Budapest

I did a good chunk of reading while on our flight to Hungary. I can't seem to put the book down- it's THAT GOOD!

Surpringly, BA provides not only edible but pretty tasty turkey sandwiches.

We arrived at our hotel on Friday around 6 p.m. The flight to Budapest is only 2 1/2 hours.

I found the city to be sort of dark and mysterious. Don't ask me why but I was reminded of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

We made a stop at a local bakery before heading off to dinner.

The pastry had the same consistency and taste of a donut except it was less sweet.

The chocolate pudding on the inside definitely made up for the lack of sweetness

a sugar coated donut with chocolate pudding inside. I love the crunch of sugar!

The buildings and streets sort of reminded me of walking through Paris except not as beautiful of course (I hold a soft spot in my heart for Paris).

We finally made it to dinner and were super excited about trying some Hungarian traditional meals.

Goulash- a beef stew that reminded me of vegetable beef soup. Very hearty and delicious

T's foie gras with pear. I hate to say this but my ban of foie gras went out the window for this one occasion. Budapest is known for their amazing foie gras so I just HAD to try it. I'm not quite sure it was worth it in the end though.

My tenderloin with dumplings filled with some sort of mushroom mixture. It was earthy and delicious.

T's main entree of Veal Paprikash with egg dumplings.

Complimentary shot of Hungarian cherry liqueur.

We were handed these lovely gold balls as a parting gift from the restaurant. Intriguing...

Liqueur filled chocolate cherries.. Is it me or does the restaurant seem to want to make their customers drunk?

We stopped in a nearby pub for a quick pint and a chat w. the locals

Hungarian beer and another offer from the bartender of a Hungarian shot which tasted like Sambuca. Not my favorite tasting shot. It was the cringe and chase with bar snacks kind of liquor.

Hotel Breakfast Buffet. This ain't the BREAKFAST BUFFET (*PUNCH*)

Nice selection of breads, bagels, and croissants

The dining room was very pretty and enjoyable to eat in.

I wasn't really sure what I was craving so I got a mixture of a bunch of different things. The food wasn't anything to write home to momma about but it was palatable.

The warmed up croissants and chocolate pastries were my favs.

I had only a few bites of each meat and cheese.

T really wanted to go to the Turkish baths. My ADD really kicked in high gear when I was there. I felt like Goldilocks when I couldn't find which temperature of bath I liked best. 38 too hot, 36 too lukewarm, back to 38 and sweating like a dog, and then finally to the outdoor steam baths. But really, do I like sitting in hot water with a bunch of pot bellied men wearing speedos? Uhhhmm.. no.. I would much rather be swimming, surfing, boogie boarding, walking on water. SOMETHING ELSE!! Blergh. Poor T only got to soak for 2 hours. I guess its better than nothing.

Hungarian pastry with sour cream and cheese on top. Sort of their version of pizza. It was yumm-o!!

We walked around the city as much as we could but the cold weather and T's pulled or ripped calf muscle (not sure which one) kept us from doing much sightseeing.

After visiting an art museum, we stumbled upon a very busy restaurant with what seemed to be a lot of locals.

The decor made me feel like I was in a cabin in Colorado.

The ambiance was very cozy and friendly.

Surprisingly, I don't mind all the animal hide that is hanging from the walls.

Another traditional Hungarian fish stew. The broth was deemed slurpable. Nice and comforting on a cold day.

T got the Goulash. We both agreed that this one had better flavor and more tender beef than the previous nights dish.

Veal Paprikash. I ordered this only because I was craving the egg dumplings from the night before. Too bad these dumplings were tiny and less tasty. :(

Wild boar saddle with rice and a sweet/savory sauce that reminded me of Tonkatsu sauce. I found it very pleasant to eat.

Later that night we asked the hotel for a good dessert recommendation.
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Hungary/Budapest_Fovaros/Budapest-436839/Restaurants-Budapest-Gerbeaud_House-BR-1.html

I settled for a cup of espresso to power me through the upcoming night's festivities.

Walnut creme filled pancake with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and apricots.

Hazelnut chocolate cake. SUPER moist and full of hazelnut goodness. Wipe that drool off your mouth!

I'm so salsa obsessed that I found a salsa club that T graciously accompanied me to on Saturday night. They had a basic lesson that was super easy but fun nonetheless. I mean come on. I'm dancing salsa in BUDAPEST!!

I spy the asian girl in the black tshirt.

That's ME!

God. I live, breath, and love latin music. Could life get any better than this?!

I love traveling but I'm so glad to be back home. The Bears won and we're one game away from the SuperBowl. Bring on the Packers baby!!