THANKSGIVING IN BUDAPESHT

BUDPAEST - November 2010

Ben came and met up with us in Budapest for the Thanksgiving holiday. My parents got their first experience riding Easyjet! Allison and I played a fake game, but kind of serious, where if you do something to benefit the group, you get to shower first. Examples include: leading the group in figuring out directions, booking a good hotel, driving in Paris rush hour traffic with no gas left, finding a tasty restaurant, etc. I somehow found this awesome place called Nova Apartments with a living room, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, 3 bedrooms, decked out in IKEA furniture for only 144 euro for 3 nights, so I got to shower first!

Despite the 70's curtains, Nova apartments were awesome.

Also in a great location close to all the sights of Budapest!

Budapest was absolutely breathtaking! Compared to western Europe, it was so affordable because it was not on the Euro yet. We did a Free Walking Tour, where the guides were so knowledgeable about the city and history--definitely worth it and you just tip them at the end :) We got beautiful views of the city and got oriented. We also visited lot of the old Jewish historical sights...the 2nd largest synagogue in the world is here (the first being the one in NYC). Fun fact: Budapest is actually split in half by the Danube River, one side being "Buda" and the other, "Pest."

View of Pest from the Buda side.

Fisherman's Bastillon

St. Stephen's Basilica

We also came at a great time where they had just set up the annual Christmas Market! This was our first of many Christmas markets and I absolutely fell in love...so much better than washed out Santas at the mall! Vendors sell any and all types of meat, goulash, and other Hungarian foods including this really delicious hollow cylinder dessert served right from the grill covered in sugar and cinnamon.

This was also our first introduction to Hot Wine, which Lily and Spencer thoroughly enjoyed.

Hungarians freaking love paprika.

On Thanksgiving day, we somehow found a restaurant that actually served Thanksgiving dinner, and I got my fix of green beans, mashed potatoes, and turkey! Yummy!

One of my favorite experiences in Budapest was the Szechenyi Baths! Taken from the Turks, these bath houses have so many therapeutic benefits, and you can even get your health insurance to pay for it here! If you've seen pictures of Hungarian Baths with men outside playing chess, it's at this bathhouse. We sat in a few indoor baths at first after getting through the labyrinth that is the dressing room and finally discovered the amazing OUTDOOR baths! The weather was freezing outside, but these hot baths were the perfect temperature, with the outside air to cool your face. We later also got some random Thai massages (which are surprisingly popular) because they were so inexpensive.

On our ride to the airport, we got to ride in style because the only taxi they had available was a limo taxi...people must have been disappointed at the airport when it was just an Asian family and a Jewish dude coming out of the limo and not Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt (since they were just in Budapest the week before).