Budapest is excellent.

Before I came to Hungary, I could probably tell you three things about it: The main character in the movie Kontroll, which is a Hungarian film, eats an onion raw. Apple-style. I haven't seen this movie yet but Stella told me about it. Another thing I could tell you is that one of the characters in My Fair Lady is referred to as a "hairy hound from Budapest". The third is that there is a Buda side and a Pest side in Budapest, divided by the Danube which runs through the middle. And I didn't even know that until about three weeks ago. In summary, I was totally ignorant. Luckily, during the past few days I have learned a lot more about the city! The most important tidbit is that it is actually pronounced BudapeSHt, not BudapeSt. Take note, Americans.
This is a photo of me in front of the Chain Bridge, which was the first bridge (I think) to connect the cities of Buda and Pest. It's a big deal.

I really, really like this city. It is a lot easier on the wallet than Vienna was, and although it is a little bit more gritty and edgy, it is just as interesting and historically rich. While the city is certainly still recovering from its communist days, I think that it makes the atmosphere of the city more interesting. You will frequently see buildings of the Baroque or Secessionist style right next to an ugly, boxy, utilitarian style office building.
Here are the best things I've done in Budapest:
1) Our hostel, called The Groove, was recommended to us by a fellow American that we know from Bogazici University. It is right off a main street so there's a bit of noise from the traffic below, but it is a great building. It is pretty empty right now, so Stella and I have this enormous room with high ceilings and a nice view almost to ourselves. Sleeping late has become a (not so good) habit.
2) The Budapest Free Walking tour is exactly what it sounds like. We just showed up in St. Istvan square, met our tour guide, and went on a very informative and chill tour of some of the coolest parts of the city. No charge, but tips were welcome at the end. Our tour guide was a young lady who was quite knowledgeable, funny, and not overly peppy. I managed to take a few pictures.

Two views of St. Steven's Basilica (aka St. Istvan)- not actually a basilica. St. Steven is a BIG DEAL here, because he made the region Christian. His right hand is a relic and is on display inside. We didn't really see it because you have to insert coins to turn on a light that shines on it. A tourist trap. We are so beyond that stuff.
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A view of Pest from the Buda side, featuring the dome and spire on top of St. Steven's and the Chain Bridge.

This was a palace located on the Buda side that was built for the Habsburgs, namely Maria Theresa, who never actually stayed here because she was always having babies in Vienna. After our tour ended, Stella and I stayed for a little bit on the Buda side to get some night-time action shots of the view with all the beautiful lights.

Pictures taken from the Fisherman's Bastion.

See if you can spot me! The foreground is the Fisherman's Bastion, and behind it is St. Matthias Cathedral.

3) Today, Stella and I went to the baths. If you recall from my earlier post about the Turkish Hamam, I have been to a bath with Stella before. This was totally different. Lots and lots of steam rooms, saunas, indoor and outdoor pools, all with varying temperatures and therapeutic values. Sadly, all the signs were written in Hungarian, so we weren't really sure which pools were supposed to be treating us for psoriasis or curing a hangover. We tested a lot of them, regardless of what they were for. My favorite was the hottest outdoor pool, which was 38 degrees celsius and had a big fountain in the middle. The building itself was beautiful, and the pools outside were located in some kind of central courtyard with all of these pagan statues and fancy fountains. Most impressive, Budapest. Well done. One thing I learned about myself in the process: I don't really like sharing bath water with hundreds of strangers. It was a cool experience, but I don't think I'm any cleaner right now. I fact, I think I smell a bit like sulfur or maybe feet. And when I see unidentifiable specks floating towards me through the bath water, my imagination runs wild. It's better not to think about what you're swimming in, I guess!

Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy, but I am really hoping to get some more pictures before we leave tomorrow night. Our plan for getting back to Istanbul is a little complicated, and it involves a 12 hour bus ride to Sofia, Bulgaria. Should be interesting!