home safely

i just wanted to say thank you to everyone who took time to read my blog! i wish everyone the best and happy travels. see the world.

much love,

christie

the "BOTEL FORTUNA" (boat-hotel)

yes ladies and gentlemen, we stayed on a boat!!

it was amazing, floating on the danube! the views of the many bridges from the deck were out of this world. saturday nite i went up and had an espresso and dessert, a traditional hungarian cake with a vanilla nutmeg sauce, and watched the sun set. it was so nice to sit and relax, read a book and listen to the slight movement of the water. i would definitely recommend the BOTEL FORTUNA, it has minimal decorations but who cares, you're there to see budapest not the inside of your "botel". the included breakfast is perfect. the "continental breakfasts" you get in the states are and have always been shite. they need to take a lesson from the europeans. in every hotel i have stayed thus far the spread was enormous. fresh fruit, scrambled and hardboiled eggs, fresh sausage and bacon, yogurt, juice, and much, much more! the BOTEL was the perfect place to launch off our adventures of budapest!

wine, cheese, and food festival budapest style

while strolling around we stumbled upon a french/hungarian wine and food festival. i don't know the exact cause or reason because i can't read hungarian but the wine and cheese and yummy goodness around every corner was great!! the chain bridge was really the only place that we saw a huge mob of people otherwise budapest was pretty chillaxed. the grilled kabobs and savory paprika potatoes were great after the long trek down from the castle.

the trek around budapest

budapest was glorious. so very different from prague. a bit more spread out, and for being a weekend i was surprised at how not crowded it was. there were many adventures to be had in the two short days that rachael and i were there.

above is the FISHERMAN'S BASTION and a view of PARLIAMENT from BUDA CASTLE. the view from the castle were staggering and the photos do them little justice.

the statue in front of the castle is spectacular, it depicts king matyas with a dead stag and his hunting dogs. just to the side is a woman who looks completely in despair. the legend says that one day while hunting he met a maiden in the country side and fell in love. he concealed his identity from her and only after did they return to the castle did she realize that she was to be married to the king. the mosaic is situated at the bottom of the hill where you take the funicular to the castle. it depicts the royal crest of the hungarian empire.

THE FISHERMAN'S BATION was built to celebrate the millennium (the turn into the 20th century) it was used as the fisherman's market for many years. the bridge is the famous cross bridge and also the spot of the spontaneous French/Hungarian wine festival!! free flowing wine and cheese from france and hungary? count me in, it was a lovely saturday!!

the sprawling building with the green roof is the BUDA CASTLE. it was so beautiful up there, removed and quiet, with gorgeous gardens that brought me back to reading THE SECRET GARDEN as a young girl. mom, i would have loved to walk with you throughout them :-)

i had to snap a shot of the BURG HOTEL. that one's for you cami ;-)

the church on the right is still in use. the roofing on the older buildings is magnificent, they look like small mosaics, and are mostly constructed out of wood and tile, their brilliant contrasting colors brighten up an other wise typical church. the church on the left has been turn into one of the biggest discos in budapest, it was crazy!!

so, while looking for a yummy place to eat racheal asked if we could try this mexican place we had passed earlier in the day. i was skeptical but i said why not. oh my goodness, some of the best i have had, it helps that the owner is from central mexico. it was so wonderful not to eat a meat or potato swimming with bread. a wonderful day without any gluten!!! tacos pastor, conchinita pibil sope, and chicken tostada....mmmmm.

my favorite part of the wandering was going to the NEW YORK PALACE. yipppppppeeeee, normal coffee, done correctly. this place was unspeakably grand! i started with a campari and soda and moved on to chocolate mousse cake that had a white chocolate cello adorning it and a double espresso. yup, heaven, i could have stayed all nite. if i ever win the lotto or come into a ridiculous amount of money, i will be staying at the PALACE.

the food in budapest was much better than in prague. in the huge CENTRAL MARKET on the second floor there are food vendors everywhere. rachael and i had to try the langos. langos is deep fried bread topped with spiced sourcream and cheese with hungarian salami, it was like savory funnel cake!!!!! then later after shopping and walking around we had lunch. i got the traditional stuffed cabbage, not as good as my mom's but yummy nonetheless.

lastly as we walked around i noticed that budapest had some of the best graffiti i have seen, it was more art than vandalism. there were murals everywhere in the subways and on the sides of abandoned buildings, i appreciated that the artists did not paint on more historical buildings.

i love budapest. the people were marvelous and friendly and the views were magical! i will be back and i plan on stocking up on salami, leather goods, and paprika!!

buda and then pest!

or is it pest then buda? doesn't matter, look out danube i will be seducing you tomorrow night!

i am so excited. i have been in prague for holiday since the middle of june and am going to budapest this weekend!! big open air market with everything you could ever desire...here i come. i can't wait to explore the beautiful architecture, the wondrous art, the magnificent cuisine, and thank god, i finally get to have some honest to goodness REAL COFFEE. for some reason all the czech's drink is the instant kind...craziness. however they have the market cornered on beer! hope everyone is well out there in the universe. see ya in a couple of days!

surreal protests

as i walked to the tram the other day i came up the stairs from the rose garden and noticed quite a heavy police presence. i had stumbled upon a protest. surreal. twenty years ago a protest would have been met with police in full riot gear doing "what had to be done", especially if the protest was about free speech and police oppression. i won't write much else, i will let the photos speak for themselves. i did ask someone what the signs were saying. in very well thought out english i was told... the gist was freedom of speech, allowing others who are different in the eyes of the norms to be left alone to live their lives, and that no one should be a slave to their government. well said.

marianske lazne & karlovy vary

hi folks. welcome back. this post centers around relaxation! a couple of weekends ago i headed to karlovy vary (KV) and mairanske lazne (ML), two of the famous spa towns in the czech republic. these towns are famous for their healing springs. the water coming from the springs is not the most appetizing but it seems to work. people have been coming here for centuries to cure all different types of ailments. the springs in marianske lazne are particularly good for renal and bladder problems. while the springs at karlovy vary heal many problems within the digestive system. the springs in KV reached temputures of 80 celcius. craziness, and the ones you could drink from were, well, you could taste the iron, i imagine that vampires would like the taste ;-) hee hee

i liked the springs at ML much better as they were cool and had a more floral aroma. however the doctor that we spoke with said if the springs do not taste could to you it is because the minerals in them are what your body is deficient in, makes sense that i wouldn't like the ones at KV since my digestive system is pretty shitty.

anyway it gorgeous here. a little touristy but still removed enough from the city to contain all of its charm. my favorite thing besides the actual spa, which i will delve into in a moment, was watching all the cute old couples walking in the gardens holding hands. aahhh, love at any age!

ok, the nitty gritty...the spas. WOW. just the right amount of heat in the pools. the mineral and fresh water therapy was amazing. there was this contraption in one of the whirpools that "massaged" your back as you stood under it. really the water beat you up, but i will say it ranks up there with one of the best massages ever.

the vitamin D & K lamps were great as i hadn't seen the sun in over 10 days! it was wonderful to switch between the warm whirpools and the cool still pools and then lie under the warm lamps. hhhmmmm...heaven.

well, i think you get the picture. oh, how could i forget...the famous HOTEL PUPP is in karlovy vary, it is where all the fancy rich people stay when they come to reap the benefits of the magical waters.

be well, much love to all

sci-fi disco with a jewish twist

monday i was given tickets to the opening night of GOLEM13 at NARODNI TRIDA (the national theatre). it was described as a play but i would venture to say it was closer to an opera. there were very, very few speaking parts. first, a quick history lesson, be kind, i am not jewish and am just learning but... back in the day, i mean "way, way back in the day" RABI LOEW created GOLEM. golem was a "super-human" man made of clay. it is said that rabi loew brought him to life with help of KABBALAH, the mystical aspect of the jewish faith. he was created to protect the jewish people from the persecution that tormented them. he is said to have been put to sleep and only one who truly knows the kabbalah can awaken him, he is "sleeping" here in prague at the oldest synagogue.

let's start with the theatre. FUCKING BEAUTIFUL!! my pictures do it NO justice. it was dark and very hard to get a good shot. everything had gold on it. there were magnificent statues, paintings, you name it, it was opulence at its best. i didn't care if the play sucked, just sitting surrounded by such beauty was enough.

the play started off very slow, and VERY religious, which i normally don't mind but it was like being at a mass listening to a priest who has done the same mass over and over, the voices almost put me to sleep. however, the orchestra was MAGNIFICENT. the beginning was seemed like a history lesson. it showed how the jewish people were tormented by their neighbors and begged God for protection. the rabi loew then created Golem to protect them. he was to obey his "master" the rabi at all times. he was not given the power of speech because it is said that if this were to happen he would turn on the rabi and destroy them all. perfect example of what power can do to a person.

the second act was where it got interesting. i felt as if i were i dropped into the novel 1984 by ORWELL, it was futuristic but not; complicated yet simple; and grandiose with a hint of sparseness. and then... the sci-fi disco happened. it was INSANE. if BJORK ever wrote an opera i could see it being something like this. the moral of this story ladies and gentlemen, don't leave the theatre early, you may just miss the best part. i was throughly happy when i left.

rain, rain, more rain

hi all. i hope this post finds you well. this week flew by! it was marked by a ridiculous amount of rain. i miss the sun. i spent most of my time indoors of some sort, whether it be reading or walking around in museums. i did go to the oldest brewery in prague.
U FLECKU BREWERY brews one kind of beer and they only sell it at the brewery. it is YUM!! a dark beer but not heavy, it has a very distinctive chocolate & coffee taste and smells just like roasted chestnuts and cinnamon. mmm...christmas. it is the real thing!! it is not pastuerized, and they have used the same process since the 16th century, just in bigger vats!

i have some catching up to do, so bear with me. i hope to make you laugh. along with some choice quotes, i have a portly englishman in a bright pink wig and fairy wings, the most beautiful spa you can imagination, some insider info on BECHEROVKA, among many more :-) stay tuned.

lazy sunday filled with peace ;-)

today was the first day i was not on my own. one of my flat-mates, brittney joined me on one of my wandering trips. mostly that is what it was. we had lunch at BEAS VEGETARIAN INDIAN, and then proceeded to walk toward the river in search of the next hidden gem. i promised you random oddities, well ladies and gentlemen, i have delivered. we have a sweet boxer puppy playing in the old town square as his french papa watched the clock, a demure yet mischievous graffiti girl, a baby holding a rocket launcher made from a flashlight, and how can i forget, a hot trannie mess!

the best part of the day was seeing the LENNON WALL. the lennon wall was created as a memorial to john lennon and his peace keeping after his murder in 1980. being a communist state this didn't go over so well, the wall was painted white by the secret police. it is said to have been painted over 100's of times. each time it was white washed local youth would create a different and more splendid graffitti masterpiece. all you beatles fans out there if you ever come to prague, grab a marker, paintbrush and paint, whatever, so that you can leave your own mark on this tangible piece of history. i will be going back, this is one of those places you can go a hundred times and see something new.

after the 'lennon wall' brittney and i headed off for pizza and a beer. czechs love their pizza and it is very traditional. very thin, little sauce, little cheese, light organic ingredients. mmm, mmm, good. i had 'many peppers' and brittney had 'proscuitto and artichoke', both had just simple olive oil for sauce.

on the way home we stopped at a pub off the beaten path for a beer. i am so lovin' prague's dive bars!! the jukebox seemlessly switched from czech pop to folk and then over to rhianna! umm-brella, brella, brella! ;-) the bartender was a very kind and patient woman as i speak very little czech and she no english. we figured it out and everybody was happy. we also made the aquaintence of a very nice isreali genteleman whom we had an in-depth, worldwide focused, conversation on gay rights. he is a gay man from isreal trying to get into politcis theere. good luck to him.
got home around 12:30am, slid into my pjs, and ready for the week ahead.
good nite and be well :-)