Bathing in Budapest

From Salzburg I took the train to Budapest, one of my favourite cities since last time I was here in 2006. I rented a room in an apartment very centrally on the Pest side, in the Jewish area where also a lot of pubs, trendy restaurants and smaller night clubs gather.

Since my last visit Budapest seemed to have become a little more modern, even livelier and even more popular with tourists. Therefore also a bit "trendier" and slightly more expensive - but the city was still the wonderful, exciting mix of old and new, classical and rough, east and west I remember to have fallen for last time. And compared to my last resorts in the Central-European rich area, still good value for my money.

Parliament to the left, and the magnificent Chain Bridge across the Danube

Being a big fan of bridges I of course walked several times back and forth over (and along) the magnificent Danube. I was a little unlucky with the weather - it was mostly grey and very, very windy, and two of the days it actually rained quite a lot. But I also had two sunny days, where I could walk up the hills of Buda admiring the huge palace, and the always astonishing Fishermen's Bastion. Apart from the obvious sights (like the Chain Bridge and the view of the overly decorated and very pompous parliament), just wandering around marveling at the architecture and the imaginatively interesting façades that surround you everywhere, is good pleasure.

On Good Friday I met up with a friend from last Summer's Dutch course, who took me for a walk in the city and then to a nice café lunch.

It was Easter weekend, why I unfortunately wasn't given the opportunity to go see some dance performance - Budapest is otherwise known for having several good scenes for both classical, contemporary and traditional/national dance. Instead I was given the chance to dance a little myself, since my host Attila on the Saturday took me out to pubs and clubs around our house! Getting nostalgic at a club playing hits from the '80's and '90's, and then going to an anonymous but very cool place located in a former big apartment, where the DJ was playing swing- and jazz music from the 1930's and on.

My last day was mostly spent in the big city park, where the wonderful Szechenyi-bath is located. It is still the most beautiful spa I know, with several different pools and saunas included in the entrance ticket. However, I spent my afternoon there mainly in the 38 degree pool, with powerful fountains spraying hot water over your neck and shoulders giving you a natural massage.

I can't imagine this would be my last visit to Budapest - if nothing else, I would love to go again for their international dance festival in May. But for now, I packed my bags and got on a flight to Athens, to see a city and a country where I have never been before. How I enjoy Greece will be my next report. Belated Easter hugs to all of you!

Sound of Salzburg

As I later learnt, I got to Salzburg on an unusually sunny day. I have been here before, briefly, though at age 7 or so. People in Germany had warned me it always rains in Salzburg but when I arrived, it was the same sunny Alps I remember. And, eager to explore something new, I of course made the best of the afternoon by walking a lot. Beautifully situated between the hills, whereof a few still were snow covered, the Salzach river cuts smoothly through the city. It has all the same rich gloriousness as Vienna, only much smaller, more rural.

The main selling point for the city is of course Mr Mozart. He is everywhere, but not nearly as trashily exploited as some other tourist symbols you see around Europe. And the chocolate they make out of him is quite delicious (however, I already had my share of Mozart Kugeln in Munich, so I only looked for the Mozart Kugeln ice-cream, but was thunderstruck to not find it! Berlin-Salzburg 1-0).

The second selling point I was not prepared for, but it turned out to be - obviously - Sound of Music. Since Americans and Asians have started to become major tourist groups in Salzburg, this for local people completely unknown movie attracts a lot of people. For me personally, I found it great... there's nothing better than popular culture tourism, especially when it's about pop culture you like yourself. This movie is on place 3 of my How-many-times-I've-seen-it-list.

Mirabell garden. On these steps the von Trapp children
practiced Do-Re-Me

The pavilion where Lisl dances with Rolf,
and where Maria and captain von Trapp finally admit
their lover for each other

Doing the whole Sound of Music Tour seemed a little overwhelming for me, though. Had it been in May, would I certainly have loved to engage in the Fräulein Maria's Bike Tour, but late March here is like Sweden - sudden rain showers and only around 8-10 degrees outside, so this was not yet a possibility.

Instead I went to the places I could reach by foot or a local bus. Of course many of those places are also interesting and/or beautiful to see, whether you care about the film or not - the movie actually uses several of the main attractions of Salzburg as a scenery.

Because of the season, the weather and my inability to climb too high of a mountain, I chose not to go up the Unterberg to hike. But I got to see nice views anyway, living by the foot of the Kapuzinerberg, a sort forresty mini-mountain just by the city center. On top of it climbs a small, solitary, secret monk monastery like some tale from Medieval times.

Apart from my first and half second day in Salzburg, it constantly rained. Apparently the normal Salzburg every-day-rain is called "thread rain", but I was unlucky enough to also suffer stormy winds and hail. One rainy day when I had done my work, I stayed in and sat in the otherwise empty hostel and watched Sound of Music. For the fifteenth time. It was still good (just so you know).

I also met up with an Austrian girl I had talked to on Internet, we went for coffee and beer for a few hours, just talking about traveling, languages, life, work, culture and more. Very nice end of my stay.

Salzburg was sweet to me, and I perceived it as a city truly charming, very self confident and exceptionally classic - and classy. I will probably go back, some day, because I still want to see the Alps in the Summer.