Budapest is a hard city to pin down. There are so many aspects to the city that I never felt like I had the full picture. Strolling along the Danube, I saw that Buda is hilly and old, and Pest is flat and contemporary. Along the city streets, I saw ancient Medieval buildings, Art Noveau, and modern apartments. Each neighborhood has its own unique feel that can only really be captured by living there for a while.

Perhaps it is that same diversity and intangibility that makes me feel so comfortable in Budapest. I caught myself thinking a couple of times about how I could live there, but then I realized I really don't want to learn to speak Magyar (that's what Hungarian's call themself and their language). Buapest is just the right size: big enough to handle a diversity of sub-cultures, and small enough to find your way around. It's just the right speed, too: on the busy streets I could feel the bustle of a true city, but just turning one corner allowed me into neighborhoods where people are strolling along, chatting in cafes, or playing with their kids and dogs.

It has been really hot the last few weeks, so we took it slow, but we still managed to see a lot. We explored the Buda Catle district, which has more nooks and crannies than any other castle we've seen so far. We got lost for hours in the courtyards, peering off ledges and out windows at great views of the hills of Buda and the mansions across the river. Unfortunately the beautifully tiled church was in scaffolding, but there are plenty of other buildings in Budapest with the same amazing tiled rooves. We gawked at Fisherman's Bastion, a whole complex of ramparts and towers that loomed over us like a giant sand castle.

We spent a day climbing slowly up to the Citadell, which is basically a bunch of statues and neat panoramic views covered in tourists. I feel bad for those who took the tourist bus up because they missed the best part of the twisting walk up. The views kept changing as we gained height and lost our breath. Also, we sunbathed in the city park, next to the disappointing lake crowned by the neat castle area.

We were able to be a little more active as the sun went down. We went out every other night, discovering a new side to Budapest each time. Our first night we found the Old Man's Pub, which lives up to its name as a smoky cave. In this pub whose beautiful-babe bartenders have been turned into a calendar, we were entertained by the Hobo Blues Band. They did not quiet live up to their name, but were much better than I expected. These Magyars really pulled off the American-style bluesy rock. The star of the show was the Neanderthal at the mic who grunted and screamed at the audience. And they competely transformed Break On Through and Love Me Two Times into chaotic anthems. Next was the Jazz Garden which is oh, so cool. The room is like an Italian terrace, with cafe chairs, small colorful lamp posts, palm fronds sticking out of unusual places, and twinkling stars peering out of the black-sky ceiling. The jazz was OK.

My favorite night out was the the Sirius Tea Room. It was so trippy and unusual, I enjoyed it even more than the one in Prague. The receptionist at our hostel recommended it to us, and warned us that it would be hard to find. We followed her directions perfectly and then wandered up and down the street for thirty minutes. Finally, we gave up and went to the unmarked cafe across the street, and boy were we surprised: the first room is just like any European cafe, except for the couple of shishas in the corner. Only when we peered behind a foreboding-looking curtain did we discover the typical tea room, with people's shoes left at the door in front of the Indian-style cushions strewn about. We didn't figure out why we'd come this whole way until we saw a cabinet in the corner. When we opened the door and crawled through we found Wonderland. The walls were decorated by someone on very strong drugs--the ceiling was covered in swirls of clouds, and tiny planets inhabited by aliens; and the walls featured dragons, deamons, volcanoes, and the rest. We chose to climb the rope ladder up to some inviting seats.

So you see, it is the small things that really impressed me about Budapest. Sure we checked off the site, like any good tourists. But out of the harsh sun, we found glimpses of the real city full of unique people. I wish I had more time to get to know it better, but we must leave time for Sarajevo...