3 days, 3 Cities, 2 countries
Listening to: Vienna, Billy Joel
Method of Travel: Bus
Reading: Strangers in Budapest, Jessica Keener
Movie's Watched: The Sound of Music (obviously), The Proposal
Hungarian Phrase of the Week: Egészségére; Meaning "cheers"; pronounced "I guess she can drive"
This weekend Lizzie and I decided to embark on a marathon of travel to Eastern Europe. In total we spent 21 hours on a bus and slept maybe 8 hours altogether. We got a taste of the gems of the east, ate a lot, drank a little and had a great time.
Budapest
We arrived in Budapest at 8 in the morning, after our overnight bus ride, ready to explore. Budapest is a unique city with intricate details ingrained in their architecture, language, and food culture. The city is split into two sections the "Buda" side and the "pest" (pronounced pesht) side. Buda is a hilly wonder filled with baroque architecture and incredible views. The pest side is flat, and made for the typical city dweller. It is connected by a large bridge over the Danube river. I preferred the Buda side and its grandeur...as my father always says if it ain't baroque..don't fix it (I'm sorry).
Budapest has a long history of being liberated and then taken over by other empires, so it is no surprise that the country has an eclectic mix of food styles and a language that merges nearly all eastern european dialects. Among all the intricacies it is fitting that Budapest is known for its "ruin bars," which look like something out of a cartoon (video below). People of all walks of life gather in these dingy, eclectic and artsy bars to drink some Hungarian beer. My favorite part of the day was when we were looking out over the Hungarian parliament building, as the rain began to break, and seeing a double rainbow. Possibly an good omen for the trip.
We ended our sight seeing by heading to the Széchenyi Thermal Baths. Even on a cold day the water was warm and therapeutic. It had been a while since our northern bodies had seen the sun (or water for that matter.) Beautiful way to end the day, with a sunset over the water and 500 of our closest hungarian friends to join us.
Vienna
Our day in Vienna was rainy, cold, and a little exhausting. Even so, it would be hard to detract from the beauty of the white stone and detailed buildings. It's gorgeous white stone and cute ally ways makes it the perfect place to explore. It is one of the cleanest cities I have ever been to and touts fabulous shopping that could be an entire day in and of itself.
Like Budapest, Vienna is takes on an eclectic mix of cultures. Having been settled by the Roman empire, they are actually known for their wines--but only white. Their reds, however, our tour guide said they are only useful for staining clothes or throwing out. In addition to beverages, their cuisine is heavily inspired by many Eastern European countries. We were told it's not an authentic restaurant if there isn't a little something from each country in the surrounding area.
Wiener, schnitzchel is the Vienna take on the classic German Schnitzel dish. Though the cream of the crop, or Sahnehäubchen, is their sacher cake and apple strudel, so naturally we had to try both. We decided the best place to do that was Centrale Cafe. As noted on our tour, if come to Vienna and don't go to a coffee haus, then you have not been to Vienna at all. This could not be more true. Their simple take on a cappuccino, paired with a creamy chocolate cake that melts in your mouth is enough for me to stay for an extended period of time. The service is meant to be slow and you're meant to sit down and enjoy the vast architecture, the piano playing, and hopefully the company you're with.
The best part of our trip was our dinner at literal hole in the wall sushi restaurant in town. We were the only non-locals and the atmosphere was cool, underground, and a little mysterious. The place is known for creative cocktails and quirky twists. Funny that I went to land locked state and ordered sushi, but it was among the best sushi I have ever had. The pictures speak for themselves.
Salzburg
Finally, last but not least, we spent about 8 hours in Salzburg. This is the home to both the story and the filming of the Sound of Music and the home of Mozart. Salzburg is an unassuming city that reminded my dearly of any little ski town in Vermont, except it's charming cobblestone and glittering lights still gave it that European charm. It's surrounded by vast mountain ranges and deep valleys that open up to charming lakes. We tried both their famous pretzels as well as Frankfurts, and took to the hills for our tour.
You may recognize the Gazebo from the 16 going on 17 number in the Sound of Music, or the Church where Maria was wed to captain Von Trapp. It's also fun when any tour guide mentions home, which Stowe got quite a few shoutouts. After visiting the countryside, I can see why the Von Trapps settled in Vermont, because the similarities were incredible. Enough to even make this world traveler a little home sick.
That's all for now!
Ciao!
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