Things I knew about Budapest before I went to Budapest:

-Location: Hungary

-Language: Hungarian, which involves many consonants and many accents (tip: ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are kérek [care-ek] and ‘köszönöm‘ [kur-sur-nurm].)

Things I learned about Budapest once I got to Budapest:

-Used to be two cities: Buda and Pest

-Part of the E.U.

-Currency: Still transitioning to using the Euro, so mostly uses its previous currency, forints*

-Food: Paprika. So. much. paprika. In a good way if you’re a fan. Also, goulash, a delicious soup that I enjoyed more before I learned that its meat is sometimes stored in bags made from sheep stomachs.

-Hobbies: Turkish baths and horseback riding. There are thermal water sources all over Hungary and a ton of grasslands, so it shouldn’t be surprising that public bathhouses and riding are popular activities.

-Sights to see:

Budapest Parliament

Statue Park, Memento Park (relocated Soviet-era statues)

Atop Castle Hill, home of the National Palace, the Hungarian National Gallery, and the Budapest Museum.

Fisherman’s Bastion

* Forints reminded me of florins (Italian currency), which then made me think of the fictional country named Florin in the classic movie The Princess Bride, which then made me happy because it’s a great movie. So Budapest got some bonus points from me by very loose association a favourite childhood film. Also, Budapest has a labyrinth and secret passageways are my favourite.