Budapest settling in

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We are back in Budapest, this time for an extended stay of 5 weeks. We will be taking advantage of the easy travel arrangements to visit a few cities and the countryside.

The city is starting to feel familiar, with the gorgeous architecture and the grit. The weather is remarkably pleasant, with full sun and 16-20C, which makes roaming around on foot so much easier. In two days Ive clocked 12 km on foot.

St Stephens Cathedral … so beautiful!

Lots of public transit options, including Danube river boats
On our first days, I spent quite some time going to different markets and stores to build our inventory of stuff. I am still perplexed on the shopping habits. When do I bag and tag the fruits? When can I pick my own?
My favorite place … the Central Market. Yum!
Since I was coming down with a cold (thanks to a long germ-infested airplane ride), my next stop was for a warm bowl of soup. This goulash at the every popular Menza just hit the spot.
Here goulash is a paprika beef soup. Also yum!
My next stop was getting a yoga mat and foam roller which was not so obvious to find. Google helped me track down a specialty store: Yoga Bazaar but I struggled to actually find the store. Street addresses here are funny, and they often change street names between intersections. I finally found this place tucked inside a courtyard and up several flights of stairs. Once inside, I was startled at the selection of mats, clothes, rollers, bolsters, etc all dedicated to the practice of yoga.

The hidden Yoga Bazaar, for all your yoga needs.
I have been entertaining the option of teaching part-time at the local University which is beautifully located right on the Danube. We might make return trips to Budapest a regular thing if it all works out.
The local business school campus.
Meanwhile, despite all this galivanting, I did have some work to do (aside from updating the blog) and found a few local cafes that work well for comfort, quiet, and easy wifi. California Coffee houses definitely have the most comfortable chairs, sofas and even desks!
One of my favorite cafes to work at. Cheap tea and free wifi.
It was nice to stroll the streets of the old town that have now become so familiar to me. I was able to navigate across town with minimal consultation of map or phone. And I have mastered the tram system this time with my all-access and hop-on pass.
Beautiful buildings in a hidden alley of the old town.

Central Café is the spot to hang out and eat desert.
Now that we are settled in to our Budapest homebase for the next 5 weeks, we have upcoming trips to Vienna, Krakow, Prague, London and my mini-ranch vacation to prepare for. Stay tuned for the challenges we face with language, currency, culture, food, and mini-everything in a land where every square inch counts.

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