The Green Bridge was under renovation, closed completely except for pedestrians. Sidewalks around the hostel torn apart to lay new cables and piping. Some buildings demolished, some finally finished. Roads closed, intersections blocked. The new Metro line 4. Transformation.

Walking up the Pest side of the Danube, I stopped to take it all in. The rising hills of Buda across the river, topped by a citadel and other stately buildings filled with history. The flatlands of Pest, the centers of life. Beautiful architecture everywhere–not old enough to be stoic, not new enough to be pretentious. Perfect.

The cold, crisp air swirled past my face and numbed by exposed hands. Even the cold was perfect, not too humid, not too numbing. Walk to stay warm but cool enough not to sweat. Clouds overhead, but no rain for the meantime.

Even as I stood contemplating my third trip to Budapest, I subconsciously started planning my fourth.

This was how I choose to end my whirlwind trip through the Middle East and Europe, a visit to my favorite city to rest and relax. I had come from Amsterdam, where I had finished my ninth and final presentation the day before, and spared just enough time to visit my old college friend Anna.

When I went to Hong Kong and Seoul in September, I fell ill. I had a fever the day I arrived and then a massive headache that lasted more than three days. As I was collapsing on my bed one afternoon, having just endured the heat and humidity outside, I thought to myself–how great would it be to be in Budapest. Andrassy Ut, Voro Smarty Ter, wandering random streets, sitting at restaurants, sipping coffee in a cafe. No heat, no humidity, no crowds…

Going was a foregone conclusion. Buying tickets three weeks later was simply a formality. When I announced that I was going, Sarah W asked if she could come down from London and join me. Absolutely.

I know this is a little late in coming (I’ve been back for a few weeks now), but ahhhhh….I love Budapest! =)

More photos of Budapest

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 at 5:06 pm and is filed under Hungary, The World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.