Budapest!

Cheapy Cheap!

I think Chelsea and I both agree that our time in Budapest was less about wandering around the city, discovering cool, exciting things to snap photos of and marvel over but about chilling out and preparing ourselves for our two weeks in India!

We thought we had a CouchSurfer lined up for the entire length of our stay but when we failed to connect the first day we were no longer sure. Lucky for us he lived in the same building as a cheap hostel, where we would bed down for the next two nights.

The first morning we woke up with a purpose, attain our Indian visas. Now, we had been putting this task off for the entire six months in Europe, praying that our research was right and we could apply for the visa at our port of exit to India. The processing takes three days and the embassy only excepts applications between the hours of 10am-12pm, Monday – Thursday. It was Wednesday and if we didn’t get there this day, we were screwed! Needless to say we woke up stressed to find the embassy and get it done.

Chain Bridge

Three quarters of the way through our cups of coffee and halfway out the door, our CouchSurfer, Gyuri comes wobbling in to our hostel. He is a good looking guy and well spoken so I guess I would say he has charisma! You could talk to him about anything from US monetary system to Scientology, and we did. BUT, not on this morning.

Once we had the Indian Visa situation taken care of (and realized there was no way for a Russian transit one) we felt like we could relax and take in Budapest. Our host Gyuri was a really interesting guy, probably one of the most unique individuals we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. He had heaps of advice about traveling in India and Southeast Asia and we swapped stories about touring Europe and America. Like I mentioned earlier, he is a guy that could talk about anything so conversation flowed super easy laying the groundwork for a quickly formed friendship.

Playmate party!

He taught us about the national sport of Hungary… sneaking in to places (or getting in for free). Of course Chels and I were all about the price of free but when it came to hopping fences to get into a mineral bath we took a pass. Riding the tram and bus without tickets, dodging the conductors was enough of a thrill for us and as much risk as we were willing to take. A highlight of our “sneaking in” experiences with Gyuri was when we somehow scored VIP to the Playboy Playmate of the Year Party at this uber cool night club. The place was packed with people, especially for the strip-tease show at the end.

Strip tease!

This girl apparently was a famous Hungarian porn star (The OTHER National sport of Hungary), and an amazing stripper, opening her own place, and teaching girls ha! She’s pretty old now in the face, but rocked a great bod….and put on a fabulous show!

The next day we finally caught up with Courtney, ready for this…Brad’s mom’s co-workers daughter! haha! It was cool to have a mutual soon-to-be-friend to meet up with in another country! We met at St.Stephens Basilica, which is MASSIVE and beautifully placed in a big square with lots to do and see around it….it’s the center of attention!

Gorgeous!

Underground!

After eating at a yummy Italian restaurant where it was soooo nice to have a delicious Caesar Salad…. Courtney and her friend took us to this “underground pub” called Szimpla. This place reminded us of the festival put on by the squatting community in Amsterdam… lots of Art and what might be considered junk…turned into something funky and fun. Apparently there are a few places like this in Budapest; they are called ROMKOCSMA or “ruin pubs” because the buildings had no use any longer. Anyway, we loved it..super cool AND they brewed their own beer!

The next few days Brad and I spent relaxing, wandering the city, picking up our visa (yay!), having a picnic in the park which Brad completely organized Gyuri also took us to the flea markets one morning which turned out to be great timing, because there was a massive marathon happening in the same area. I’ve never been to one, so it was cool to see the hundreds and hundreds of people preparing, and all the commotion and excitement going on!

Before we knew it, it was almost time to leave Budapest. But not before meeting Courtney’s Dad! It just so happened he was coming into town while we were there, so it was great to meet Jeanne’s coworker and get some juicy stories on her It all turned out to be good of course! He treated us to a meal and the conversation flowed. Thanks again Richard

Next stop: India!!