“Ruin pubs” are a staple of the old Jewish quarter in Budapest, where I’m staying. This area of town, while quite central, remained largely deserted and dilapidated after the Communist takeover. Much of it is still dilapidated, but certainly no longer deserted! This is the prime party area of town (to my surprise), and this […]
Read More Ruin PubsI’m over halfway done with this trip! Wow, some periods have felt slow, while other times have passed quickly. Budapest has been exciting but tiring, given all the many interesting things to see. I’m also frankly having a tough time with the whole workation thing. Work doesn’t seem as desirable when you’re sitting in the […]
Read More Memento ParkOn Friday afternoon I visited the House of Terror Museum – it might sound like a haunted mansion, and maybe it is, because many people died there. But it’s primarily now a museum in the same building that Hungarian representatives of the Nazis and then the Soviets used for coordinating interrogation, torture, and murder. The […]
Read More House of TerrorHungary has had a controversial prime minister, Viktor Orbán, since 2010. His party is the far right Fidesz. From Wikipedia: “His tenure has seen Hungary government shift towards what he has called “illiberal democracy” — citing countries such as China, Russia, India, Singapore, and Turkey as models of governance — while simultaneously promoting Euroscepticism and […]
Read More Illiberal DemocracyThis excerpt from Rick Steves sums up well the feeling one gets in Budapest. It just doesn’t feel like any of the four Slavic places I’ve visited on this trip. But I will say that it is also the most touristy, I think even more than Prague! And I hear English and Spanish (why Spanish?) […]
Read More MagyarsI arrived in Budapest (Hungary is “Magyarország” in Hungarian, for the curious) on Wednesday. No more Poland, no more Slovakia. I’m still on the Danube, though. Colleen and I visited on a short day trip from Vienna with some friends back in 1998. I don’t remember much about Budapest from that trip, other than the […]
Read More Budapest, HungaryOn Monday I rode an elevator to the top of the “UFO”, an observation deck above the main bridge into the city. I’m always a sucker for high city views. Today’s limerick: There is a bridge with a tall towerThe castle nearby projects powerParted by the DanubeVisited by this noobOn this city it’s hard to […]
Read More UFO SpottedMost days, and sometimes multiple times per day, I’ve had airborne sticky silken threads blow onto my face while in Bratislava specifically. I don’t know if they are leftover spider webs silk worm threads, or something else, but you can see them flying by in the air. Anyone know what that’s about? In walking around […]
Read More Unique Food OptionsOn Sunday I ran in what I believe may be the most popular race in Slovakia: a 11.5-kilometer run between Devín Castle and Bratislava. Here’s the official race description in English (which reads rather humorously): “The National Run Devín – Bratislava is specific in that it is regularly attended by excellent runners, who are concepts […]
Read More Devín RaceBratislava is building like crazy, and as you can see in the photos below, there are already many tall buildings, with more on the way! City photos: Today’s guest dad joke: I normally write my own, but I see I’m not the only game in this town! (From a local restaurant) Today’s travel quote: To […]
Read More Build it and they will come
Major Meander 