Budapest

I love BP! Yesterday, Sunday, I took the train up from Kaposvár for doctor's appointments and to check out the Christmas markets…after a bite to eat, I'll take a walk over to Vörösmarty Square, where the largest of the Christmas markets are held…from reports online, it is a shell of its normal self, which is to be expected when just next door, so to speak, Austria shut down all their markets…there's also a market in the square in front of the Basilica, called an Advent market, although I do not know the difference.

Today, Monday, was damp & cold with a blustery breeze that made it feel colder than the hi-40's temp projected…most pedestrians were going about their busy, business day well bundled against the wind…the Airbnb I'm renting is in the 9th District, Ferencvaros or Frank Town…I left the apartment an hour ahead of my appointments, so started walking, knowing that I could jump on any tram or bus, should the time grow short…this is because the first thing I did when arriving at Keleti Station was to buy a 72-hour transit pass…I may not use it all that much, but it's good to know I can step on any form of transit, on both sides of the Danube, without the hassle of a single ticket and verifying it…it turned out that I had plenty of time and arrived at the medical center with 15 minutes to spare.

Exaggerating I may be, but it sure seemed to me that I could hear English being spoken in every block on my walk…not like the small, rural Kaposvár…mostly, I heard English with a British accent, although I did hear a lilting Irish brogue, for sure…not to be missed…one of my projects that I've been planning since I arrived here in Hungary, is to visit the British Isles…with an emphasis on the Emerald Isle…maybe next Spring.

To all my peeps in the States: now that Turkeyday is past, I can wish you a "Merry Xmas."