Alex's Travels

Weekend in Budapest

Just returned from a nice weekend in Budapest (which I learned in pronounced "BudaPESHT").

Although I planned to leave early Friday, a late night on Thursday kept me from getting to Hungary until 8pm. I had some difficulty finding my hostel and needed to get a bite to eat, so it was after 11 by the time I was settled in. I was set to call it an early night but instead spent another few hours talking to a guy from Florida who was staying in my room.

We buddied up to explore the city on Saturday. Budapest is actually three cities (Buda, Pest and Old Budda), split by the Danube and slightly different architectual styles. We headed over to Pest and made up our own tour which took us to the Parliament building and some other sights. We mostly just hiked around town to get a feel for the place. After he left to catch a train, I got dinner by myself and then headed out for some nightlife. I wandered around the city, stopping into bars and cafes and getting a drink at each one. I wanted to find a dance club, though, so didn't stay too long anywhere. Finally, after I had more than a few drinks in me, I happened into a club. At first glance, it seemed perfect: good music, nice seats, people on the dance floor. It wasn't until after I had gotten a drink and sat down that I noticed there was not a woman in sight. No problem, though, as gay Hungarians are far friendlier than their straight counterparts.

On Sunday, I headed over the Budapest's largest bath house. Although I ended up paying a 2500FT fine on the way over for illegally riding the subway, I had a great time. The house, which is decorated with Roman statues, has thermal pools, saunas, showers, fountains that give the best massages imaginable, and a couple of huge outdoor swimming pools. It was very relaxing and really calmed me down about the fine. I spent nearly five hours and would have stayed longer if they hadn't shut down!

Caught the train today and made it back to Prague all in one piece. I have an exciting week ahead (Love Planet on Friday!) and I'll keep you posted.

posted by The League: Reassembled @ 9:46 AM