Hungry in Hungary
Trying to recall the travel days in my life is like rewinding a cassette in the 1980’s with a lead pencil. They all roll into one screwed up mess that I can’t seem to straighten out. But here we go with one of my days in beautiful historic Budapest, 2021.
Today I went to the Danube and as expected it was blue, lol, but seriously, it didn’t disappoint. I was with Keeley and we stopped at a small very European beer café and soaked in the remarkable scenery. We also stopped and had some strange exotic pastry with sugar on it that was filled with pistachio cream, I’d never tasted one before, it’s called a Budapest Roll (obviously loads of thought was put into the name). It was magical and organismic, you must try one. But only in Budapest, otherwise it might be called a Sydney Pastry or something even less exotic.
I told the lady I wanted to take it back to Australia, she told me they have them in New Zealand already, FYI Australia is not New Zealand even though we are both at the end of the earth. I mean it is a 4 hour flight to NZ from Melbourne and if I say you’re French you guys all lose your mind and I can basically walk to France from here. #travelmorepeople.
Sitting in this small bar called Staropramen in Budapest city centre with 8 staff and only me and keeley as customers I wonder how these places survive. They’re all so drunk and super happy while working, but not sure what the service will be like in 4 hours. I don’t know if they realise we’re sitting here actually.
This is so different from the aussie way of working, so many rules and drinking while working isn’t acceptable in any way shape or form. The drink of choice here in Budapest is pálenka it’s a local traditional distilled drink that’s incredibly powerful @ 40- 50% proof, like a lethal fruit brandy. The name derives from the Slavic verb *paliti ‘to burn and it really does. Both when you drink it and the next day. It comes in a multitude of flavours such beetroot, apple, cherry and pear. I don’t recommend you try them all if you want to see home again in the next 24 hours.
Why am I drinking polenka at noon you ask? Well….
The day didn’t start so well, the beds in the hostel cum church are what can I say ‘just shit’. The sheets are according to Keeley a table cloth that screws up into a ball in the middle of the night as you turn as they aren’t big enough to reach the sides of the bed, and the pillows are reminiscent of the stones they made the pyramids of Giza out of. The real question is how did we end up sleeping in a church? The answer is money, or lack of it. If someone said one day I would be stuck in Budapest with about $250 to my name, no credit card (that’s another story) no return flight to my country of origin and no accommodation I would say I was pretty stuffed actually. But I do love a challenge and this is what I had.
The church had been turned into a hostel called Dominik Panzio located at Chazar A.u.3, Budapest and for the budget rate of $40 for both of us it was a bargain in what I consider one of the coolest and most interesting cities I have had the pleasure of being completely broke in. But then miracles do happen…and this is one of those tales where you meet someone traveling and make friends that last forever.
Next stop Kaposhamok.
