The Swede Life: "If you come from Paris to Budapest, you think you are in Moscow, but if you go from Moscow to Budapest, you think you are in Paris."

So that promise I made about posting every week quickly fell through. Oh well, new year, new resolutions! Except that I have sneakily figured out a way to turn back "blog" time to December 3rd. While this may be confusing, it helps alleviate some of my guilt so tough luck to those who like timely and accurate posts!

Us with "Buda" behind us. This view reminds me a lot of Prague Castle.

Since the last post, we have spent a weekend in Budapest, Hungary, Phil has traveled to Bangalore, India, we've frequented the Stockholm Christmas Markets way too many times, and we also had a 3 week holiday respite in the U.S. But first things first, Budapest!

Budapest is a city that is split in two by the Danube. On the West side of the river are Buda and Obuda (or old buda) while Pest is on the East side. The sub-cities are supposed to have distinct personalities, but I didn't really notice too much of a difference. The Buda side might have been a little more upscale in terms of housing and restaurants but I found it less interesting than Pest, which was littered with small, eclectic bars and restaurants in what is known as the historical Jewish Quarter.

Outside view of the Dohány Street Synagogue. The second largest in the world. Unfortunately, it was closed while we were there.

Gravestones.

Pigeons resting.

Phil mid-shot. Catching him in this pose has become a sort of game for me.

New street names.

Cherry flavored desserts are a regional specialty in Hungary. I looked around tirelessly for cherry strudel, which according to my mother is the dessert in Budapest but settled, finally, for this sour cherry cake. Don't feel too bad for us, it was delicious!

Another view of Buda from the Széchenyi Chain Bridge.

View of Pest from the Buda side.

A statue near the Matthias Church.

The Matthias Church (Located on the Buda side, near the castle.) It is over seven hundred years old. Look at how vibrant the shingles are!

Another view of the Mattias Church.

Statue of the first king of Hungary, King Saint Stephen.

View of Parliament on the Pest side. The Parliament building was inspired by the Parliament building in London but apparently, the Hungarian Parliament building is slightly longer. Ha, take that!

The Fisherman's Bastion. This is how I imagine a castle to look, more like the Disney Castle.

The Grand Market Hall. A Rick Steve's secret for good, cheap Goulash or as it is pronounced in Hungarian, "Goo-Yash."

There is a tradition in Hungary, as in a lot of other European countries, where couples "lock up" their love via a locks with their initials and the date on it. In Budapest, after locking their love to this fence, couples walk to the Danube river and throw away the key. We didn't have a lock this time, but maybe during our future trip to Italy?

The Széchenyi Baths. This was an experience I'd been looking forward to all trip and I have to report that I was disappointed. I consider bathing to be a habit of mine so I guess I had pretty high standards. The water wasn't quite warm enough but I think the sulfur and other chemicals did help Phil's cough.