Easter Vacation beginnings...

So, I find myself sitting here in Budapest at an internet cafe and it is sooo surreal. It is remarkable that it hasn't really hit me that I am here and actually doing it. I have dreamed so long, that it seems that my trip, even the whole European experience is a dream. Perhaps Lewis Carroll had it right when he wrote: "Perhaps life is all but a dream" (or something like that :P, I have the quote back home in Perpignan).

I will backtrack a bit and give you the scoop on the interesting tidbits of each city I have visited so far:

PRAGUE
1) It truly is an architectural paradise. All of the different styles combine together in a rather ecclectic way creating a dynamic atmosphere that you can only be swept away by. Getting lost among the cobbled roads and checking out all of the artisan soaps of traditional Czech specialities are fantastic. The bonus is the fact that you can haggle a bit and prices aren't as expensive as in Western Europe. But don't believe it when other people say that it is way way less cheap, cause it really isn't. It is reasonable.

2) Eating ham the Old Fashioned Czech way was delicious (I have missed ham) and extremely filling. They gave me a huge piece. And what they do, is roast a big pig (not the head or legs or anything like that) on a pole over a grill. It is yummy yummy!

3) The funny lady in the synagogue who I swear appeared out of nowhere and swept us on a tour. It was very difficult to understand...lets say the word robot was inclueded and the name Gollum. Who knew LOTR was a part of the Jewish tradition?

4) Meeting up with a Quebecois guy, Keaven, who we hung out with one night. It was neat to see someone who had just been in Canada. We asked him lots of questions about Quebecois French in comparison to the French we were learning in French. Neither of the two are similar. It is quite interesting and funny in fact. I also learned that the playoffs had started and my Sens are playing Tampa Bay. But I think the biggest thrill was that he brought home to us even if only for a few hours!!!

BUDAPEST
1) Arriving to a hostel and seeing that it is decent (the Prague hostel was nasty). However, the train to Budapest was really really sketchy and gross and I have to say my appreciation for clean toilets keeps growing the more and more I travel in Europe.

2) We toured around Pest yesterday. It is the newer part of Budapest and in truth, it reminds me a lot of Toronto. In my opinion, it is only the language factor that really reminds me that I am not back home. We saw a beautiful park, architecture, Heroes' Square and Andassy ut (the grand boulevard) among other things. We did a lot of walking!!!

3) The weather here is EXCELLENT. It is really really warm and sunny and I actually am naturally tanning just by walking around outside. I wonder if I will have raccoon eyes by the time this vacation is over. :P

4) We visited Buda today and it was super cool. The palace was gorgeous from the outside (inside is just museums so we didn't go inside) and we wandered around the castle district. We saw Mattias (or Our Lady of the Peace) Church and it was spectacular. After seeing so many churches it was neat to walk into one where it was sculptures palstered with gold that made it stunning but rather paint only on the walls. It was just as awe-inspiring as say St. Pauls or St. Peters or Notre Dame, but in its own right. I think for that reason, it stands among one of the most memorable churches and perhaps a favourite. We also did this labyrinth thingy under the castle grounds and it was both freaky and cool at the same time. I throughly enjoyed it.

5) Goulash soup and Hungarian styled chicken is YUMMY!!!

And that is it for now. Tonight we are taking a boat cruise along the Danube and then touring around the island in the middle for an hour before coming back to land. It should prove to be a beautiful night...from the postcards, Budapest looks very pretty when all alight. Tomorrow we are visiting the second largest synagogue in Europe before heading to the airport to take a plane to Venice.
We will visit Venice, Rome, Pompeii, Capri (the Blue Grotto), and Positano (where we will do a 4 km hike from Bomerano to Positano, called the Path of Gods). I am looking forward to the Italian portion of the trip as well, especially for the gelato ;)