Buda-Pest Part 2

Part 2 of Budapest started off with a sequence of interruptions:

1) IT RAINED. After snowing hard the day before, it rained hard on us. We managed to arrive the only store in the vicinity that sells umbrella by sharing a tiny one (that I lost eventually). The umbrella broke in a day, but that’s another matter.

2) Finally we made it to the metro station, and right at that moment, I wiped my nose, and it was wet and red. In more than a year I have not had nose bleed and on THIS rainy day on SLIPPERY stairs, my nose decided to bleed on me. -_-

3) Naive me thought that Citibank must be everywhere in Europe, and turned out they don’t do business in France. Budapest, on the other hand, does have Citi very prominently, but the thing is I forgot my pin because I did not withdraw money in 3 months. Genius me. When I did recover my pin, the card failed. What the hell?

4) Our only “local” friend was locked in her own house and had to postpone meeting us.

WHAT a morning. First stop, the Great Synagogue, largest in Europe. In the center, there buried 2000 dead bodies in 24 graves. They died from the holocaust. My heart pinched a little. Or may be it was a lot.

Another beautiful and thankfully less tragic building – the Opera house.

Then it got super cold and we went for “drumroll”….. TEA!

Hot wine, hot chocolate, pancakes with sweet cottage cheese and with Nutella. Absolutely divine. I have never had crepes (they call them pancakes here, just like in Iceland) with cottage cheese and they are the best !

The cold gave me really bad headaches but we still managed past the never ending lonely path to the heroes square.

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Supposedly, Easter means all shops closed and nothing much to see. But no! To our most pleasant surprise, there were Easter celebrations everywhere and we came across two lively markets with mouthwatering food and useless but absolutely adorable things.

I just have to post this photo, he looked at the camera for me 🙂

Crossing the famous chain bridge, we finally stepped foot on Buda. The view was close to breathtaking, but not quite because the weather was bad. What made me love Budapest so much during this trip was not the obvious spectacular view along the river (it was not even close to spectacular on that day);

it was the vibe of the people, the folk songs and dances by bright young men and women, that really made it such a lovely city.

That above is a manual basket-go-round for babies! The cutest thing I have ever seen. The kids were giggling and gripping the ropes so tight. It was such a pleasant scene to see; pure simple pleasures. They were throughly happy. That was of course before the ruthless part of time kicks in, namely, growing up.

Those long tubes were chimney cakes~! The name really fits because when it was ready, smoke comes out of the top, as if you are carrying a portable chimney! That rolling thing was super heavy, and they were the only handmade chimney cakes we have seen.

This Easter Festival celebration on the Buda castle, everyone wore a huge smile on their faces and joy filled the atmosphere. The buzz, the warm hearted people, pale colors and sweet sweet air made the carnival so cozy and radiant.

The famous Mathias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion.

I decided then that I have to go back to Budapest again, when it is warm and clear.

It is my second time to see these thoughtful “Maps” for the blind.

I could not put myself into the shoes of the blind at all. All the gorgeous rivers, bewitching night views, charming seashores, they could not see it. What we take for granted, might be what others are dying to have. I felt so lucky at that precise moment. And as much as I believe that life is fair, I also like the idea of karma and even if good happenings don’t come after good deeds, at least there was some kind of good outcomes for someone. At least there was more good in the world for a brief instance because of me.

Finally, our last dinner at Budapest and was again another hurdle. WE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH HUFF left… After a lot of math and brain power, we made the most out of our money and cheated a hash brown from McDonald’s the next morning. (More on that later on 😉 ) We almost did not have enough money for ketchup and we couldn’t even buy the pastry with ham…just cheese.

It started raining again and we had to run to the metro station, without knowing where was the closest one.

Turned out it was just right around the corner and just when we were overjoyed by how smart we were to find the metro so swiftly and boarding the train that was almost leaving, the train STOPPED. The light went off and the engine went silent. WE BOARDED IT WHEN IT WAS ALREADY THE LAST STATION.

All wagons were separated with no windows! The driver did not know we were still in it…(No wonder there were no one in the trains smartypants…) After some banging on the doors, we panicked. And although I do have some water left that will last me the night, the idea of being stuck there was horrifying. Thank god the light was on again and the engine started again. They used the same train for the other direction. THANK YOU god.

Budapest does have poorly designed metro, you cannot get to the other side of the platform unless you go back up the street. The escalators were different and super fast.

But either way, we were just glad we made home safe and in one piece.

Milan, Italy

First of all I’d like to declare my love for these gorgeous, lovely and heavy keys. The Rome one even has my favorite number on it. They were so tricky to use but I just adore them 🙂

Now why such a dull title? Because that will only suit how the 2 days felt in Milan. Some personal issue undermined the supposedly very exciting shopping hearts of ours. But none of that matters anymore, issue was not fixed, but I have learnt to let go and accept. So back to Milan.

They have these GENIUS technology in the train station so we could spare our arms for once (Apart from the lifting up and down buses, budget airlines’ staircase to the plane, UP our 3nd floor hotel etc.)

When I thought of Milan, I automatically think of the huge cathedral. But what I didn’t know is that the plaza in front of it are full of black guys handing out bracelets “for free” saying those are “gifts from africa”. It just sounded so odd and we never took them…wonder what would happen though if we did.

All the branded luxury shops are here in this glorious mall: Gucci, Prada, LV etc. Not exactly what we were looking for, we were starving FOR FOOD.

The mall has starry tiles in blue. AND THERE we found it. We had lunch there twice during our 2 days in Milan.

These friendly Swiss couple sat next to us and told us how they like to hear Chinese because they think it’s a beautiful language. What we noticed was how nice the old man was towards his wife. He helped her into her jacket, and these things I just never see in the Chinese society. I know that does not mean they don’t love each other as much, but perhaps they just show it in a different way.

Turns out Milan will hold the World Expo in 2015, there were all these flags along the walking street. Until we felt tired and sat down in this coffee place.

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Then we got hungry…no wait I think we were tired again, or were we cold? OH WELL who cares, we had gelato right after. This GROM place is one of the best one we have had so far!

The next day we came back to the same restaurant because it really was that good, and we were too lazy to think.

The plan was to see other famous attractions, i.e. Sforza castle, and The Last Supper, but since the theme of Milan is fail, we not only missed the opening hours of the castle by just 5 minutes, we also didn’t know to see the oh – so – famous – last supper has to be pre-booked one week in advance…

Caught a glimpse of someone taking photo of a couple who was so “in love”. 😉

At the end we sat down outside a church to take a break. Suddenly the bells started to ring. Usually it is peaceful and calming, but the ones there? It sounded unsynchronized and so chaotic. Sigh, what else to say about that? Even the bells we heard were super fail.

The END of iceLAND.

The weather was just getting better and better everyday. And our hope to see the northern lights was up again. First night was cancelled, second night we went, too cloudy 😦

We were lucky to have a 6-bed room with just the 3 of us 🙂 It made life a whole lot easier.

Finally time to do some intense activities! Horse riding for 1.5 hours around the mountain.

We each got matched to a horse and the owner of the riding school put us each in a fitting jacket and helmet. My horse, (Icelandic horses all looked like ponies, but they are actually really comfortable and reliable) was Gramerer. (I’m just guessing that’s how you spell it, it was too difficult to pronounce, like Grrrrameeerrrrer, with the multiple tongue curling sound) It meant the mask, because it has a white face 🙂

We first were crossing rivers, looking over mountains, and the horses started running so fast and although I was afraid, I could only convince myself to trust him and hold on to him. It felt incredible to be so intimate with a huge animal like a horse. But afterwards my whole body ached really badly… I felt grateful that I am born in the era with planes and trains 🙂 I liked my horse so much because it made me felt safe the whole time and it was such a special feeling to feel its breathing under his thick muscles when I placed my palm on its neck.

Remember how Iceland is well-known for its natural scenery? The Golden Circle tour has got it all, the Gulfoss Waterfall, Euro-American tectonic plates (not sure if that’s the right term :P) and the Geysir where water shoots up from time to time to release the pressure. Unfortunately, weather was poor and it compromised our experience…

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Although the attractions were not that captivating, the tour guide himself was rather entertaining. He said the weather here is even more unpredictable than his wife. And these white, green things you see in the photo there, are marshmallows for the cows. Green is mint flavor and it makes their milk minty. Yes I think he is crazy. He mentioned the Reykjavik Mayor being his cousin, and he was a former comedian…He wears pink suit too, I verified the last piece of information. Isn’t Iceland the cutest country ever? 🙂

from http://www.newsoficeland.com/home/entertainment-leisure/other/item/594-the-mayor-of-reykjavik-jumps-into-a-pool-wearing-a-suit

Good stories are not always perfect, and the best ones are those that leave certain regrets. At the end after trying for 3 nights, we did not manage to see any northern lights. We saw a lot a lot of stars though but that was it. (yes those are not dusts on your screen)

We stopped at a really cozy family-owned B&B for toilet. Perhaps I will come back one day and just stay in their cottages for a month 🙂 And watch the stars and attempt northern lights again. (The tickets are kindly valid for 3 years. Although the tour guide did say there will not be any more northern lights after 2 years from now 😦

Last night in Iceland, we had again traditional Iceland food in a restaurant named after Nordic god, Loki (Yes! Like in Thor/Avengers 🙂 The color tone was creamy yellow with warmly lit lights. I tripped as I was going up the stairs and the waiter said to me “It’s still too early to be drunk!” And I was so embarrassed 😛

Hot chocolate with Iceland spirits.

Assorted fish, and shark that tasted really fishy

My craving for sweet food 😛

Although this trip was not perfect, it was beyond my expectation. Perhaps I did not even know what to expect! I felt so lucky to have the resources to be here and at the end of the day, everything in life are reminders of how lucky I am, the great food, the nice people, the weather, the sun! I will never take things for granted. I have never been this appreciative of how fortunate I am until now.

Reykjavik left with us the impression of a beautiful night city and I became even more fond of Iceland at the end. Northern lights, when it is meant to be, when it is the right moment, I will see you some day.

Bordeaux Day 1

After the enriching week in Spain, the only part of my body that was still functioning properly is my hair, all other pieces were either bruised, sore, fatigued or ALL OF THE ABOVE. Obviously, I have never taken into account resting time in between all the traveling, guests visiting and schooling and I am not the most robust person out there…Hopefully I will still be in one piece by the end of May, after all initial plans to visit 13-14 countries.

At night I had no choice but to sleepover at Nice airport. Though it was dimmer with more comfortable chairs to sleep on, there was also a hobo who slept around that area. It was mildly intimidating but hey, life is all about facing your fears and becoming braver!

After a long night and a delay due to captain’s sickness, I finally landed into the very different landscape of Bordeaux. From above, you could see the winding meanders stretching all across the green canvas of agricultural land. I did not see any oxbow lake though 😉

The world’s largest urban area to be named a UNESCO world heritage site welcomed me with pouring rain. During this whole trip in Bordeaux, I got more rainy days than my entire month in the South.

It was easy to find my way out to the city (perhaps I was getting better? 😉 unfortunately plan A of meeting my friend there failed. Thank god we do have a plan B.

Problem solving time: stay calm, don’t panic, look helpless and harmless.

I asked around and people were so nice to help me out with their google maps and I finally stumbled upon their fascinating apartment.

Note to self: ALWAYS have more than one plan at least for important matters. I mean it’s not like you have to carry a fire extinguisher around or anything, but just be well prepared.

Sadly, my plan B was flawed as I forgot to ask which floor or room number it was. so I just had to ring all bells and got replies like we no speak English…then finally I heard footsteps; the door opened and my friend was there! I don’t think I have ever been that happy to see him :p

After a hot long lovely shower, I was refreshed again. Yay, I’m getting more sturdy now: 3 hours sleep + coffee and food and shower and I am good to go. (Perhaps I will no longer be tofu by the end of exchange 😉

My friend has an Interesting house. It was old, wobbly and it was as if the entire mansion was falling apart, but it was different in a good way. The key, the door knob, the middle outdoor space, the fireplace, the irregular shaped kitchen all seemed very French to me.

The house is also in a ridiculous central location. I walked 5 minutes and I am at the Saint Andre church. It was definitely one of the most crippled church I have seen. But I liked it, it smelled and felt different. This church seemed to contain more stories with the greyish, peeled off pillars.

Then I also walked passed another random church. Seriously though, they are just everywhere. They are like the Starbucks in Hong Kong. I mean in terms of quantity.

I saw many lovely small shops that sell toys and children books etc that was really adorable.

I discovered a free musee d Aquitaine but it was just super horrifying. I didn’t get the purpose or the theme of it. I was practically the only one there and the atmosphere freaked me out.

At the end, the trading of slaves part was a bit heart twitching. Do you know only those slaves who were packed tightly in the ship has only 25% survival rate? Less than 3 people survive out of 10 slaves 😦

Then randomly I arrived at Plaza Victoire (Vic TUA) 😛

Bordeaux is just such a big city with big, wide roads. I almost got lost when I was finding my way home. I thought I just have to find back the church, and I will be home, but turned out I recognized the wrong side of it… The wind was ridiculously strong too like it wanted to blow me away. My tiny umbrella became useless and I decided to walk back, French style – with just a hat on.

For Dinner we went out to a black and white restaurant and had beef and duck with lots of salad and delicious fries 🙂 It was such an interesting restaurant, all they sell are beef/fish/duck + salad and fries, with JUST ONE SAUCE. But it was good, may be that’s why people kept coming still despite the limited choices.

The strong wind and rain wide kept hinting not so subtly that we should go back home so we finally gave up and called it a day. Well 4 more days, plenty of time left!

Madrid Day 1

After spending a night at Madrid airport, we were off to visit the Madrid Palace and Plaza de Oriente and it welcomed us with windy but sunny weather.

There were kids who saw us and started doing gang nam style dancing … Strange but it happened 4 times in our trip.

We stopped by a library (I managed to recognize biblioteca despite my extremely limited Spanish;)
Then we got kicked out for reasons that I did not understand because the grumpy lady refused to speak English. (Perhaps it’s for playing with their seemingly ancient books? :p)

Then we visited a really warm but rather expensive market, Parque de Retiro, and a nice church. (Well they kind of all looked the same after awhile, but still worth paying a visit 🙂 and I promised a dear friend to visit churches and take photos.

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It was already 2 pm and in Spain, that means lunch time! We finally joined my equally food loving friend Annie who is on exchange in Madrid for a Spanish tapas lunch. I had to eat 2 bread because well I wasn’t full with just one. It was 3.2 euros including a beer! I started liking Spain from that precise moment when I dive into the Jamon croissant along with a gulp of bubbly cold beer.

We also passed by Plaza Mayor and Plaza de Sol and witnessed a protest…That was when I realized Madrid is the capital of Spain.

Note to self: improve your poor geography.

The late afternoon was for shopping! Everywhere was rebajas. And I carefully spent just a bit :p
At night Siu lee(with a I can’t recognize him hairstyle) joined us from Valencia and impressed all of us with his Spanish (then we realized there were English on the menu.) xD