Budapest

Seeing Vienna just before Budapest left Budapest with an impossible comparison.  Budapest was also our last city to see on our trip, which means we didn't have quite the energy, physical stamina, or drive we had at the beginning.  Budapest was pretty forgiving though - probably a trait of having been a city within a country that has weathered more occupations and changes of regime than most countries. 
Budapest is to me a city hidden within a city - meaning, first glance may not do a whole lot for you, or may in fact turn you off entirely, but if you push through that initial feeling or the exterior, there is a fascinating beauty filled with character, authenticity, pride, and stoicism.

It's a 2 and 1/2 hour train ride from Vienna, east to Budapest (oh, and it is pronounced Buda Pesht - and people do find it a sign of respect to enunciate this properly).  It was the sunniest of our train rides on this journey, and unlike the previous trian rides that were filled with lots of hills and mountains and towns and villages left in ruin, or in much the shape they were in 40-50 years ago, the landscape is a lot of countryside/farm/agricultural pastures with in-tact towns and villages along the way.  The sun gave a lightness to it. We arrived in the city centre and had to spend 30 minutes in line to figure out how to get to our area of town, and thus our hotel.

We hit the street and were immediately presented with the different and darker (some would say more authentic) side of eastern Europe.  The Roma of the area walked right up to you to ask for money, elders in very poor condition stumbled by mumbling to themselves, and the harder youth of the area were scoping everyone out.  As opposed to staying in a hotel, I opted for an apartment, which was the more economical choice in the city.  When we got to the "office"  we were a little sketched out, as the office was on the second floor in the middle of a slew of abandoned buildings.  Getting into our apartment was strange as well, as the many floors of apartments were through hallways that were dark. It was pretty eastern block.  The apartment itself was nice though.  The first evening we walked around our neighborhood, but called it a night early and spent the remainder of the evening watching a very bad Jodie Foster/Gerard Butler movie in Hungarian.  Hungarian is such a strange language.  It sounds like a mix of Spanish, Finnish, Japanese, and Czech.  Even the few words I learned to get by were difficult and I rarely said the same word the same way twice.  I continue to marvel at those whose mother tongue is complex and yet speak both English and other languages.  America could improve in this area....

Budapest was the only city on this trip where we took any kind of tour bus, and as we were running out of steam and had only a couple of days, we thought we could see the most of the highlights.  It turned out to be a great idea.  Budapest is a beautiful city, but it shows its age and clearly does not have the money other cities have to give it a little face-lift.  We appreciated that it was a little grittier, as it fit the history, and perhaps maintained what we perceived as its authenticity.  The aging historic buildings, more so there than in the other cities we saw on the tip were punctuated with vibrant, funky, colorful contemporary art.  From street art, including graffiti, to billboards, alleyways in clubs, and more, Budapest is a city that is both old and worn from the history that has shaped it, and it is new and a little strange.  It works that polarity of these two things pretty well.  I am grateful to have gone, and would go back...