The sun was strong the day Erica arrived. I drove to Ferihegy Airport Tuesday morning and ran in to meet her. Her flight got in earlier than scheduled and she was sitting with her suitcase reading "Memoirs of a Geisha." We gave each other a big, comfy, laughing hug. It was Valentine's Day.

We drove back into the city. We opened the windows and smoked. The air had a hint of Spring. My iPod had died on the drive to the airport, so we talked and listened to the breeze and we were reflected in each other's sunglasses.

Erica was jet-lagged so we took it easy the first day. We napped and watched TV, ate a big dinner at home. We read trashy celebrity magazines and stayed mostly horizontal on my couches, told tales, reminisced and laughed hard.

Wednesday was a typically cold and rainy Budapest winter day. I decided to take Erica to the Castle Hill District, where many of Budapest's classic buildings and monuments are. It also is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We walked around the cobblestone streets, saw the Holy Trinity Statue, Matthias Church and climbed to the top of Fisherman's Bastion for views of the Danube River and Parliament.

About 52 feet beneath the Castle District is a vast network of caves formed by thermal springs. The caves have been used for various military purposes over the course of history, but is now open to tourists as the "Buda Castle Labryinth." We ventured in to get out of the rain. The tunnels were dark and dank. Mold was growing everywhere. The exhibits were kind of hokey. The walls were covered in fake primitive art and the sound of drums pulsed through speakers in some rooms. The musky air gave us both headaches, and the smells in the room where wine poured from a fountain turned our stomachs.

We took a bus to Moskva ter and found a diner where we ate Hungarian dumplings and drank Hungarian beer. Later, we met up with Michael and Kevin and I took Erica to a few of my favorite bars here, Szimpla Kert and Filter.


Moskva ter



Seeing the sights


(photo: ES)

Belly of Budapest (Buda Castle Labryinth)





Mmmm, mold



Wine fountain


(photo: ES)

Labyrinth guest book - "Erica is dumb" (written by Catherine) / "Smelly! Thanks, Catherine" (written by Erica)


Szimpla Kert