In Transit
On the plane to Frankfurt, I sat next to a Serbian woman named Mira who fed me giant cherries from her home in Kansas. Mira and her husband have been living in Kansas for ~20yrs, but they honeymooned in Croatia (near Split) ~26yrs ago and she was very excited that I was going there. The interesting part of our "single-serving friendship" was that she referred to herself as Yugoslavian, rather than Serbian, because when she left the country it still was Yugoslavia--whereas today "Yugoslavian" is somewhat of a put down. Fascinating how times, perspectives and politic change.
Arrival and Exploration
Everyone has always asked me "Why Budapest?", but it's just someplace I've always wanted to come. I was writing poetry about the Danube 15yrs ago, so it seemed natural and expected (to me) that I'd wind up here one day. And...I was right. Budapest really is amazing. It's actually two cities (Buda and Pest) that have combined to form one and has everything you could possibly imagine (a city of ~2million people, plenty of greenery, and a river running through town), but with a lovely dash of Eastern flavor. My first thoughts upon arriving from the airport were that Budapest could easily be someplace in Oregon, or someplace in Indiana; it's that green.
I've decided to take my time and spend my week in Hungary only in Budapest so that I really get a taste of it, and don't run myself ragged. So far, I've had no need to make use of the subway, trams, or buses; my hostel is centrally located within a few miles of most everywhere, so I've just been walking. The weather has been questionable (i.e. periodically rainy and chilly), but it's been a welcome change from the heat wave in California...and I did live in Oregon once upon a time, so it really hasn't bothered me.
The Danube is, for me, spectacular. Yes, it's dirty and you certainly wouldn't want to touch it (i.e. no Waters of the World from here), but there's still something about it. The current is so strong that it actually has small waves crash off the bridge pylons. I've been able to cross three on the bridges on foot thus far (including a wknd where the Chain Bridge was completely closed to traffic for a pedestrian street fair). I've gotten to see fireworks over the Danube, rainbows over the Parliament, and all kinds of interesting things. (Yes, I'm taking pictures, but I don't plant to upload anything until I get back home and have the time.)I bought my train ticket to Transylvania (Sighisoara, to be specific). It leaves Friday night at 23:10, and I reserved a couchette so I could get a least a little rest; I just didn't want to spring for the addt'l cost of a sleeper car. Interestingly, the lady was nice and booked me a return ticket because it was cheaper than a one-way ticket. At least that's what she said ;) I still need to figure out how to read the ticket, but I've got a few days yet to work that out.. (Hungarian, a Finno-Ugric language, is difficult not only to speak but to read--and they do all kinds of things, like train tickets, by hand to a certain degree.) Now I just need to book a hostel for a couple nights...or maybe wait until I arrive, not sure.
There's been an interesting mix of cultures, too. I've heard a live cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge", and even hung out and listened to some Native American flute musicians playing in a park the other night while looking out at the Danube and Castle Hill all lit up and spectacular. It's small things like this that make me smile and know that I'm doing what I need to be doing.
Two noteworthy items: Hungarians love carbonated water. (I didn't get the tip about the pink-topped bottles being the more American spring water for a few days. Interesting.) Traffic in Budapest is insane. Lots of screeching brakes; being a pedestrian is sometimes dangerous.
It's funny that's it's been only a week since I left California, but all my worries back home seem soooo far away. That's a good thing.
Until the next time I'm able to sign on...
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