going east

i managed to pull myself out of vienna and spent one day in budapest, so i made it to eastern europe after all! (though i've since learned that hungary is the last country in the central european time zone so some people don't consider it eastern europe.)

buda! pest! it was foggy but still quite lovely. i think i was a little euro'ed out by the time i visited, so i wasn't terribly wowed by the city. but looking at my pictures four months later, i'm belatedly impressed. i ended the trip at the terror museum, which has all sorts of contemporary exhibits on the nazi and soviet years. it's absolutely depressing and doesn't conclude with any kind of redemptive "we really appreciate the beautiful freedom we have now" ending -- it just sends you to the exit making you feel like killing yourself. so that may have slightly dampened my impression of the city. also, it was the first place i've been where the language was a complete mystery. but everyone has such nice things to say about budapest that i think i'll have to go back and spend more time there some day.

and since i'm four months behind and it will be impossible to catch up, this blog will skip all of my december adventures (summary: first ski trip in the alps, europa park, company christmas party (and still beating all challengers at ping pong while slightly inebriated), freiburg, and plenty of glühwein) and i'll finally be in 2006. until next time!