With both Adam and Napa Kyle gone, Napa Chris and I were the lone Oktobefest remainders on the trip and would be traveling to Budapest where we'd rendezvous with our wanderlusting friend Anna Fontus who'd be bopping over from Germany. (Anna joining us for the last leg of the trip had been decided over drinks before a free Franz Ferdinand concert at Sacramento's Concerts in the Park - it's worth mentioning that it was the infamous "Sparty Party" that got Anna on the hook to join us...more on that later).
Photography by Napa Chris - Anna and I after we embarrassing hopped a fence to get into a free community concert - thank you to the cocktails at 1010 room for the push to rendezvous in Budapest
Napa Chris and I hopped on the train from Prague to Budapest together. Since he was in first and I a plebe in second, I took the essentially solo travel opportunity to take a nice long snooze.
When we arrived in Budapest, it was already getting dark and it was obvious from the signs, people, and feel that we were no longer in Western Europe. Everything I read online said not to take a taxi and as Napa Chris had already bounced to his respective accommodations, I was begrudgingly left to figure it out for myself just as the sun was setting. Thankfully, the hippocket WiFi and I were up for the challenge with approximately 5% battery in my phone and 30 minutes of sunlight to hoof it to Wombats City Hostel Budapest where I’d secured a private room for Anna and I (Anna was visiting family in Berlin and would be arriving the next morning).
After a brief pep talk that I’m a smart competent woman who is more than capable of finding her hostel by herself and not to be too frustrated with Napa Chris for abandoning me where I was clearly in jeopardy of being "taken" and then reminding myself that no one was looking to "take" 30-year old women no matter how good your botox is, I walked all of 5 minutes (honestly...maybe less) and was there. It was all a bit anticlimactic beyond that Wombats Budapest was one of the nicer hostels I’ve ever been to. I threw down my things, changed, charged up my phone and pocket WiFi, and headed out to meet Napa Chris, the man who "abandoned me" for my treacherous 5 minute walk to the hostel, for dinner. While the meal itself was unmemorable, the spritzer selection at this place was unreal (when I say unreal, I mean they legit had a spritzer MENU where could could choose how much fizzy water you wanted based on 1/4 cup, 1/3, 1/2…as well as the type of wine). As my travels in Budapest continued, I would realize this was a whole thing here and they take their spritzers very seriously. I was all about it.
Example of Budapest "spritzer menu"
Even more examples of spritzer selections
One of many "rose spritzers" I enjoyed over the course of our trip
We headed to bed early that night to prepare for Anna’s arrival, site seeing and the general debauchery that was bound to ensue with us hooligans.
In the morning, I walked by some pretty jaw-dropping architecture before meeting Napa Chris at Gerbaud (a place famous for their confections for the past 160 years). I looked for an American gorging themselves and quickly found Napa Chris behind a desert mountain. Not wanting to let him gorge alone, I ordered a beer, an additional ice cream desert mountain, and a green juice (because balance?). The pretentious waiters visibly hated us which made me hyper-aware and Napa Chris order more food.
Americans = bring on the desert and beverage buffet
Next we bounced over to the Hungarian “terror museum" which admittedly we found to be more sad than terrifying. To sooth our souls, we headed out for more spritzers and to try some Langos (kind of a pizza meets Naan bread with stuff on top situation). Pretty solid.
Terror Museum - faces of those who lost their lives
"Langos" = Budapest pizza (sort of)
Another spritzer bar
If you can't tell, we were very into the spritzers
A lovely public place to enjoy your spritzers
Anna arrived that evening and we couldn’t be more excited. While we were enjoying the site seeing and food/spritzers, what we really came to Budapest to do was rage. Budapest, like so many big cities in Europe, has really mastered the art of up-lighting and the city comes alive at night.
Anna and I ready to explore!
Up-lighting example 1
Up-lighting example 2
Random cool stuff you see in Budapest
Up-lighting example 3
Up-lighting example 4
We briefly stopped by a large discoteca underneath a bridge (very cool) before heading to a massive night market and then the ruin bars (along the way we saw a variety of “public booze benches” and fun things for drunk people to occupy themselves with in well-lit areas which also impressed me.) TIP - WHEN IN BUDAPEST, GO TO THE RUIN BARS! The ruin bars were AMAZING, easily some of the coolest bars I’ve ever been to. Located in the Jewish Ghetto (which became dilapidated in the decades following WWII) , these hip bars and clubs have been erected from the crumbling buildings and ruins of the past. Filled with awesome music, cheap drinks, funky/gritty/eclectic decor, and LED lights - I was immediately in love.
Outdoor street food market
Terrible photo of the Ruin Bars - but seriously these bars were cool
Video tour of Szimpla Kert - courtesy of my Instagram
We started off in the Ruin Bars at the iconic Szimpla Kert which is the first Ruin Bar and not to miss if you find yourself in Budapest. Coming from the US, there’s nothing you can (safely) attend like this where we are from (I say safely because there are probably some form of underground raves like this in crumbling buildings somewhere in the states, but nothing as cool as this you can attend while knowing the building you are in is structurally sound and that someone isn’t under a blanket around the corner doing some illicit drug involving needles or a crack pipe).
Here is a photo of Simpla Kert stolen from the internet because by this point we were having too much fun
More tours I felt the world should see
We were HUGE fans of the Ruin Bars and spent the rest of the evening enjoying cocktails, dancing, and meeting new friends.
The next day Napa Chris and I took Anna to our new favorite spot - Germaud! Though the waiters treated us with the type of disdain one might imagine an American with a thick southern accent trying to use google translate to speak French is treated like in a Paris café, we regardless enjoyed ourselves and their tasteful treats (we told ourselves their obvious contempt for our presence elevated the “elite” experience)
Gormandizing myself at Germaud
Following our confections for breakfast, we went for a long walk around the City. Around this time, I managed to sit in bird poop. There wasn’t much I could do beyond try to drown out Napa Chris’s hyaena like laughter.
Just a casual stroll in Budapest
Thanks birds, thanks
More beautiful things
Just random live music - pretty cool!
As annoyed as I was by his continued pointing at my butt and laughing, I was delighted that he had pushed for our next activity which was a River boat down the Danube. We had the boat nearly to ourselves and it was an awesome experience floating by some of Budapest's most iconic sites including The Chain Bridge, Elisabeth Bridge, Budapest Parliament Building, Buda Castle, and circle the Margaret Island.
Just on a boat on the Danube - no big deal
Just floating on by this awesomeness
For dinner we dined at the top of big building and had some great food (including an Octopus hotdog!) and a few cocktails before heading back to our hotel/hostels to change for the evening’s big event - the SPARTY PARTY! What, you might ask, is a “Sparty Party?” - the best way I can think to describe it is if you were to take an evening Vegas Pool Party, add in some more LED lights and debauchery, and plop it into the middle of the ancient famous Budapest thermal baths because it’s a giant pool party rave at the largest ancient thermal bath in Budapest (aka the Szechenyi Bath).
Unsure what to wear to a pool party in Europe in the fall where during the day I’m rocking a north face jacket, we opted to wear our bikinis and trunks under exercise clothes (later, as we left soaking wet and wildly intoxicated, I was thankful we opted for this somewhat bizarre cover-up choice).
Probably the strangest cover-up I've ever worn - but when in Budapest, in the fall, and heading to a pool party - what does one wear?!
Upon arrival, we were presented with our robe, wristband, drink coins, locker slippers, and a changing room key (we paid extra for the robes and slippers - pro tip, it was worth it!).
Entrance to Sparty Party - got better inside
The Sparty Party was a total sausage fest (85% men, easily) which, had I known my travel partner that I’d been dating throughout this trip was going to break up with me LITERALLY as soon as I returned stateside, I would’ve leaned in a little more (sigh). With Napa Chris off the market with his Canadian love back home (and limited females in attendance anyways) and me delusionally faithful to the guy who opted to tell the paragliding instructor in Interlaken we were “friends” because he couldn’t bring himself to say “dating”, the onerous fell on Anna to appreciate the raging meat market.
Sparty Party
Obviously Napa Chris and I took it upon ourselves to find her a suitable stud (err gentleman) to banter with. After a long, slightly drunk game of “what about that guy? How about that one?” (And calling every Tom, Dick, and Harry - well more like Lars, Franz, and Gustav- over to meet our “hot single friend”) Anna finally realized we were never going to stop and grabbed a guy she found suitable to stop our cackling antics. As she bantered with her new friend, Napa Chris and I started chatting up other folks in the pool. A few people asked us if we had drugs to sell them, I wasn’t sure if this was a compliment (that we seemed hip enough to be drug dealers) or that they thought we seemed weird and old and thus must’ve only been there to sell drugs to young people.
Just 3 Americans here to enjoy a Sparty Party, nothing to see here!
We spent the night ounce ounce dancing and splash partying under LED lights in the ancient baths until they finally kicked us out. Getting home that night soaking wet was admittedly interesting. All I’ll say is that we made it and the whole experience was definitely worth it!
Budapest was a total trip, a unique emergence of Western Europe meets Eastern Europe, and an awesome experience to have with two buddies. While I’m not sure it’s a City I would rush back to, I’m definitely glad to have seen and experienced it! It was a great end to a very full trip!
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