I have to give this little trip the blog post it deserves, because it was one of the most awe-inspiring, and foreign-looking, places I've ever been.
Let me back up.
When we got married, Chris and I made a little pact to travel to a new country every year we were married (the brilliant ideas you have as you drink mojitos on your honeymoon, when world domination also seems like a feasible possibility). The plan was to start in Eastern Europe with a trip to Prague. We booked the trip, and waited for the time to come when we would check off the first of what we hoped would be many trips traveling the world together.
Shortly before we were scheduled to leave for the trip, Chris was offered a job opportunity he couldn't pass up. Ultimately, he decided to take the job, but because of this change, he no longer had the time off and we had to postpone the trip until he was settled and had the time off again.
Then we had Evan.
Then we had Mia.
Needless to say, four years into our marriage, aside from our honeymoon, we still had not traveled abroad together.
Since my mother, Grammie extraordinaire, would be here in Barcelona for two weeks over the summer, she had kindly offered to watch the kids for us if we wanted to head out for a night or two on an excursion somewhere to celebrate our 5th anniversary together. Where to go?! Where to go?!
After kicking around a few ideas...a night at a wine vineyard, Costa Brava, Rome...I stumbled on a flight deal to Budapest for 30 € round trip a piece. Just a two hour flight, and we could be back to where we had intended for it all to begin -- Eastern Europe. Although we had done a fair bit of traveling as a family since we arrived in Spain, this trip was something else entirely. Two days alone. Alone. We booked it, along with an amazing hotel deal and some hints and tips from friends who had been there.
Budapest had a whole different flavor from Barcelona. It had...grit. Battle wounds. To me, the city itself felt like we were wandering through an old, yet grand, castle that had since been abandoned by the the royal family that once lived there. You could see the somewhat tragic history of Hungary unfold in front of you...and also why it was voted one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and the most livable in Eastern Europe. It was an eclectic culture within the city center, but the earthy roots of the country was also all around. Massive, intricate buildings dwarfing you with their size. The winding Danube River, separating Buda from Pest (two separate cities until they were legally joined together to form Budapest in 1873) , buzzing with river cruises and illuminated by lights from the soul grabbing architecture that lines it. It was breathtaking. And horribly romantic.
We arrived early the first day, and headed out immediately to have some lunch. Here we faced a dilemma. It was hovering in the 90 degree range the few days we were there, but we typically like to eat the local specialties while visiting a new place. Hungarian cuisine is notable for their paprika laden hot goulash soups, earthy stews, and spice rubbed chicken dishes. Not exactly what you are craving in the oppressive heat, but... when in Budapest...so, I ordered a cauldron (seriously, it came in a little black cauldron hanging from a wire support complete with a little flame below it) of stew, and Chris the goulash, hoping that the cold beers alongside them would help cool us off. (They didn't. But it still was a really yummy lunch.)
Because of my long winded story telling tendencies, I'm going to try and limit this to some highlights from our 48 hours...
* The Shooting Club
The first night we had big plans. A friend of mine here in Barcelona had recently traveled to Budapest with her husband, and had told me about one of her "must sees" while we were there. The #1 rated Trip Advisor activity in Budapest...Celeritas Shooting Club. Shooting any type of gun is kind of a unique experience here in Europe, due to greater restrictions and access to guns, and this club is run by police and military officials who have spent most of their lives training others how to use firearms. They have a rare license to not only have possession of the kind of firearms they have, but also to allow them to let the public come in and shoot them. At first glance, it wasn't necessarily something I was dying to do -- I'm not really a "gun person", but I knew Chris would freak. I mean, honestly, what guy wouldn't die to get his hands on Dragunov sniper rifle? Or a Colt M4 machine gun? I had to do this for him. And I had to keep it a secret. I managed to keep it a secret until the plane actually touched down in Hungary, when I blurted it out..."WE'RE GOING TO SHOOT GUNS!!" Then I immediately started pouting because I ruined the surprise. Typical.
Anyway, Chris had the desired response to my premature surprise announcement, and had on his little boy smile (my favorite) for the rest of the day until we finally arrived at this somewhat sketchy looking "warehouse" of sorts. If I hadn't already spoken to other folks who had great experiences here, I would have a been a little nervous driving up there. Once inside the warehouse, you are lead down stairs into what looks like a bomb shelter of a basement. A tiny little waiting room encased in cement walls, and a door akin to a psych-ward/high security prison. There were a few other people already waiting -- a Belgian couple, a group of three British college guys, and a bachelor party of three guys from Canada. We exchanged excited "where-the-hell-are-we" glances, and started talking...waiting for what would happen next.
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| The waiting room |
The owner comes out, gets us all checked in and goes over the safety instructions before leading us back to the actual shooting range.
There in front of us is a freaking card table covered with weapons.
The experience itself? It was a rush. Scary, but definitely one of those moments when you feel like you are doing something unique in life. Like standing in a Hungarian basement surrounded by automatic weapons. Likely won't happen again. And, even though it was scaring the bejesus out of me, it was kind of a personal challenge to just march past all the dudes when it was my turn, hold that rifle like I do it everyday, and blast that bulls eye.
For me, the best part was seeing my husband's face through it all.... He was loving it. Not only to use guns you only really see in video games or in the movies, but also to see his wife holding a semi-automatic weapon. I have a feeling he didn't know I had it in me :) Oddly enough, it was kind of the perfect way to spend our anniversary...blowing off steam and stress, bonding over a new experience, and seeing each other looking kind of sexy-bad-ass all at the same time.
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| Who got bullseye? Oh, that's me. |
* The Szechenyi Baths
Budapest has the world's largest thermal cave system, with over 80 natural baths known for their healing properties. Thanks to Rick Steves, and more insider tidbits, we knew the Szechenyi Baths had to be on our to-do list. This place is the largest medicinal bath in Europe, encased inside an incredible palace-esque building created in 1913. It doesn't get anymore relaxing then this. Tourists, and locals alike come there to sit, soak, play chess, and catch rays. All day long, groups of old Hungarian men gather to play chess on the built-in stone gameboards inside the baths, while the women bob along inside the lazy river. Couples, kids, elderly...it seemed as though this was the place to congregate.
Now, I have to back up yet again. I knew, as we packed for this trip, that spending time at the baths was a must, and made sure to remind Chris to pack his bathing suit.... several times. Yet, there we were in Budapest getting ready to head over to the baths, and Chris discovers he forgot to pack it. This both annoyed and pleased me...annoying because he has three perfectly good suits at home...yet pleased me because I knew what "suits" were available here in Eastern (or Western for that matter) Europe. And they ain't no panama jack board shorts.
Early on Day 2, we hit the front desk of our hotel to ask if they sold men's swimsuits.
"Ah, yes of course. Inside our spa, you will be able to purchase men's swimming trunks."
So off we went to the spa to inquire about getting Chris suited up for the day. And there we stood, as the kind receptionist laid out the said trunks.
"Yes, a medium. Here you go."
Chris took them from her and held the minuscule piece of spandex up to get a better look, and it took me a minute to remember where I had seen undergarments like that before...then I remembered. Evan's size 2T Gerber training pants.
It was all I could do to keep from melting into a quivering pile of tears and laughter as I tried to envision my husband slipping into these little trunks. I didn't want to disrespect the nice woman who had searched long and hard for the "right" size, so we held it together, put down the undies, smiled, and thanked her for her time as we giggled our way out the door. Oh how I wish he had bought them.
As we suspected, there was a little tent set up outside the entrance to the baths selling suits of all shapes and sizes for only 3€ so we got Chris adequately covered and ready for some healing soaks.
Once inside the building, there are a series of indoor and outdoor baths, a spa, a restaurant, and I'm sure lots of other nooks and offerings. We spent the entire morning, and the better part of the afternoon, soaking away...taking breaks every so often to lay in the sun, grab a cocktail, then get back in for more. Incredible. Just incredible. When I think of that day, I remember feeling this overwhelming sense of gratitude and appreciation for where we were at that exact moment. One of those "I-can't-believe-we-are-here" moments that make every hard part about living here well worth it.
I ramble...
I will sum the rest up by saying we did a lot of exploring. We took the funicular up to Buda Hill and enjoyed the quaint winding streets. We browsed handmade embroidery. We rode the metro...the 3rd oldest in the WORLD. We walked along the river and enjoyed an insanely good dinner amongst quite a collection of dead animals. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story, but I will say this trip was everything we expected and more...it fed our souls.
And many, MANY thanks again to my amazing mother for taking such fantastic care of our babies and making this incredible opportunity possible.
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| Buda Hill |
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| Walking along the Danube River |
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| Our Dinner Guest(s) |
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| The Parliament looking across the river from Buda to Pest |
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