Yes I’ve slithered back to dusty Dakar, but in my rose-colored blogging world I’m still lingering in Budapest with a hot mug of forralt bor (mulled wine) in my hand. And it is good.
Here’s the view from the Citadel. We decided to make an upwards detour on the way to our afternoon soak in a thermal bath. Did I mention that the warm up to this climb was a 10 mile morning run along the river behind me? After all of this carpe dieming we were ready to taste our way through some more of the city’s offerings.
There might be only one thing I love more than Communism while in Budapest, and it is this:
The cauldrons of steaming wine that never seem to be far from reach!
How did we Africa scholars decide to come to Budapest in the first place? After all, it is decidely not regional for either of us- but Christina and I wanted to visit a country that would provide holiday cheer outside the realm of slaughtering a gazillion sheep. Luckily for us, Budapest’s Christmas Markets were just opening for the season, and we would not be disappointed in our choice.
And it’s cold outside! There are Christmas lights! A festive atmosphere!
It’s beginning to not look a lot like Tabaski…
Your hot wine goes great with ham hocks (and in typing that sentence it just dawned on me that we really weren’t in a Muslim society)
You don’t drink alcohol or consume pig products? No problem at the Christmas Market- there are alternatives.
Forget the stew. This is what drives all young children to good behavior. It’s dough cooked over open coals that is then rolled in sugar and cocoa…and other stuff. This was amazing- I don’t remember what it is called in Hungarian, but honestly, you can just call it hot doughy goodness. Mmmm….hot doughy goodness…
So fortuitously, right next to the Christmas Market is Gerbaud, a mainstay of café excellence since the 1800s. Of course we had to stop in…
Taking a page from our fellow Africa Olmsted Scholar, we went for the ice cream and coffee. Yes this makes perfect sense.
While enjoying our coffee pause, we lingered for awhile to Skype and brush up on some of our academic pursuits. Yes, I actually brought this book with me to Budapest, and I did read all about The Clash of Civilizations.
Truth be told, this book also does a fair job at holding my attention because I have a bunch of “bookmarks” that are far more conducive to my short-attention span.
So lest I bookend this three part story with confections and booze, I am going to balance the order out with a few last-minute tributes to Hungary’s history that we squeezed in on our departure day.
On the left is the U.S. Embassy in downtown Budapest. Just in front of the building is this Soviet War Memorial that was never removed. John the Budapest scholar said that this is the only U.S. Embassy in the world that is allowed to be photographed, just because so many people love to capture this juxtaposition.
Last stop on the line for us was Heroes’ Square. It is located on a street that is a UNESCO World Heritage site and depicts leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary.
I also wanted to throw this shot into my entry. This flag (located next to Parliament) dates from the anti-Soviet uprising in 1956. Hungarians cut out the Stalinist emblem and used the resulting tricolor with a hole in the middle as their symbol of revolution. Pretty badass if you ask me, even if the uprising didn’t go so well.
Hmm…I don’t have any more pictures that I would like to post, but this seems like an inappropriate way to end our excellent adventure in Budapest. Let’s find something a little less somber, something a little more upbeat…
I know! Back to the Christmas Market:
Good times had by all.
Thanks to the Blocher family, and thanks to Christina with an “A” and much thanks again to General Olmsted. During this week of all, I am thankful to have so many incredible opportunities.