Jackie Chan
My train ride from Slovacia to Budapest looked to be as smooth as all the others ive taken so far. Midway through the trip being lulled to sleep by the clackety clack of the train as it slipped
through the cold night toward Budapest i was awakened by two Hungarian
boarder guards. My passport it seemed was in disorder. Ten minute. he
told me and returned as promised to ask me in travel sign language to
collect my belongings and accompany him to one of the 6 person
compartments in another car. There they informed me in almost noEnglish that the boarder police in Slovakia never stamped my passport making me look pretty suspicious. They then went though all the items in my bag putting everything on the seats until the compartment looked like a yardsale. They were pretty stern and I wasnt sure what to make of them or what my fate on the train would be. Thats when the quiet one found my kitchen knife. He took it out of the tea towel I had it wrapped in and said..ohhh. You American? You like Jackie Chan? then he started waving it around like some kinda crazed orchestra conductor. Jackie
Chan Jackie Chan he said. I smiled he laughed and i got to pack my gear
up while he phoned in my passport number to HQ. After telling me all
the curse words he knew in English he stamped my passport andasked me
if i knew how to get where i was going. He explained that the local
metro was closed down for the night. My nervousness about being sent
back toSlovakia faded but was replaced by the prospect of having to walk to my destination in a strange
city in the middle of the night. But when the train stopped and I got
off the two men escorted me to the cash machine for some local currency
and then to the bus stop with instructions on when to get off. The
kindness of strangers. big shout out to those guys and their foul
mouthed admiration of a martial arts film star.
This key board makes a speak and spell look like the Hal 9000.
The train station in Budapest is INCREDIBLE. I got out and looked up and
for a moment I thought I was out doors because the arching glass roof
was so high off the ground. All 8 or so trains fit side to side under
this one giant vault.No postscoming down in the middle, and swirling
stone work bordering all the doors and windows...really put a good mood
in me for what was to come. I later learned that it was designed by
Eiffel of the Tower and of the Statue of Liberty. He builds em big and
beautiful.
Normally when I arrive at a comfy bed late night its
right to sleep, but the guy working the desk at this Hostel was dead
set on going out to a night spot. He is from West Virginia and one of
hisPassions in life, it seems, is his love of night clubs. He recited a description
of length about which clubs were best on which nights and how Budapest
met his high standards for quality in the night life dept. I was pretty
charged from my run in with the guards so i and about 3o other guests
from my hostel and a sister hostel made our way into the empty streets
of Budapest at 2AM looking for this club called West Balkan. It was
like a school field trip of people speaking in five languages walking
toward a museum. The place was really cool. It was built into some
kinda industrial space with corrugated plastic for walls where there
were openings in the facade. The lights from insideprisiming through the plastic made it look like some kinda techno Mad Max oasis. After a few drinks I felt not only more settled
but turned inside out and upside down at once. A few hours earlier I
was in another country at an Opera and now I was working my way through
heaps of total strangers to the fight soundtrack form the Matrix. It
put me into such a good mood to see all these young freaky kids
together with this music booming, all this youthful energy well and
good in a town that has stood for over a thousand years.
Next morning back at the hostel waking up to a cutie that works here asking me if i would like a cappuccino. Ahh . I have arrived in Budapest. This hostel, by the way, would shame any
one in NYC that claims to have a nice apt. It occupies the top floor of
an old 5 story town house by the Danube and is in my opinion one of the
sexiest Apts Ive ever seen. Any of my NY peeps with a small apt fettish will really appreciate this. You enter by climbing a staircase flooded by
light from above. There are marble steps with an incredible cast iron
railing that winds its way up all four walls up to the top floor. There's four different
rooms, some with bunk beds some private rooms.The bathrooms are all beautiful 16 foot ceilings with white tile and modern hardware. The common room is where every one uses the Internet or has been watching the BBC on the TV. Lots of space and a cool black lacquer bar that has has the cooking appliances and coffee machine built into it. Its the Hilton for the Poverty Jet Set! All this plus free Internet, travel into, laundry, and breakfast for about 18 dollars a night. I would be happy to stay here for weeks if i didn't have to be on my way to Italy next month.
Theres a market next to my hostel that, again, left my jaw hanging open when I
walked in there. Its in a vast building like an airplane hanger with
beautiful ironframe work and terraces occupied by food vendors and every kind of souvenir shop under the sun. There are stairways spilling down to the main floor all through the place. There
are stalls with every kind of vegetable for sale, meats and sausages,
paprika, pastries, local wine and cheese shops, prepared foods of every
kind. The veg and meet stands were crowded in by old women in Babushkas
and beat up shopping carts. I stood for 15 minutes watching them make
the strudels which are available in 15 varieties and kept warm on
heated iron griddles. Ive never seen a real strudel being made.They take a piece of dough
and stretch it paper thin over a table cloth that drapes over a 6foot
work bench. they fill up with a row of whatever fruit or cheese and a
good hand full of sugar and then grab the table cloth to roll up the
delicate dough onto itself. The pastry isincredibly flaky and delicious. I had the pumpkin poppy seed and the apple. I cant wait to go back there today.
The food here so far has been incredible and is probably one of the most
slept on cuisines in the world. Back at the market I had this beautiful
stuffed cabbage with rice and sour cream, paprika allthrough it. I ate a plate of sauerkraut
cooked with pork and this pork stew, again, full of paprika. All that
food and a beer for 5 dollars. I was so full when I left there I could
only eat one more strudel on my way to see some sights. Gorgeous food
here. Get to a Hungarian Restaurant as soon as possible!
That was a long one. But this town is worth the time. I dint want to leave and I'm sure Ill be back. Tonight I'm off to these Turkish baths that are situated in the city park. The City it happens is built over natural mineral hot springs and when the Turks took over 5oo
years ago they built themselves some amazing bath houses. From what I
understand its like entering a mansion and instead of furniture in
every roomtheres a pool, some inside, some outside. Its a pretty
popular spot for most of the people of Budapest. But at the first sign
of any towel snapping...I'moutta there! More on the baths later.
goulash 1
signing out.
through the cold night toward Budapest i was awakened by two Hungarian
boarder guards. My passport it seemed was in disorder. Ten minute. he
told me and returned as promised to ask me in travel sign language to
collect my belongings and accompany him to one of the 6 person
compartments in another car. There they informed me in almost noEnglish that the boarder police in Slovakia never stamped my passport making me look pretty suspicious. They then went though all the items in my bag putting everything on the seats until the compartment looked like a yardsale. They were pretty stern and I wasnt sure what to make of them or what my fate on the train would be. Thats when the quiet one found my kitchen knife. He took it out of the tea towel I had it wrapped in and said..ohhh. You American? You like Jackie Chan? then he started waving it around like some kinda crazed orchestra conductor. Jackie
Chan Jackie Chan he said. I smiled he laughed and i got to pack my gear
up while he phoned in my passport number to HQ. After telling me all
the curse words he knew in English he stamped my passport andasked me
if i knew how to get where i was going. He explained that the local
metro was closed down for the night. My nervousness about being sent
back toSlovakia faded but was replaced by the prospect of having to walk to my destination in a strange
city in the middle of the night. But when the train stopped and I got
off the two men escorted me to the cash machine for some local currency
and then to the bus stop with instructions on when to get off. The
kindness of strangers. big shout out to those guys and their foul
mouthed admiration of a martial arts film star.
This key board makes a speak and spell look like the Hal 9000.
The train station in Budapest is INCREDIBLE. I got out and looked up and
for a moment I thought I was out doors because the arching glass roof
was so high off the ground. All 8 or so trains fit side to side under
this one giant vault.No postscoming down in the middle, and swirling
stone work bordering all the doors and windows...really put a good mood
in me for what was to come. I later learned that it was designed by
Eiffel of the Tower and of the Statue of Liberty. He builds em big and
beautiful.
Normally when I arrive at a comfy bed late night its
right to sleep, but the guy working the desk at this Hostel was dead
set on going out to a night spot. He is from West Virginia and one of
hisPassions in life, it seems, is his love of night clubs. He recited a description
of length about which clubs were best on which nights and how Budapest
met his high standards for quality in the night life dept. I was pretty
charged from my run in with the guards so i and about 3o other guests
from my hostel and a sister hostel made our way into the empty streets
of Budapest at 2AM looking for this club called West Balkan. It was
like a school field trip of people speaking in five languages walking
toward a museum. The place was really cool. It was built into some
kinda industrial space with corrugated plastic for walls where there
were openings in the facade. The lights from insideprisiming through the plastic made it look like some kinda techno Mad Max oasis. After a few drinks I felt not only more settled
but turned inside out and upside down at once. A few hours earlier I
was in another country at an Opera and now I was working my way through
heaps of total strangers to the fight soundtrack form the Matrix. It
put me into such a good mood to see all these young freaky kids
together with this music booming, all this youthful energy well and
good in a town that has stood for over a thousand years.
Next morning back at the hostel waking up to a cutie that works here asking me if i would like a cappuccino. Ahh . I have arrived in Budapest. This hostel, by the way, would shame any
one in NYC that claims to have a nice apt. It occupies the top floor of
an old 5 story town house by the Danube and is in my opinion one of the
sexiest Apts Ive ever seen. Any of my NY peeps with a small apt fettish will really appreciate this. You enter by climbing a staircase flooded by
light from above. There are marble steps with an incredible cast iron
railing that winds its way up all four walls up to the top floor. There's four different
rooms, some with bunk beds some private rooms.The bathrooms are all beautiful 16 foot ceilings with white tile and modern hardware. The common room is where every one uses the Internet or has been watching the BBC on the TV. Lots of space and a cool black lacquer bar that has has the cooking appliances and coffee machine built into it. Its the Hilton for the Poverty Jet Set! All this plus free Internet, travel into, laundry, and breakfast for about 18 dollars a night. I would be happy to stay here for weeks if i didn't have to be on my way to Italy next month.
Theres a market next to my hostel that, again, left my jaw hanging open when I
walked in there. Its in a vast building like an airplane hanger with
beautiful ironframe work and terraces occupied by food vendors and every kind of souvenir shop under the sun. There are stairways spilling down to the main floor all through the place. There
are stalls with every kind of vegetable for sale, meats and sausages,
paprika, pastries, local wine and cheese shops, prepared foods of every
kind. The veg and meet stands were crowded in by old women in Babushkas
and beat up shopping carts. I stood for 15 minutes watching them make
the strudels which are available in 15 varieties and kept warm on
heated iron griddles. Ive never seen a real strudel being made.They take a piece of dough
and stretch it paper thin over a table cloth that drapes over a 6foot
work bench. they fill up with a row of whatever fruit or cheese and a
good hand full of sugar and then grab the table cloth to roll up the
delicate dough onto itself. The pastry isincredibly flaky and delicious. I had the pumpkin poppy seed and the apple. I cant wait to go back there today.
The food here so far has been incredible and is probably one of the most
slept on cuisines in the world. Back at the market I had this beautiful
stuffed cabbage with rice and sour cream, paprika allthrough it. I ate a plate of sauerkraut
cooked with pork and this pork stew, again, full of paprika. All that
food and a beer for 5 dollars. I was so full when I left there I could
only eat one more strudel on my way to see some sights. Gorgeous food
here. Get to a Hungarian Restaurant as soon as possible!
That was a long one. But this town is worth the time. I dint want to leave and I'm sure Ill be back. Tonight I'm off to these Turkish baths that are situated in the city park. The City it happens is built over natural mineral hot springs and when the Turks took over 5oo
years ago they built themselves some amazing bath houses. From what I
understand its like entering a mansion and instead of furniture in
every roomtheres a pool, some inside, some outside. Its a pretty
popular spot for most of the people of Budapest. But at the first sign
of any towel snapping...I'moutta there! More on the baths later.
goulash 1
signing out.
posted by Vitamin D at
12:14 PM
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