Modern Vespa

Well I had a great time in Budapest. Was a bit lonely being all by myself. I typically left work around 5 or 6 and would walk around the city for awhile. Most of my photos did not come out too well because of the cheap camera I took to Budapest. (I didn't want to lug around my expensive camera).

The food was great. I kind of got sick of pickled stuff about my third day and ventured away from the traditional Hungarian meals.

The taxi drivers about gave me a heart attack. They would pull some crazy stunts like driving in oncoming traffic etc... I found one cab company was worse than another.

I loved the subway and used that to get around while I was there.

Heroes Square:



Could this be a Texan Statue? It has antlers attached after all.

One of the oldest subways in the world (Used to be horse drawn)


Is this a campaign idea?


Old factory outside the office I worked in.


Fake castle built for a worlds fair that was modeled after a Romanian Castle (Think Dracula)

This is one of the Hungarian baths. I did not go inside but it was huge. There are big pools inside some are hot from natural hot springs.


Budapest used to be two cities, Buda and Pest, that were separated by the Danube river. Later they were combined into one city now called Budapest.


Here are some shots of the chain bridge which was the first bridge built across the Danube.



The building on the end of the chain bridge was a palace which is now a Four Seasons hotel.

There was a small village that was very old which contained the royal palace and the Matthias church. I took a tram to the top:


Tunnel going under village:


Here is a view of the royal palace from the other side of the river.


Here is the other side of it. (Sorry it is out of focus)


A couple pictures of the buildings in the village



The Matthias church from the back. The main spire and front of the church was covered in scaffolding so I was unable to see the architecture.


That ends my little tour.

Jo Nappot...
Where is your scoot?

haha I was asked by several people if I would rent a scoot while in Budapest. First I haven't been riding that long maybe a month now so in a foreign place I would be crazy to try to ride there. After almost having a heart attack on several occasions in a taxi I probably would not ride a scooter there.

I was surprised but there were probably less motorcycles on the road in Budapest than here in Austin Texas. It definitely is not like Italy or other parts of Europe.

My scooter was in getting its first service while I was out of town so I wouldn't have to be without it.

Cool photos! I recognize many of the sites.

I'm surprised this hasn't been seized on in some Republican dirty trick ad yet. "Apricot Bomb" ?? Sounds like Terrorist / Ayers talk to me.

What a great tour!! Please share more.
Just reading, 10 Years on 2 Wheels, and the author wasn't to enthralled with Turkish drivers either! (Anyone else read it? Good stuff!)
MORE!

Thanks for sharing your pictures. Looks like a great place to visit, and I hope to go there someday.

I just had to take that picture when I saw that in the lobby of my hotel.

Sorry but I don't have many more photos. I took around 100 photos when I wasn't working (mainly after dark) and the little cheap camera I took couldn't cut it most of the time. I don't know much about the areas because I was alone on my trip most of the time.

This was my first time to Europe so I didn't know what things were Budapest specific or were more European specific.

The taxi rides were insane. My manager said he never got sick in a car until his trip to the airport. All but one of my taxi drivers couldn't understand a word I was saying. I had a piece of paper in my laptop case with the address of the office on one side and on the other the address of my hotel. I still managed to get by and none of the drivers took me for a 'ride' so I did pretty well.

Americans are pretty rare there still. They see a lot of western Europeans come in on the weekends to party. I didn't talk much because I was all alone but when I would they would look at me funny for a while and then ask where my accent was from.

One couple on the subway asked me "Where are you from because your English is very good." I got by pretty good not speaking Hungarian. All the main restaurants spoke English and so did the hotel staff. Taxi drivers and people who worked in grocery stores and small shops didn't. I learned to express myself using signs to get across what I wanted.

I also missed having ice in my drinks. You had to ask for it and when you did you would get like 2 ice cubes in a 20 ounce drink. One time I went to McDonalds to get a large drink while I was walking around the city and asked for "a lot" of ice and they probably put 10 small cubes in the bottom and asked me if it was sufficient and I told them to fill it up 3/4 full and they looked at me like I was crazy.

The funniest thing about the McDonald's/BK's is it was a trendy hang out in Budapest. Similar feel to Starbucks in the US.

It was a very beautiful city. The really interesting thing about it was it seemed more genuine to me than other cities. It is pretty worn and isn't all perfectly remodeled. You can definitely tell this city has had some tough times. My boss said it looked like a worn down Paris.

I someday would like to take my wife on a Europe vacation where we hit all the big cities with a couple days in each one. I would say that this city will definitely be on that list of cities to see. It is a very romantic city and you see lots of couples spending time with each other. I felt out of place being by myself at times.

I figure I'll probably go back for work every now and then so the more I get to know the better it will get.

Thank you for posting those memories. You are fortunate to have had such a great opportunity to meet a foreign culture on a business assignment.

Foreign culture, indeed. You may recall that every beverage, including water, is charged for, and there are no refills. That, and another fact, are the reason why Europeans, in general, like less ice in their drink--to get more drink.

The other reason is that ice kills flavor. Granted, some beverages just taste better cold (mostly the unhealthy, sugary sodas), and with most American beers, it doesn't matter anyway, there's no flavor to kill
Try a Czech Pilsener, ice cold vs. chilled to the right (higher) temperature. Big difference!

That makes sense about the ice. I just really like my drinks cold even if they loose their flavor. I appreciate the opportunity of being able to go to a place like Budapest for work. Not only do I get to see something I probably would never have seen but I don't have to pay for much besides souvenirs.

Of course, you are American

Hey hey! I lived there, right next to the Corvin Cinema! My fiance is from Budapest as well.

I know the city better than most native Hungarians. I speak and read the language as well.

Thanks for the pics.

Great pictures! Thanks. Budapest has a long history going back to Roman outpost days. I hope you enjoyed soaking in it. I know I'd love to (except for the being away from the family part).

haha when I was in a place to get dessert I asked if they had ice and the woman in front of me laughed and said "Typical American"

I wouldn't have minded in my younger days living in a place like Budapest. Maybe some day I will.

The interesting thing is the business park that I was working at was built a couple years ago and there are all these remains of Roman civilization laying around the site. It was pretty interesting.