Budapest, Hungary

I love to travel. Since becoming single in 2015 I travel most often alone because I know that even those we love the most may not make great travel companions. However, my girlfriend Lina taught me they can. She flew from Minnesota to the Netherlands and the two of us navigated Budapest, Hungary together. It was a wonderful trip with a good friend in a beautiful city. 

She stayed with me in my new (under renovation) home for one night and then we made our way to Amsterdam for an evening where we went on a canal tour and had a great dinner. 

We flew to Budapest, ate some goulash, and walked along the Danube river. Wow! I have traveled a bit and yet Budapest tops my list of most beautiful cities at night. 

The next day started with a walking tour where we learned about the Hungarian history which is filled with nomads finding a home, being invaded and occupied several times, fighting in wars, and finally finding freedom. 

We made our way to their famous central market where we shopped and ate. The food reminded me of some foods I had growing up; goulash, stuffed cabbage, and nut/date filled desserts. We also discovered Palinka, a super strong alcohol.

We walked the city where I could not stop taking photos of the beautiful architecture. I could not resist the cookies at Cookie Beacon, yikes they were good. We went to the top of St. Stephens for a fabulous view. 

I wanted to see the Parliament at night so while navigating there we stopped at the “Shoes on the Danube River”, a memorial to honour the Jews that had their shoes removed and were thrown into the freezing Danube river to die during World War II. The history is not easy to hear in Budapest, but important as history often repeats itself if not understood.

We ended the night having drinks on a rooftop, Liz & Chain. 

The next day we started with soaks and massages at the Széchenyi Baths. Under Budapest is a large reservoir of thermal baths. 

Budapest, pronounced Buda-pesh, has two sides. The Buda, and Pest. We stayed on the Pest side which is more active. On Saturday we went to the Buda side where we joined a tour of the castle area which is very large and being reconstructed following the WWII destruction. The architecture is just stunning. We also got a chimney cake, a sweet for Hungarians.

That night we went on a river cruise so we could see the lights from the river. I took way too many photos. 

The next morning Lina made her way to the train station where she traveled to Vienna. I stopped at “The Hospital In the Rock”, a museum where you walked through an underground hospital that was built using natural caves during WWII. The museum’s goal was to show it is possible to choose good during times of war and dictatorship. I hope everyone in the United States heeds this as they vote in the November election. 

I mailed my postcards, made my way to the airport, and flew back home, to Den Haag, Netherlands. I purchased a home in July and have been so consumed in a home renovation that I failed to post about my one-year anniversary living in Europe. Hopefully, I will do that soon. But I will say, I just love it here. I love how it makes it possible to travel so easily to such beautiful destinations, make new friends, and learn about this vast and wonderful world. 

I hope you are getting out and experiencing something new today. 

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Dublin, Ireland

Anna and I went on our last adventure for the summer to Dublin, Ireland. The trip started out crazy when we arrived at Schiphol to find the computers were down due to a Microsoft/CrowdStrike issue. Anna had to get a handwritten ticket. Handwritten. 

We landed and went on a walking tour, my favorite way to start in a city. Following the tour we got fish and chips. Yum. 

The Liffey, which runs through Dublin and where rumor says Guinness is made from but not true.  

The famous Temple Bar

The Love Wall which was created to stop “the locks” on bridges and gets repainted weekly. 

Anna is taking classes over the summer so I napped while she did some homework and then we went out for some drinks. Dublin is a city for drinking no doubt. 

The famous Temple Bar where Anna sang her heart out!

Day two we slept in. Late. And then took a train to Malahide to see the castle. It is a quiet little town with a harbor but we enjoyed the day. That night Anna finished all her assignments and completed a very challenging summer semester. 

Sunday we took a bus to the Howth summit and walk down to the city, along the sea. It was a beautiful view. We had seafood for lunch and ice cream for dessert. 

Monday we visited the Guinness store. I got very few photos but it was a cool tour. 

Everyone told me Dublin is “just for drinking” but we found plenty to do. We stayed at the Abbey Court Hostel which was a great location. Flights can be pretty cheap from Amsterdam. I will be back. 

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