I was so excited i could hardly stand it. Just a couple short hours away from arriving in Budapest and seeing Jare. Sat next to a lovely elderly Dutch woman named Analise and chatted with her one part of the way and dozed the other amidst a sea of grey, white, and bald heads. Most of the plane was occupied by a senior tour group. Landed, got my bags, and walked right outside, worrying along the way that I had somehow bypassed customs and the passport checkpoint. Either they didn't have one there, or I've just unwittingly pulled a fast one on Hungary and snuck (I checked and according to Mirriam Webster, the word 'snuck' is totally acceptable), myself right in. I waited outside for a little bit and before too long Jare and I spotted each other through the window of his bus as he goes slowly riding past. Seconds later we had one of those epic airport hugs; we're getting awfully good at those.
First impression of Budapest is that a lot of it reminds me so much of Slovenija. The exact same grocery stores we shopped at, the people rarely if ever smile back at you, the cobble stone walkways, the buildings are old, the apartment buildings and even elevators are so much the same, beautiful buildings and parks and churches it's amazing. There is some really cheap eat out food and some really nice places, a ton of places that have outdoor terrace seating, you'll see a ton of people sitting and eating and drinking outside, there are really posh shopping areas downtown and really great cheap thrift stores scattered all over town. There is a little bit of everything and a little something for everyone. Bakeries everywhere! yeah!!!! my fav and one of the several smells i first noticed here, the others being somewhat less pleasant and consisting of cigarette smoke (lots of people smoke here, lots), dog poo (bc they often poo on the sidewalks, most people pick it up, but not everyone), big hunks of meat being cooked on a spigot (schwarma kebab joints), and urine! (many members of the male species love peeing on the sides of buildings, I mean really love it)
Things I love right away include the tube system (metro) which is so wonderful and convenient, you would never have to have a car here )nor would you want one really, why drive when you can walk, bike, or ride transport everywhere?), people watching, and the architecture. They have really outstanding buildings with so much detail and intricate sculpting work and they have been investing a lot into restoring all of their buildings so they really look amazing and they are proud of their city's structures which is neat. The churches are beautiful, their sculptures and monuments are really incredible and there is a beautiful castle and amazing bridges over the danube and the parliament building is crazy, kind of similar to london's with its many spires and intricate work and it is really large and such a 'catch your eye and hold it' kind of a building. There is also this fantastic little island on the danube that you can reach by one of the bridges and it has this great track (like a red rubber track) all the way around its perimeter with a perfect 5k distance. really great bike lanes are everywhere in the city too. I love it here. It's a really amazing city.
Jare's orientation is going really well. he loves his classmates already, a lot of them sound really great, kind of fun quirky interesting bright people. His classmates are from all over, U.S., Hungary, Slovakia, Vietnam, China, Poland, Finland, India, Pakistan, Russia, France, Germany, Mexico, and a couple others. There are close to 20 different countries represented in his class, so neat! I met a couple of them this weekend, we went to a flea market together, which was the COOLEST! it had everything, old stuff new stuff, really amazing old stuff! we even found a silver bridge, not the kind arching over a body of water but the dental kind, heaped among a pile of jewelry and old keys.
I love our apartment. Jare did a fantastic job picking it out. 4th floor, balcony, spacious, high ceilings, furnished with everything from a bed to an immersion blender, both of which we feel are equally necessary. it's really perfect.
First impression of Budapest is that a lot of it reminds me so much of Slovenija. The exact same grocery stores we shopped at, the people rarely if ever smile back at you, the cobble stone walkways, the buildings are old, the apartment buildings and even elevators are so much the same, beautiful buildings and parks and churches it's amazing. There is some really cheap eat out food and some really nice places, a ton of places that have outdoor terrace seating, you'll see a ton of people sitting and eating and drinking outside, there are really posh shopping areas downtown and really great cheap thrift stores scattered all over town. There is a little bit of everything and a little something for everyone. Bakeries everywhere! yeah!!!! my fav and one of the several smells i first noticed here, the others being somewhat less pleasant and consisting of cigarette smoke (lots of people smoke here, lots), dog poo (bc they often poo on the sidewalks, most people pick it up, but not everyone), big hunks of meat being cooked on a spigot (schwarma kebab joints), and urine! (many members of the male species love peeing on the sides of buildings, I mean really love it)
Things I love right away include the tube system (metro) which is so wonderful and convenient, you would never have to have a car here )nor would you want one really, why drive when you can walk, bike, or ride transport everywhere?), people watching, and the architecture. They have really outstanding buildings with so much detail and intricate sculpting work and they have been investing a lot into restoring all of their buildings so they really look amazing and they are proud of their city's structures which is neat. The churches are beautiful, their sculptures and monuments are really incredible and there is a beautiful castle and amazing bridges over the danube and the parliament building is crazy, kind of similar to london's with its many spires and intricate work and it is really large and such a 'catch your eye and hold it' kind of a building. There is also this fantastic little island on the danube that you can reach by one of the bridges and it has this great track (like a red rubber track) all the way around its perimeter with a perfect 5k distance. really great bike lanes are everywhere in the city too. I love it here. It's a really amazing city.
Jare's orientation is going really well. he loves his classmates already, a lot of them sound really great, kind of fun quirky interesting bright people. His classmates are from all over, U.S., Hungary, Slovakia, Vietnam, China, Poland, Finland, India, Pakistan, Russia, France, Germany, Mexico, and a couple others. There are close to 20 different countries represented in his class, so neat! I met a couple of them this weekend, we went to a flea market together, which was the COOLEST! it had everything, old stuff new stuff, really amazing old stuff! we even found a silver bridge, not the kind arching over a body of water but the dental kind, heaped among a pile of jewelry and old keys.
I love our apartment. Jare did a fantastic job picking it out. 4th floor, balcony, spacious, high ceilings, furnished with everything from a bed to an immersion blender, both of which we feel are equally necessary. it's really perfect.
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