Today's excursion found us at the Hungarian Wine & Cheese Fair, where local artisans bring new wines and cheeses for sampling. The wine ranged from average to very good, while the cheese fell well below our expectations. My judgement may have been skewed by 'the-worst-cheese-ever', which was a semi-ripe goat cheese that was brownish in colour and most definitely rancid. The offensive smell was only outdone by the offensive taste, which no amount of wine could...

Ah, the allure of the thermal baths was just too strong, so today we dropped by for round two. The most refreshing part has to be the sauna with a large basin outside containing fresh crushed ice. There's something about sitting in 90 degree heat and running a snowball over your skin that gives you quite a rush. And the plunge into a 20 degree bath afterward doesn't hurt either! Later we visited one of Budapest's renowned coffeehouses, Central Cafe. Coffeehouses...

First off, we have to give honourable mention to a local canteen where we have now had lunch on three occasions. It is a big meal hall with homemade Hungarian specialties, and for around 3 euros you can have an amazing hot meal. The kicker: not a tourist in sight! Well, maybe just two. This afternoon we checked out the Hospital in the Rock, which was built during WWII in the limestone caves of the Buda hills. The hospital was first used by the Nazis, and later b...

We set out on our second free walking tour here in Budapest, this time with a tour focused on the city's communist past. It is interesting that while Hungary was under the control of the Soviets, the regime doesn't seem to be have been as rigid as it was in other communist countries. People in Hungary enjoyed privileges such as passports for travel, which included a red one for use within the bloc and a blue one for use in countries outside of the bloc. A rather ...

Today we hit the markets to see what Hungarian food culture is all about. The Central Market is a massive indoor affair that takes place on three separate floors. Variety and quality are the words that come to mind as there was quite an impressive spread on display. Baking, pickling, charcuterie: you name it, the Hungarians do it well. Back in the streets, we picked our way around the Christmas markets that appear to be about half set-up. You can smell the marke...