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 market before you see it as the outdoor canteens serve up a broad range of local specialties, including their famous goulash and just about any type of sausage you can imagine. And to make sure that there was good beer to wash it all down, those barley loving Belgians dropped by to provide a few of their superior brews on tap. Superb!
After surpassing our caloric goals, we headed over to the Hungarian State Opera House to take in Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'. The three and a half hour performance was a resounding success; that's three hours of opera and a half hour of clapping. Those Hungarians sure are a gracious lot!