Budapest - Part 1
Sorry for the dramatic pause after that last post. The whole trip was in fact a lot of fun, both before and after a vampire stole my camera. This last week was the beginning of real classes for me, and that combined with the daunting prospect of having to write about ten full days of travel kept me from the blog. I'll do my best in the coming days to update you as much as possible.
Since I have no pictures of my own, I'm going to be supplementing this with photos taken by friends I met on the trip, as well as with pictures stolen from Flickr and Google Image Search.
So let's start with Budapest!
On Saturday the 16th of September, I took the 3-hour train ride to Budapest. I spent about 5 minutes staring blankly at an ATM at the train station, completely clueless as to what the exchange rate was in Hungary and unsure how much to get out. Then I semi-successfully bought a ticket from a trolley-driver who spoke only Hungarian and found my way to my hostel.
As soon as I arrived, I met the first of the many obnoxious Australians that I would meet this week. He looked kind of like a skater-dude and would only talk about how crazy the night life was and how he didn't get back until 5 that morning. I asked him where a good place to eat was, and he paused and stammered for a second...and then heard somebody else say something and used that as an excuse to get away from me.
I headed out to the Museum of Applied Arts, which is really better known for its architecture than its exhibits. And, well, it is pretty cool looking.
Next it was off to the Hungarian National Museum where I learned all about the Hungarian nation.
It wasn't really snowing in September, but
I thought this picture looked real pretty.
In the museum lobby, I happened to find a brochure for the Budapest Jazz Festival that was going on that night. I sat on the steps figuring out my plan for the rest of the night, while the first of many young couples in Budapest made out on the steps in front of me.
The Jazz Fest was really nice. They had set up a stage with rows of chairs alongside the banks of the Danube. It kept raining on and off, so we had to keep on running to the bars on the side for cover. The first act was an okay band led by a British trumpeter and a Hungarian-Gypsy (Roma) pianist. The next group was a trio led by this young, black American woman who played bass while scatting. She was pretty good, but her encore confirmed what I suspected: she was only this far from being Norah Jones.
Approximation of my view of the Danube from the Budapest Jazz Festival
Starving, on the way back to my hostel I stopped by a 24-hour Burger King. It was a strange American-themed restaurant. All the pictures on the wall were of Arizona deserts, football players, and electric guitars.
Today's musical selections come from three amazing new albums that contributed to me breaching the strict 5GB bandwidth limit at my dorm, causing my internet to be shut off for the end of September.
Since I have no pictures of my own, I'm going to be supplementing this with photos taken by friends I met on the trip, as well as with pictures stolen from Flickr and Google Image Search.
So let's start with Budapest!
On Saturday the 16th of September, I took the 3-hour train ride to Budapest. I spent about 5 minutes staring blankly at an ATM at the train station, completely clueless as to what the exchange rate was in Hungary and unsure how much to get out. Then I semi-successfully bought a ticket from a trolley-driver who spoke only Hungarian and found my way to my hostel.
As soon as I arrived, I met the first of the many obnoxious Australians that I would meet this week. He looked kind of like a skater-dude and would only talk about how crazy the night life was and how he didn't get back until 5 that morning. I asked him where a good place to eat was, and he paused and stammered for a second...and then heard somebody else say something and used that as an excuse to get away from me.
I headed out to the Museum of Applied Arts, which is really better known for its architecture than its exhibits. And, well, it is pretty cool looking.
  |   |
Next it was off to the Hungarian National Museum where I learned all about the Hungarian nation.
It wasn't really snowing in September, but
I thought this picture looked real pretty.
In the museum lobby, I happened to find a brochure for the Budapest Jazz Festival that was going on that night. I sat on the steps figuring out my plan for the rest of the night, while the first of many young couples in Budapest made out on the steps in front of me.
The Jazz Fest was really nice. They had set up a stage with rows of chairs alongside the banks of the Danube. It kept raining on and off, so we had to keep on running to the bars on the side for cover. The first act was an okay band led by a British trumpeter and a Hungarian-Gypsy (Roma) pianist. The next group was a trio led by this young, black American woman who played bass while scatting. She was pretty good, but her encore confirmed what I suspected: she was only this far from being Norah Jones.
Approximation of my view of the Danube from the Budapest Jazz Festival
Starving, on the way back to my hostel I stopped by a 24-hour Burger King. It was a strange American-themed restaurant. All the pictures on the wall were of Arizona deserts, football players, and electric guitars.
Today's musical selections come from three amazing new albums that contributed to me breaching the strict 5GB bandwidth limit at my dorm, causing my internet to be shut off for the end of September.
Die Wiener Kompilation
- Bob Dylan - Workingman's Blues 2
from Modern Times (2006) - Yo La Tengo - Beanbag Chair
from I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass (2006) - Joanna Newsom - Cosmia
from Ys (2006)
posted by Evan C. at 10:21 AM
1 Comments:
It's funny that you should be in Vienna- I just re-watched Amadeus tonight. How's Austria treating you? Am I the first to casually allude to the von Trapp family? We should definitely hang out when you come to New York. Coney Island sounds awesome. Take care!
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