabulous. And I learned there is no "t." It's borsch.  Period.) We did all the shopping for souvenirs that we could at the local markets. Then Lowell treated us to a (mostly) French dinner at Vernissage in the hip shopping area. It was our last night all together, and most of us had a hard time eating yet more food, but it was so delightful and gracious and lovely. Thanks so much Lowell -- you are truly a gentleman among gentlemen. And it was great getting to travel with you for those five days.

We checked out of our hotel in Kiev on Tuesday and were set  to hang out with Peter for the last time of our trip. The owner of the hotel called us a cab and all kinds of hell broke out. First she only ordered one cab. We knew that was a mistake right off the bat. Five people and all our luggage would not fit in one cab. Then she called a second cab. Both of them had teeny trunks and neither wanted to get their seats dirty by letting us put the luggage inside the car. The drivers really were quite dramatic in their poutiness. Finally Peter had to talk each of them down by phone until they grudgingly let us get ourselves and our bags into their cars.  I quote Peter, "Dammit. The one thing I didn't arrange and look what happens." Poor guy.

Peter wanted us to descend on his apartment like locusts. You see, he and Trish were leaving the next day for Stuttgart, never to return, and they only had so much room in their luggage. We did our best to eat and drink them out of house and home, but we just didn't quite have it in us. Mostly it was just great to see them relaxed and happy together after all the work they put in to make the festivities so perfect.

This time Peter did again, personally, call us cabs for the airport. Jan and I flew out first, so left before the others. Travel to Hungary went very smoothly. The flight between Kiev and Budapest lasted just one hour and twenty five minutes.

We were met at the airport by a driver and delivered right to our apartment hotel. He had to take a different route because we arrived on a national holiday celebrating the 1848 revolutions. The police had the area around our hotel blocked off because locals commemorate the day by protesting current injustices. It was all very calm and mostly over by the time we got here. We did see lots of young people walking through town. And everyone was wearing cockades.

Our lovely host Flora gave us the name of a local restaurant named Menza. We misunderstood her directions and ended up having an hour long walk to get to a restaurant that is only ten minutes away, but that wasn't all bad (if you've read how much we have been eating on this trip). We shared goulash soup and pickled vegetables. Jan ate pork knuckles with fried potatoe wedges. I had chicken paprikash with crispy hash browns. It was all absolutely delicious.

For the most part, architecture in Budapest is so beautiful. And then you see the Soviet Era (or as our guide on the Danube called it today, "socialist era") construction next to classical and baroque. So soul-less and flat -- like they purposefully wanted to remove beauty from the world. The outskirts of Kiev were like this too.

Today, Wednesday, we walked miles and miles -- all over the city. I love that -- love getting my bearings on the ground. Being in Kiev was like being the passenger on a trip -- because the driver (Peter) laid out the route, I didn't have to think. It was pure pleasureful relaxation. But I never quite got my bearings.

Here we already have a pretty good sense of how the city works. And where to find coffee. We had coffee at the Four Seasons Hotel this morning -- the most elegant place I've ever seen. And the coffee cost $10 to prove it. We walked across the chain bridge to Buda and  then rode the funiculur up to the castle. While there we saw a choreographed sequence by the guards at the presidential palace.  After a lot more walking we decided to have coffee again at Gerbeaud -- an iconic pastry maker and chocolatier. (You can see that our approach to travel is pretty consistent.)

This afternoon we took a river cruise on the Danube  (thanks Mary Watson!) -- a really wonderful and enlightening experience, which included a guided walking tour of Margaret Island. And then went back to the castle for the second time of the day to have dinner in a romantic little restaurant way up the hill. A string trio entertained us  while we ate -- and upon our request, played the most moving piece by Bela Bartok.

Budapest really is charming; the people are warm, helpful and generous; and the history is rich. (And it really is a gustatory heaven.) But now I must go to bed and try to recharge my battery so I can tackle another day. There are so many things we want to do here in the next few days!