We Came, We Saw, We Sandwiched

Caving, The Backpackers Guesthouse, Hungary Bath Houses, Goulash, 5 days... Buda and Pest

Budapest was our longest stop in Europe so far and gave us a well deserved break from the constant packing and traveling. The hostel we stayed at, The Backpackers Guesthouse, couldn't have been a better place for us to say while in Hungary. `Welcome home` pretty much describes the feeling of this hostel. There is a huge backyard complete with hammocks and decks to read, chat, or sleep on. Although wearing sheets as pants or a toga seemed to be in style there, it only added to the unique feel of the place. At dinner time when everyone was Hungary (come'on you knew I was going to throw that in somewhere) the kitchen was packed as we all prepared our dinner together. I suppose it was just comforting to have a family feeling atmosphere after being on the road for over a month.

By far the highlight of our Budapest adventure was Caving. After we cave-suited up in sexy orange canvas jumpsuits and a helmet with a wimpy light (think Goonies) we entered the labyrinth style caves of Budapest. We went about 80 meters underground as human gophers, shimmy-ing through bite sized spaces in between rocks, going army-style head first under rocks, sliding down rocks, running up steep rocks, and navigating through the caves with the assistance of our very agile guide. I must say we dominated and conquered those rocks with style. Now the ultimate challenge of the cave was THE Sandwich (dun dun dun). Yes it is really what you are thinking - a much too tiny space between two rocks. The puzzle was something like "OK, now put your right arm through, twist your body to the left, now scrunch down and put your head through, twist back to the right and get your right leg through..." it was such a great challenge and experience. Epic.

We also went to a couple of bath houses in Budapest - Szechenzyn Baths and Luckas Baths. We weren't really sure what to expect, well besides the 60+ year old men wearing much too tight Speedos, but the baths were pretty cool. Szechenzyn was the best one once we realized there were outdoor pools in addition to the indoor ones. All the pools were all at different temperatures ranging from teeth chattering cold to burn your skin hot. There were pools with huge fountains, human whirlpools, jumping water droplets, bubbles, and even guys playing checkers in the pool. Fun for the whole family. I do however blame Luckas Baths for the awkward red bloodshot eye that kept me in glasses for the next four days. Don't worry, pink eye averted.

Additionally, our time in Budapest was filled with all the famous sites of the city: Mathias Church, Buda Royal Palace, St. Charles Bridge, the Opera House, and Hero's Square. We climbed the Citadell for an amazing view of the Pest side of the city, and while at the top of the Istvan Basilica we got a great view of the Buda side. We had a yummy traditional Hungarian dinner - fisherman's soup and two different kinds of goulash. Paprika is on everything giving all the food a slight orangey color, even the bread. Don't get me wrong, the food was awesome, just slightly orange.

Budapest was a wonderful stop as we made our way down Europe to Greece. Greece = Acropolis, Beach, Sun, Relaxing. About time.