Budapest

Now heres a city that I would like to know better. Forget about that earlier post that claims Krakow is the next Paris; I think that crown belongs to Budapest. That said, Im gonna stop trying to compare cities like this-for one thing, I havent even been to Paris and every city has its own character that gets lost in those comparisons. Budapest is complex and subtle, cosmopolitan, conscious of its history yet forward looking, basically everything you expect of a world capital. I hope to return sooner than later.

Wednesday: I always have about an hour of frustration when arriving in a new city-getting my bearings, getting money (and getting small bills), figuring out transportation, etc. Budapest is no exception. So again, I find myself humping my stuff over to my hotel, which is just off Andrassy Ut, one of the main drags thru town, in the diplomatic section of Budapest (the Chinese embassy is a few buildings away). Its also 2 blocks from a metro stop-Budapests underground metro system is, well, charming. Its pretty shallow, the stations are small, tiled and clean, and the trains run about every 3 minutes. I explore the downtown reaches of Andrassy, head down Vajza Utca-the tourist shop gauntlet and stop in the Great Market Hall at the southern end. The hall is a giant arcade with ground floor produce, meat and bread vendors, with souvenir stalls and a few street food joints up above. Sounds a little like Pike Place, but not really. There dont seem to be any of the individual producers and doesnt have the street fair vibe of Seattle. I got a big plate of goulash and a coke for about $4-great place for a quick lunch. For dinner, I hang out with my fellow yuppies at one of the trendy eateries along Franz Liszt square.

Thursday: Ride the funicular to the top of Castle Hill. Nothing too remarkable, except that theyre excavating what was a former Jewish settlement. I grab a burger at TGI Fridays-western restaurants are everywhere and I hear thats what people around here do. Besides, Im in the mood for a burger.

Friday: Visit the House of Terror, which documents the reign of two separate, yet equally harsh regimes-the Arrowcross (sort of like a Hungarian Gestapo), and the AVO, which was the Communist secret police. The museum is in their former HQ, and features a Soviet tank atop a reflecting pool, with pictures of victims lining the walls of the atrium. Powerful. Later, I toured the Hungarian Parliament building and strolled along the Danube.