The original brainwave behind this trip was to pay tribute to my roots. As a kid, I loved contemplating my parent's painting of a Hungarian gypsy doing a jig on a table surrounded by devious trolls in the middle of an enchanted forest. Somewhere along the way, I picked up that my Granny was born a Hungarian Jew.
While the Jewish part still stands true, my aunt corrected me on the Hungarian lineage but a few weeks ago while in Prague. Seems Granny was of Bohemian descent, born and raised somewhere in Czech Republic. Who knew?
Whether my peeps or not, hitting the nation's capital deserved a celebration. I took it to Kéhli - one of the city's best restaurants - to reward myself for a good week's hiking. It was very much to their credit that they let me in as grossly underdressed as I was. Imagine showing up to one of NYC or London's top restaurants decked out in your best hiking finery with fresh Danube mud still encrusted in your boots. Luckily, visa cards are fluent in all languages. I dedicated my delicious gulyas meal - we have a new winner! - to Sue (R.I.P.), Karen (keep fighting grrrlfriend, u've just about got it licked) and of course Luc and Lynn (hang in there guys, I'm rooting for you).
Budapest lies in the centre of Hungary, divided by the mighty Danube and its 9 bridges. It's a large sprawling city that links historic and hilly Buda with bustling, commercial and very flat Pest. While some say Pest lies on the wrong side of the tracks, some of the city's finest architecture sits on the Pest side.
While the Jewish part still stands true, my aunt corrected me on the Hungarian lineage but a few weeks ago while in Prague. Seems Granny was of Bohemian descent, born and raised somewhere in Czech Republic. Who knew?
Whether my peeps or not, hitting the nation's capital deserved a celebration. I took it to Kéhli - one of the city's best restaurants - to reward myself for a good week's hiking. It was very much to their credit that they let me in as grossly underdressed as I was. Imagine showing up to one of NYC or London's top restaurants decked out in your best hiking finery with fresh Danube mud still encrusted in your boots. Luckily, visa cards are fluent in all languages. I dedicated my delicious gulyas meal - we have a new winner! - to Sue (R.I.P.), Karen (keep fighting grrrlfriend, u've just about got it licked) and of course Luc and Lynn (hang in there guys, I'm rooting for you).
Budapest lies in the centre of Hungary, divided by the mighty Danube and its 9 bridges. It's a large sprawling city that links historic and hilly Buda with bustling, commercial and very flat Pest. While some say Pest lies on the wrong side of the tracks, some of the city's finest architecture sits on the Pest side.
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