Welcome to Budapest

I’ve been in Budapest just over 7 days now, and what I can tell you about this city is that it is truly amazing! I am so incredibly excited to spend the next couple of weeks here that I may not even plan any side trips. Staying in one country for a whole month? Crazy, I know.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about Budapest when I first saw it on our Remote Year itinerary. I knew it that it was steeped with history and would probably have cool looking buildings, because, I mean, it’s Europe. Every place has that right? But I had a lot of questions. Would the food be OK? Would the people be friendly? Is being in a city going to make getting around tough? Is this even an interesting city? Is anything going on there? I was clueless! But now my eyes have been opened. I haven’t even explored the city nearly as much as I would want because of some work issues (this will be rectified soon) but I’ve seen a lot, and I can now tell you that Budapest quickly shot towards the top of my favorite places list. I would say it’s currently sitting right behind London. That’s saying A LOT because London has some intangibles/nostalgia that makes it hard to beat.

“So, what’s there to like about Budapest?” You might ask. Let me break it down really simple and quick, and hopefully, as I begin to explore more, I can dive deeper. I keep saying that (I know!) but blogs are hard to keep up, ya’ll.

Kossuth Monument in front of the Museum of Ethnography.

Here we go! The things I love and like about Budapest:

• This city is extremely walkable and mostly flat. Public transit is cheap, but you can get anywhere in the city on foot almost as fast. I’m really going to get my steps in this month.

• Cafés are everywhere and their coffee game is strong. Croatia claimed to love coffee, and in fact, it was part of their culture to drink coffee at a café for hours daily. But they didn’t do coffee well. Budapest, on the other hand, is amazing at it. At least in my opinion.

• Patios are everywhere! Whether you’re sitting down for a bite to eat or a quick coffee, you will find a lovely patio to enjoy.

• The architecture is more than I could have hoped for in Budapest. Every. Single. Building is BEAUTIFUL. The details. The molding. Ugh, it’s almost too much. Budapest, I could look at you all day.

• The exchange rate is insanely in favor of the USD. 1000 Hungarian Forint (HUF) is $3.70. I mean, WHAT?! You can feel like a Queen here, throwing around thousands of HUF and not break your actual bank. I’ve gotten a full 2 eggs, with toast, OJ and a latte for less than $5.

• Most everyone speaks English. Conversational English at that. Selfishly, this makes things super easy when ordering and getting around town.

• All the food is great! You would be hard pressed to find a bad meal here. In Croatia, your food options were fairly limited (mostly pizza). Here, in a city, there is everything you could ever crave right down the street.

Count István Szécheny Statue

I think that’s the most of it, and so far, I give Budapest two thumbs way up!

There’s definitely more to come. I’m working on keeping a more rigid schedule and I’ll be making the blog a part of that priority. So until next time, let’s YanSEE YanDO this thing!

First Impressions of Croatia

Here I am. I’ve made it! I’m in Split, Croatia. Holy hell, I don’t know if I ever thought that I would be here. Croatia has been on my bucket list ever since I heard it was the Cancun of Europe. I mean, as someone who has been to Cancun, that sounds pretty awesome. After these first 2.5 days, I wanted to share my initial observations and impressions of this beautiful city and what my life looks like so far.

I arrived Saturday around Noon and took a cab to my first hotel. As we were driving, the sea was in full view behind the apartment buildings. Too much of my surprise, there seemed to be quite a few structures that were in disarray; abandoned or crumbling, or being rebuilt. In my mind, I thought Split would look more like the quaint little Islands in Florida like Sanibel or Captiva. Apartment buildings seem to be devoid of character except for the dirt and grime that time has helped accumulate. They appear quite boxy and militaristic. This city is still bearing the scars of something. I’m not sure what yet (I mean besides communist oppression), but I will look into it and get back to you.

Old town Split is the exact opposite of the decaying apartment buildings. This is the cultural and spiritual center of the city. It’s vibrant and cared for.

After a light 4-hour nap on my first day, I decided to wander over to Old Town. This place is amazing! At the center of Old Town is Diocletian Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Cathedral of St. Dominus. It’s so beautiful, positioned right on the water. Cruise ships, ferry’s and yachts populate the bay for a unique viewing experience. The centuries Old Diocletian Palace is a wonderful mix of the ancient and the new. Shops and modern restaurants fill in the lower levels, but the charm of the original palace is preserved in the skyline. I think I could hang out in Old Town all day every day.

That very first night, I ate dinner at a cute little restaurant off a little side street called Konoba Veranda. This is where I made another interesting observation; Food portions here are HUGE! I would argue that at some places they are even larger than American portions. I ordered penne pasta with a prosciutto and truffle sauce. It was absolutely fabulous but I could barely get halfway through it before I was stuffed to the max. And I had a hefty side salad and bread that came with the meal. My waiter asked if I liked everything ok looking worriedly at my plate. I told him it was great, but it was too much for me to get through. Wraps are about twice the size of American wraps. Personal pizzas here are practically the size of medium pizzas in America and fairly inexpensive. Again, I am not sure why I thought they would have tiny food portions, but you can definitely stretch your money here and turn that lunch into dinner with leftovers.

On Sunday, I was placed in my apartment. The apartment is great, and just the right size. There’s a small kitchen, living room, and patio to sit outside, although there is no view. However, I might be the only person actually living amongst the Croatians. I am .7 miles (approx. a 15-min walk) up a fairly steep hill from the provided co-working space, WIP, which is our program center whilst in Split. I am .43 miles from the nearest grocery store. The next farthest person is .37 miles from WIP, and nearly everyone else seems to be a block or two from WIP. Like it or not, I’m going to be walking A LOT.

Our Co-working space is the Bomb, though! The internet is incredibly fast, it’s right by the beach and there’s plenty of food options around it. I could get used to a place like this. I might do a little video on it. There. I wrote it. Now I have to be accountable for it.

Here are a few other small observations in no particular order:

• Sidewalks are not sacred. People park their cars on the sidewalk everywhere.

• The water is clean! You can drink form the tap without fear.

• The beaches are rocky. Water shoes will be wanted.

• People speak decent enough English in restaurants and bars.

• There is graffiti everywhere. Some artistic, but most political.

• I sweat everywhere I go. The humidity will get you.

• Hallway and stairway lights don’t stay on in apartment buildings. Very weird.

• No leash laws. Or at least none that are enforced.

• 95% of the dogs I’ve seen are small.

• Tennis must be a popular game because there are more clay courts than I would have expected.

• You have to turn your key a ridiculous amount of times (3) to lock or unlock a door.

• Short Showers a must. Each Apt has its own water heart but it’s not large.

• There is AC but Open air is the more popular option.

• I’ll have to line dry my clothes for the first time ever.

Thanks for tuning in. I hope to add pictures soon. I’ve got some good ones. Until next time, let’s YanSEE YanDO this thing!

Trip Stats So Far:

Days – 3

Flights - 3

Countries – 1

Videos Made – 1

Floors Climbed - 95