We suppose it goes without saying that this leg of the trip wasn't completely without its moments of stress. Let's start with crossing the border - it would have been impressive to see the mammoth soviet-era border in action, which it had been until 1989, but we simply sailed across with a breeze. Now, at the last gas station in Austria, our debit card failed to work and we had to use the remainder of our cash to pay for our gas. So after crossing the border we sought an ATM - but only found lots of little stands called "vignettes" and money exchange offices. Thinking these were relics from the soviet era (I mean Hungary is part of the EU - they must be on the Euro, right? This line of thought coming from the nitwits living in an EU country on the pound!), we hopped back in the car and proceeded to stop at every gas station we could find in a desperate attempt to find an ATM. You can imagine our relief when we finally found one - for hours we were stressing about what would happen if tolls suddenly appeared on the highway or what we'd do if we had to pee (yes, it IS a privilege to pee in Europe). Thinking everything was under control, we hit our next obstacle as the ATM screen flashed up withdrawal denominations ranging from 5000 to 50,000 Forints. What the hell is a Forint? Guessing that 5000 must be roughly equivalent to $10, or the smallest amount you can withdraw from a US machine, we took out what seemed to be a reasonable amount - but who knows - we could have withdrawn enough money to purchase a small vineyard for all we knew! At this point we decided that it might be prudent to call some Hungarian friends to find out what was going on. It was a helpful conversation, learning that 1 pound = 315 forint (or $1=160 forints) and also discovering that Hungary DID have tolls ("vignettes"!) and you had to purchase a motorway pass for each day that your car is on the road (highway cameras shoot pictures of your car plates and cross check the number against a database of purchased motorway passes). Anyway - we eventually managed to get to Budapest and connect with our friends - although along the way we outlined the chapters for our first book - "Motoring in Continental Europe in a British Car for COMPLETE and TOTAL %@#$ing DUMBASSES".
Leaving our car behind (thank god!), we met up with another American friend from Kingham and set off on foot to explore the capital city. Fortunately, the three of us were blessed to have our own personal tour guide - friend, Hungarian citizen and Kingham Hill co-teacher Éva Huszar:
Éva was absolutely fantastic - coordinating our days, pointing out countless things we would have overlooked and never hesitating to seek help if we stumped her with a question she couldn't answer: 
Budapest is an impressive and beautiful city (well, cities, with Buda and Pest being separated by the Danube). Here's a view from Buda looking at Parliament, situated on the Pest side of the river:
From the covered markets (with lots of paprika stands!) to Hero's square, Budapest is a city with an ancient, complicated and proud heritage:
The 7 Magyar chiefs who conquered the Hungarian territory in the 9th century:
World Heritage Tram with the Imperial Castle overlooking the Danube:
In many ways the sweeping boulevards of Budapest are reminiscent of the grandeur seen in so many European cities. The elaborate buildings, with their facades and beautiful statues are a sight to behold - but there's something different about this city. Unlike the streets of Paris or Vienna - Budapest feels lived in. It's a little greyer, a little grittier - more real... if that makes sense. Jesse was ready to move in right away:
Budapest bears the scars of a complicated past on her sleeve for all to see. Memorials to the 1956 Revolution were everywhere:
The 1956 bullet scars remain on many of the buildings:
One of the most fascinating museums we visited resided within this unsuspecting house at 60 Andrassy Street. The Terror Haza (House of Terror) "is a museum now, but it was witness to two shameful and tragic periods in Hungary's 20th century history. In 1944, during the gruesome domination of the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party, the building was the party headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis. Between 1945 and 1956, the notorious communist terror organizations of the State Security Office and the State Security Authority took up residence here. The building is itself the statue of terror, a monument to the victims" of these regimes:
We also found time to venture beyond the city - to some of little villages in the Hungarian countryside:
A fantastic place for hand-made Hungarian wares and folk art:
But even here, reminders of the Soviet occupation remain. Below is an example of a Soviet street sign - the original name and number of this street was changed to reflect the will of the soviet government:
We moved farther afield to Eger one of the famous wine growing regions of Hungary. The tasting rooms are owned by different vineyards and carved into the base of a hill:
The wine tends to be stored in the back of the building with a tasting room up front. Hungarian wine was a whole new experience for us - less dry whites and more sweet wines (although we did enjoy a great local dry red translated as "Bulls Blood"!).
A gypsy band playing at one cellar:
Needless to say, we enjoyed the tasting experience!
Fortunately, Éva's fiance, Balázs, was our designated driver responsible for carting our sorry intoxicated butts around from one place to the next. Eger was a bit too far from Budapest to make for a comfortable ride home at night, so we decided to put up at a local hostel. A converted convent which we swear was possessed:
Kim tried to repent for her drunkenness and indulgent ways:
Before returning to the city, we stopped to visit with Éva's family in her home village where we were greeted with warm smiles and some FANTASTIC home-cooked Hungarian cuisine:
In perfect English, Éva's dad shares some family history with Lesley and Jesse:
Eventually it was time to go -- despite what you might be thinking, we do work sometimes! Leaving the warmth and hospitality of Hungary behind, we turned to truck back across Europe (stopping in Stuttgart for a night - we learned, no night driving!). 1,180 miles later, we're back in the Cotswolds, reunited with the fuzzies and still trying to unpack all the of wine from the boot!To another fantastic trip, and hopefully more to come. Egészségedre!
