Budapest

The city of Budapest and the nation of Hungary will be at the top of my European experiences for its modern history, amusingly cynical people, hodgepodge of architectural programs, and the beautiful Danube. 

Hungary's unique heritage and language arises from its origins from East Asia as 7 nomadic tribes moved to Europe. Their expressive language relates more to Japanese and Korean in grammatical structure than their European neighbors. 

Buda and Pest are actually two cities, both with distinct characteristics and history. The flat Pest side of the Danube has no buildings older than 200 years. A 19th century creation of "Hungarian's favorite Hapsburg" Archbishop Josef overlooked the construction of the well organized city planning of Pest. A huge range of architectural styles can be found from Neo-classical to Romanesque to Gothic, but these are merely facades to infused a superficial history into Budapest. 

Parliament- Modeled off of Great Britain's 

Political turmoil plagues Hungary's past with Christian kings, Ottoman empire, Turkish influences, the Hapsburg, Nazis, Soviets, and an essentially one party democracy extends until today. Sarcastic humor can be found among Hungarians when discussing politics as the issues of Post-communism still harbor strong sentiments and stances.  

I love the eclectic mix of architecture scattered around Budapest. Gothic resides next to medieval next to modernist Communism, to Romanesque. 

Matthias Church

The medieval church crowns the Buda hills next to the Danube. The Islamic psychedelic patterns mixed with the Catholic frescoes provided a unique interior for the beautifully ornate church. 

Ruin Bar.

With the fall of Soviet Union, the government sold the shoddy Communist built apartment blocks to Budapest residents at exceedingly low prices. With the purchase of an apartment, the buyer absorbed the responsibility of maintaining and the safety of these decrepit buildings. "Ruin bars" scattered around the city are bars built from the deteriorating blocks of buildings. 

The communists built these bleak concrete modernist facade over the original face of the building.

River Danube at Dusk. Unforgettably beautiful

Zagreb, Croatia

Zagreb does not ooze of Tourism as the other European capitals. Relatively quiet, the city offered a slow paced exploration alongside the Croatian locals. 

Soldiers of a Changing of the Guards ceremony stopping by an medieval relic tucked in the Gradec Stone Gate.

St. Marks Square 

I've been conditioned to be indifferent to street performers, peddlers, and performers in Europe as they represent the rotting effects of tourism. However, Zagreb's cultural performers and ceremonies seemed different in that they felt... authentic. Not for money, but to celebrate heritage. It's a shame that Zagreb is an anomaly. 

Stumbling upon a street food festival, I excited walked passed stalls to see what Croatian street food had to offer... 

Turns out that this weekend's theme was "international." Meaning Hotdogs for America, Spaghetti for Italy, Curry for India, Fish and Chips for the UK, and samplings for a variety of breads, cheeses, and beers. 

Croatia has been the cheapest country by far. I recognized the price differences most in buying produce. A kilo of strawberries only 8 kunas or about $1.20. All the vendors of the farmer's market used old scales and weights. 

Traditional Croatian Burek- Flaky pastry baked with sharp cheeses or meat inside.

There are no domestic beers in Croatia so they borrow from their Slovenian neighbors.

As traditional as it gets. Sausages, ham, chicken fillet, pork fillet, meat loaf, and steak on a bed of french fries and mushrooms. 

Described as "Croatian pancakes" by our waiter, the dish seemed more akin to a spinach and cheese casserole. 

Plitvice National Park, Croatia

Hundreds of gushing waterfalls, flourishing hillsides, and wooden walkways above streams provide Plitvice a unique and unmatched beauty. 

Arriving on a day of drizzle and gray overcast, I walked through mists from the continuous waterfalls and from the sky. 

Without hesitation, I place this experience of hiking alongside the beautiful lakes and waterworks as one of best of my Europe trip. 

With a week to go, I find myself thinking of how places like Plitvice will follow me through my life. 

Austria, Slovenia transit

After spending more than a week in Italy, I departed for Croatia. A 22 hour transit allowed a half day in Villach, Austria. The Alps surrounded the city and occupied the horizon in any direction.

In an older cabin train, we were treated to spectacular landscapes through Slovenian mountains.

Lush mountainsides of vibrant green, turquoise rivers, and glacier lakes made this the most scenic trainride of my trip.

Cinque Terre

Tucked into the western coastline of Italy, Cinque Terre's five villages offered beautiful and unique destinations for exploration.

The villages could be visited through boat and train. The historic trails that once linked the centuries old villages have been recently shut down due to floods and landslides.

A Medieval seaside fortress/ church gives a sense of how long the rugged coastline has been populated. 

A friend

There's not much history or cultural background learned in Cinque Terre. The villages have been inhabited since perhaps the year 800. Through through the agrarian innovations of farmers carving the coastal cliffs into gardens, Cinque Terre continued through centuries of isolation.

The crooked charming crammed buildings characterize the villages

Viewpoints can be granted only with a hike up the coastal hills.

 

A self proclaimed "true Casanova" sold an alcoholic citrus drink made from his personal garden. We talked with him for a bit as we downed the drink. He was fluent in German, English, French, and Italian and gave a short speech about the sedentary lifestyles of today's youth.

We followed the only available hike between the buildings.

Squid ink

Battered and fried cod, anchovies, squid, potato, and onion.

Anchovy fillets. 

Basically all the seafood usuallu found at a restaurant on one plate.

Beautiful harmony of nature and man

Firenze

Giotto's tower as seen from below

The centerpiece of Europe for the Renaissance, Florence  birthed and fostered an immeasurable amount of influence over the arts and sciences for centuries. 

Florence parallels Rome in the amount of historical architectual that builds the framework of the present-day city. It's easier to imagine oneself walking through the same alleyways or into the same church.

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

The beautiful green and white marble patterns of the magnificent cathedral creates awe differently than the complex designs of the gothic fascade.

Unexpected changing of the guards ceremony

Scattered sculptural programs for the masses

운진 and I headed to an open market to tastes some fine cheeses and cured meat. 

Easter parade. Bulls are big

There's endless exploration available in beautiful Florence. The city keeps the historical core intact and timeless.