Hungry in Hungary Day 1

Hillary's dad asked her when we arrived in Prague, "So Hillary, why am I here?". I could only imagine what he was thinking when we arrived in Budapest (pronounced BudapesHt).  Although a fairly well known destination, it probably doesn't normally make it on the travel itinerary of many family vacations.  Many have compared it to Prague, and I do agree, they have their similarities.  They were both part of the Hapsburg rule.  They both have great architecture and food.  Their histories are very similar too, especially in the past century, being Nazi and Soviet occupied for the vast majority of those years.  Yes, the cities are very comparable, but they are also very different.  Prague seemed almost surreal with it's clean perfect gothic architecture dotted around the city while Budapest is admittedly a little less polished, a little more run down.

Yet, it does have it's jewels.  The parliament building is outstanding.  They say it is supposed to be built with the London parliament as inspiration.  To be honest, I like this building better.  It is beautiful.  The red domed roof and the white facade shining over the Danube is quite a sight to see.  And the perfect view is from across the river on Castle Hill up by St. Matthias Cathedral.  The cathedral is a view itself.  It has a colorful tiled roof that makes it look like a patterned carpet.  Up near the cathedral is the Fisherman's Bastion which some say is the inspiration for Disney's castle.  That is probably the fourth castle like structure I have heard this about.  From the bastion you can see St. Stephen's Basilica and the chain bridge.  Both are spectacular examples of architecture.

Well, we saw all of this on a free walking tour.  Yep, we love our free walking tours.  While this wasn't the most informative when compared to Sandeman's New Europe Tours, our guide was probably the most entertaining.  She was great, very excited about everything, especially the food and the drink.

And oh, the food.  Here the goulash is a soup and is so savory.  Ad I know that everyone thinks goulash when they think Hungary, if they think anything, but the paprikash is even better.  It is this creamy stew spiced with paprika, the country's favorite spice.  This dish is good.  I had it with a side of dumplings and cleaned the plate.  Besides this, langos is the dish to try.  It is fried dough covered in garlic, sour cream and cheese.  Yeah, Hungary is a pretty healthy place.  Add to this delicious pastries and a good selection of beers and wines and you will never want to leave, or go on a diet.