I'll take at least two

Wandering the castle district/tourist haven. Of course I couldn't come to Budapest without visiting here. Lots of tourists, but so far I've not seen any from the US. My tiny caffiene addiction is screaming for it's fix. Hopefully, I am feeling it in time to squelch this headache early. The cokes here are super tiny. .2L I have to give Coke huge props for all the old style glass bottles. I guess I'm dating myself, but I have great nostalgic memories of Coke in hour glass shaped bottles that were really glass.

I'm sorely tempted to take pictures of the tourists taking pictures. Not sure why, but for some reason this strikes me as funny. (btw - as I type this it's not, so no need to chuckle or smile on that one. Save yourself for later.)

The Rain has finally stopped (note - in more than 12 weeks of travel in the last few years, this is the first time I've been rained on.) but it is very wet in the air. I can can even see a spot of blue in the sky. Perhaps the day is improving. I look at the most expensive umbrella I've ever owned and have to chuckle because I'm sure the cost is higher today simply because it's raining. Who would know, have you ever bought an umbrella on a sunny day? Didn't think so.


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I feel like I walk all the way to Timbuktu today. I know I didn't, but the walking I did was significant. My calves ached earlier and I suspect they will ache later. Small price to pay for the sites I saw today. It's hard to describe the scale of the castle district. Especially when seen from the river level when you just came down from the top. How builders managed to create the structures they did centuries ago in the locations they did? The size and speed of the Danube makes me wonder how it was ever bridged. Something to read about when I get home.

Design here varies from over designed elegant pieces to nearly hand drawn. Script and serif faces make up a good portion of the logos I've seen. I am surprised by the quality of design I see here. Much better than a lot of the design I've seen in Europe. I think Amsterdam tops the list, but I love some of what I see here. The san serif logos and layouts are bau haus influenced without being cheap copies of the movement.

Hungarian goulash soup... Where has this been all my life? OMG. Think of a beef stew without the heavy beef taste and thickness. Add the spicy paprika (fresh ground and moist) "Be careful," the waitress said. "A little goes a long way." I think I used about a tiny sugar spoonful. This isn't cayenne pepper, but my nose is on the verge of running. The delightful warmth and flavor of the spice in my mouth is spectacular. This is a spice I could easily over indulge in without thinking.