Arrival in Budapest. The city is absolutely gorgeous! The architecture is profoundly beautiful: almost every building has a sculpture of some sort (even the banks!) with intricate details. The people are also beautiful, though I can't quite understand the fashion of the younger generations. I was greeted with perfect 18-20 C weather, clear skies, and a nice breeze every now and then. The language sounds very difficult, and I've heard that it is one of the hardest European languages to learn. I first thought it sounded like a mix between Russian, German, and French, though after a week of being there, it sounded nothing like what my first impression told me.
After checking in at the Danubius Hotel Gellert, I fell asleep for about an hour, and then woke up. While my body wanted to sleep more, I told myself that it was best not to. So I got up and decided to go out and see some of the city.
I inquired at the front desk, and found out that the walk to the city was only about 15 minutes; off on foot I went. I took some pictures, though not very good ones. Here are some of the better ones.
I was most amazed at the "Cave Church." The outside resembled more of a prison, and inside it really was literally a church inside of a cave. Mount St. Gellert is its official name, established in the mid-thirteenth century on top of a hill overlooking Buda. I was fascinated by the breathtaking beauty and majesty of the mountain. Such a stark contrast between the spirituality of the church and the modernity of the city.
Walking over the green bridge (Liberty Bridge), I quickly entered the "international district" of downtown, more of a tourist attraction, which looked very European, and was bit like what I imagined Paris to be, with narrow, cobblestone streets, and tall, blacks street lamps. There were many souvenir shops, as well as cafes and restaurants advertising a "tourist menu", mostly featuring chicken goulash (which I can't eat anyways) and beer (mostly Czech).
I sat down at a little restaurant called Zodiak, and ordered something light: the best camembert salad with cucumber, tomatoes, toasted walnuts, and olive oil, served with toast, and a cappuccino in a dainty, porcelain cup from Italy.
It hit 17:00, and I began walking back across Liberty Bridge, trying hard not to look down and the fast flowing river with huge waves that seemed to be opening up in swirls beneath me, and trying not to notice how the floorboards were creaking under the soles of my Diesel tennis shoes (the bridge was closed to automobile traffic due to construction, but open to foot traffic). I took a few more pictures of the Hotel, and retreated to my room to take a shower. Feeling clean and refreshed, I gathered my presentation materials for further preparation and editing, and went down to the hotel's cafe. I ordered a cappuccino (which was really a latte, because it had more milk than foam) and a Gellert roll with dark chocolate, macadamia nuts, creme, and cherries. There was a musician playing away various selections of music on the piano. Halfway into my readings, I became the only one in the cafe, and notieced that the pianist was playing Broadway pieces, including Phantom of the Opera, and one from My Fair Lady.
I never knew how carefree and relaxing travelling alone would be. My cell phone was turned off, and I did not bring my laptop. In a sense, I was cut off from the world, but not quite "cut off" as I was surrounding by other Europeans. Solitude is indeed a zen moment.
The hotel I was staying at is apparently well known for its springs and spas, and before the Intercontinental Hotel was built, Gellert was *the* hotel to be if you travel to Budapest. I did not go to the baths, so have no pictures, and these are from the website of our conference.
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