Day 5

Decided to skip the gym and go for a walk since the weather was so gorgeous. Clear sunny skies and pleasant weather ie. not sweating but soaking up the sun. Feeling adventurous I skipped the first bridge only to go onto the next. Found a building that looked vaguely familiar. It was the market which Mileva had told us about and which I had seen in the guide to Budapest. I ventured in only to be assaulted with a riot of color and a literal feast. Produce and meat spill out from every stall and you can see these old Hungarian women haggling with shop keepers as they buy something. I was reminded of our Ranade Road in Dadar except this place lacks that smell of Dadar market. the smell itself is a living being there. the putrid, fetid smell of humanity, rotting vegetables and sweat. It lends some character to the place and the jostling millions who shop there. this place was tame in comparison... almost a pale,cleaner version of what I am used to.The building itself is a historic thing and the ceilings are high and domed.Lots of meat everywhere, enough to make me feel slightly queasy, fruits and vegetables as well and loads of paprika. the vegetables which you get here are apples, pears, oranges, bananas and melon... of course you get grapes as well but I cant help but contrast that to the US where you are always assaulted by such a variety of fruits. I think choice is limited here, which brings me to my question " Is choice a good thing ?" If you don't have choices you make do with what you have and you would probably be happy with it.

Day 4

Went to this small Hungarian place for dinner, called Avacado. Apparently its called avacado because it has a seperate menu of dishes involving avacado. Romantic with candlelight and the ever omni present TV. Mahendra was distracted by it as usual. Amazing food, had a clear fish soup and couscous while Mahendra had a salad and tuna steak. The highlight was the waitress not understanding "Give us a few minutes" ... she said "Yes?" and stayed there. Apparently when it is time to give your order it is time.

Couscous (IPA /kʊskʊs/ - Berber Seksu - Arabic: كسكس^[1]) is a food of the Maghreb of Berber origin. Couscous consists of spherical granules which are made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour. The finished grains are about 1 mm or 1/26th inch in diameter (after cooking). Traditional couscous requires considerable preparation time and is usually steamed. In many places, a more processed quick-cook couscous is available and is particularly valued for its rapid preparation time.

The dish is the primary staple food throughout the Maghreb; in much of Algeria, eastern Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya it is simply known as ta`aam طعام, "food". It is also popular in the West African Sahel, in France, in western Sicily's Trapani province, and parts of the Middle East. It is also very popular among Jews of North African descent. It is eaten in many other parts of the world as well.

Couscous is traditionally served under a meat or vegetable stew. It can also be eaten alone flavoured or plain, warm or cold, as a dessert or a side dish.

Day 3

Laziness.... that's the theme of today. I have managed to set new heights in doing nothing. Today is almost over and I have nothing to show for it except ....well, have nothing to show for it at all. The most excitement I had today was at the pharmacy. I had to pick up something and at first they couldn't understand what I was saying.Finally with a great deal of gesturing they got it. Then it was their turn to gesture because the directions were in Hungarian . But it is a pretty self explanatory thing, so I got it.

Haven't even managed to study today just been so out of it. Well I can always make it up tomorrow. Chatted with my cousin Meera online today, I don't understand why people keep denying to themselves that something is not right. Everyone knows that she is not in a happy marriage but she insists that it is.. don't know if that is something she believes or just says. I wonder why people choose to have that attitude, doesn't sit well with me. Deception has never appealed to me and especially not to the self. Have a reputation of being painfully blunt, calling a spade a spade.

Got a sneak peek of somepictures of the Aishwarya Abhishekh wedding. It is surreal to see the stars getting married.... since I dont have any pics of Budapest today thought I would post these for fun :)

Moe ,the one with Sachin Tendulkar is for you !

Day 2

Today stared off in a rush, overslept and Mahendra had 15 minutes to get ready for work, including his shower and shave. Sent him off with breakfast and then went downstairs for my own. Discovered this really cool bread they have been serving downstairs, it had cumin and sunflower seeds in it. Came home and I think last nights sleeplessness caught up with me, fell asleep for 3 hours. During those 3 hours overzealous maids knocked on my door a couple of times.... finally calling me to ask whether I wanted the room to be cleaned or not. Taking the not so subtle hint I took myself to the gym where I half watched some French movie with Gerard Depardieu in it.

Since had been requested by husband of 4 months as of today to wait and do the bus tour with him I didn't do it today. Instead walked around and discovered St. Stephens Basilica. Didn't go on top to see the view since the weather didn't really look suitable. Very mercurial thing the weather today. Like a young child who cant make up their mind what to be whether to be sunny or raining.
Stepped into a small tavern like Hungarian restaurant. Dom Sorozo, typical Hungarian place.Dark and damp with Hungarian pop playing which sounded a lot like English music. Someone once told me that you can measure a good restaurant by how many locals are in it. Judging by that, this place was full of young Hungarian professionals, meeting up after work to share some coffee or some wine. Had an amazingly sweet white wine "Like the honey" my waited recommended, and Hungarian chicken, by far one of the best things I have eaten since coming to this country. After finishing up with that struck up a conversation with the waiter who thought I was from Spain.... was astounded to find out I was from India... "So far!" I tipped him well and sauntered on.

Almost got lost in the maze of roads around that area, found a really cool looking coffee house which I am going to try out tomorrow, and then took myself off to the bookshop again. Found what I was looking for this time, a Hungarian author translated into English and picked up several other books as well. Had a yen for ice cream after that but found that the place that I had discovered on our first day here was shut already. Came back to the room to start my new Hungarian book, savoring the experiences of today. Tomorrow I will go and check out the Gellert Bath, which they say has medicinal properties.

Hungary Budapest

Today was actually my first day in Budapest. Yesterday went by in a jet lagged haze. Although the beauty of Budapest did register, I was too busy trying to stay awake and keeping Mahendra awake. Saw Miami Vice, was definitely entertaining. Colin Farrel looked a bit bloated and heavy tho.
Budapest ...today I was actually able to see it and appreciate it. it does seem like all the eating spots are around the old town. I walked at first from the hotel, over the chain bridge and then over a neighbouring bridge. My complaint is the language and the lack of signs in English. The say Budapest is one of the prettiest cities in the world but how are people going to appreciate it until you put up signs in English, the universal language. I saw the Parliament building and it was a really pleasant walk. The weather fluctuates a fair bit, it will be hot one minute and then chilly the next. Sat in a cafe and watched the people go by. I had fun trying to tell who were the natives and who are the tourists. European women can sight see wearing 4 inch heels it would seem, dressed to kill. I saw some gorgeous women walking around with maps in their hands, they had to be tourists.
Tomorrow I plan to take the bus tour, I think that will help familiarize myself with the city.