While the Ukrainian territory of Crimea was (allegedly) being invaded by Russia last weekend (February 28-March 2) we were carrying out our own invasion on Budapest, Hungary.
I'm sure that many of our readers have been wondering what's really going on in Ukraine and whether or not we are being invaded by Russia. Believe me when I tell you, the only way we know what's going on here is what we see on the TV news (cable English stations) just like everyone else. Unfortunately, and as usual, these news stations tend to sensationalize the truth, and the more we watch the news, the more we feel like we should be worried or afraid; but the truth is we're not. Most of the Ukrainians we know are not worried either. Interested and a bit concerned maybe, but not afraid or worried. Perhaps they believe that their global allies will have their back if necessary. Let's hope they won't have to find out.
All that being said, I will admit that last weekend while we were in Budapest, we seemed to watch the news more often than we do when we're in Kiev. But of course we spent more time exploring the beautiful capital of Hungary than we spent watching TV, you can be sure of that! Perhaps, secretly, we were thinking that maybe we would not be able to get back into Ukraine and we would be stuck soaking in hot mineral bath houses and eating goulash for many more days. Would that really be so bad???? Read on and see what YOU think...
Friday Afternoon
Our first stop, after getting checked into our hotel, was The Great Market Hall in this beautiful historic building. Inside there were lots and lots of vendors. Most of the booths downstairs are visited on a daily basis by local customers who are buying fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy, baked goods,and other essential food items. Upstairs was a bit of a "tourist trap" where you could buy every Hungarian souvenir imaginable and every booth looked just like the others.
As usual, our visits to new countries become a culinary adventure for me. Fifth grade teacher, Steve Wagner from the U.S. (not my cousin) who is married to a Hungarian, recommended several foods we just had to try while while we were in Budapest. In the picture above I am holding "langos", a deep fried flat bread made from a potato-based dough. There were many toppings to choose from, but I went with one of the more popular choices: sour cream and grated cheddar cheese. It was so yummy and filling! Thank goodness we did a lot of walking over the next two days!
I wish we had markets like this close by our apartment in Kiev and our home in Myrtle Beach!
 |
| Where do you think all of that paprika comes from?! |
 |
| A cafe we passed along the way. I took the picture for my mom, Dorthea, and my sister-in-law, Dorothea. |
 |
| Even the manhole covers on the street were beautiful! |
Friday Night
Our hotel was next to the Danube River which divides the Buda side of the city from the Pest side of the city. It was a perfect location for walking to everything we wanted to do and see. Budapest is known for its many bridges that cross the Danube. In fact, looking up and down the river, it reminded me a lot of Pittsburgh! Friday evening we crossed the Chain Bridge and walked to a traditional Hungarian restaurant to meet our friends Jessica and Tim, who teach with us, and their Hungarian friends, Milan and Audri.
 |
| Chain Bridge |
The food at the restaurant was very good and according to the Hungarians eating with us, it was authentic. I had the "chicken paprikash", a dish that I have already made since we returned to Kiev with the Hungarian paprika I bought at the Great Market.
 |
Milan, Audri, Jay, Jessica, Tim
|
Saturday
It was like spring! The temperature was warm enough for sweaters only, and I think the grass turned green in just one day! We took advantage of the weather by spending the entire day outside walking from our hotel to Parliament, across the river (again) and up the hill to Buda Castle, to St. Mathias Cathedral, and lots of cobblestone streets and quaint buildings in between!
 |
| Abundant sunshine! |
 |
Walking up the hill and through the park to Buda Castle
|
It was so nice, we even ate lunch outside at a cafe in the park next to St. Mathias Cathedral. The sign suggested it, so that's what we ordered! It looks expensive but 600 forint is about $3 USD, and my goulash was about $5. I was pleasantly surprised when it showed up in a bread bowl!
 |
| A view from the top. Doesn't it look like a fairytale city? |
 |
| I found a warm, sunny spot and soaked up some vitamin D! |
Saturday-late afternoon
Around 4:00 we headed underground (54 steps to be exact), deep into the caverns below the Dominican Cloister, in the Buda Castle area. There we entered the Faust Wine Cellar tasting room, where a young couple runs a Hungarian wine-tasting business. It was a 2.5 hour experience. We learned about the local wine regions and sampled 9 different Hungarian wines. To help our bellies absorb some of the wine, we were also served "pogacsa", traditional Hungarian biscuits topped with cheese. Believe it or not, we only purchased one bottle of wine on our way out.
Saturday Night
A boat ride on the Danube was a great way to see the city lights. We met up with Jessica and Tim to go "cruising".
 |
| "Cheers!" to a great weekend |
 |
| Parliament lit up |
 |
| Mathias Cathedral at night |
After the boat ride we "cruised" to the British pub across the street from our hotel for burgers and fries.
Sunday Morning
On Sunday we (Jay and I) went back to Parliament for a tour. We were given a brief history lesson and were able to view the Crown Jewels of Hungary: the Holy Crown, the sceptre, the orb, and the sword. We were surprised to find out that these items went missing during WWII. They showed up in the USA and were returned to Hungary by President Jimmy Carter.
 |
| A Hungarian guard outside the visitor entrance |
 |
| The Hungarian flag hanging from a Parliament balcony |
Sunday Afternoon
Budapest is also known for its many bath houses. There are 123 medicinal springs under its territory, supplying 70 million litres of warm and hot therapeutic water rich in minerals and other elements (Hungary Tour Info., hungary.com) We spent Sunday afternoon at the Gellert Bath House soaking in hot pools of water both inside and outside. It was a unique experience.
 |
| The Gellert Bath House |
 |
| Just chillin' |
After our afternoon spa, we stopped to wait in line for some "kurtoskalacs" or "chimney cake", another Hungarian street or fair food. The dough is wrapped on a skewer and baked in a rotisserie oven. When it comes out of the oven, it is coated with a sugary topping and served in a paper bag. Super yummy!!!!
 |
| I chose the "magic topping": sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, and nuts! |
Sunday Night
Jessica and Tim met Milan and Audri years ago in Slovakia. While Jessica and Tim were teaching there, Jessica sang in a Bluegrass Band with Milan. The band continues to perform in Budapest where Audri is from, and they just happened to be performing while we were there! It was kind of funny listening to live American music (sung in English) in a country so far away from USA. We found out, however, Bluegrass is fairly popular in Europe and the interest is growing. The band was very good.
 |
| A little Hungarian dancer, dancing to American Bluegrass music. Her daddy is in the band. |
 |
| The band called Jessica up on stage to sing a few numbers for old times' sake. |
After the concert, Jay and I stopped by another cafe for one more Hungarian meal. This time Jay had the goulash and I had stuffed cabbage rolls. Another excellent meal!
We flew back to Kiev on Monday morning. Snow flurries were in the air when we landed, but we were still filled with the warm feelings of hospitality and weather from Budapest, Hungary.
