I heart Hungary.

No, that's an understatement. I fuhriggin' looove it.

I walked across the Danube today. Twice. How cool is that?

Budapest has just the right combo of grit, old world beauty and spas. This is my kind of town. If I didn't think there might be something more beautiful ahead, I might never leave.

After the overnight train--uneventful after I actually got on the train; waiting at the train station was like night of the living dead; I saw dirty feet sticking out beneath a toilet stall, scary--I had a little bit of trouble finding my digs, but that's ancient history now. To recover, I got myself to the nearest spa, which just happened to be the Gellert, Budapest's oldest. And I spent the next four hours swimming in the Parthenon, steaming, saunaing, cool baths, hot thermal spring baths, and receiving a marvy "medical" massage from a very nice lady while she sang along to "Eye of the Tiger" on the radio playing in the big room where other naked ladies were getting rubdowns. I love hanging out with unselfconscious naked ladies. We're talking hot babes mixed with old fat bellied, skinny-legged grannies with the somewheres in betweens like me, all walking around, hanging around, swimming around totally naked. Joy!

Then I walked from Buda, where the baths and my hotel are, to Pest--hence the Danube crossing--and found myself some Hungarian food. They always start meals with soup, so I had a liver-dumpling in clear broth soup before my meal of chicken, veggies and berry dumplings covered in custard for dessert. I also bought myself a pastry for breakfast at the train station. I picked it, not knowing what it was, because it had the word "turd" in its name. This, for some reason, delighted me. And it was delicious. Not at all stale. One more point for the Hungarians over the Czechs! I also think I discovered that "turd" is Hungarian for raisin. Tee-hee.

After din-dins I walked around some more until I stumbled into St. Stephen's Basilica--right into a mass. So I went to mass, and I think this place is the most beautiful church I've ever seen. Mind you, I've seen a lot of friggin' gorgeous churches. Maybe it's just that each new one is always surprising in its beauty.

I walked around some more and now I'm back at the hotel/hostel, which is really just a dingy old dorm in the university section of town. But what more do I want for a private $20 room with a sort-of view toward the river? Breakfast? Sure, I could have that for an extra $2.50, but I'd rather venture out on my own for more turd pastries.

I'm also falling in love with Hemingway as I read "A Moveable Feast." Picked it up at an English language bookstore in Prague before I left. Love it.

Anybody read it?