Oh yeah, so the escalators in Budapest are WAY faster and WAY steeper than any other escalators I have ever been on. Getting in and out of the metro stations never ceased to be exciting.
Yes, in Europe people wear real fur coats and nobody says a thing about it. Why is this? Because when it's anywhere around or below -5˚c, wearing another animal's skin and fur is a very good way to stay warm. PETA ain't got shit on this classy old lady!
The front of Széchenyi Spa Baths (built in a Neo-Baroque style), which opened in 1913 and was revamped in 1999. However, the knowledge of the natural mineral spring in this location has been around since the 13th century. This place was so crazy. There must have been 15 or more baths of differing temperature, and so much of the original building is in tact... the interior details reminded me of a 1950's sanitarium. By far the most beautiful part of the bath house was the outdoor pool. Huge, and decorated with statues, the steam rising from the hot water obscures anything more than a few feet away. With the outdoor temperature somewhere around -5˚c, running to and from the bath was something new and different, but definitely worth the momentary pain.
On both the second and third day of our time in Budapest, Sara and I spent about 3 hours in a huge turkish bath house. This is me feeling amazingly relaxed after one of those visits.
Sarah and I posing at Heroes' Square, at the entrance of City Park. The tall column, 36 meters tall, and topped by the Archangel Gabriel holding the Hungarian crown and the double cross, is the centerpiece to the Millenium memorial. The memorial, built to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of Hungarian settlement, also includes 14 statues of kings.
I have way too many picture like this. There were just so many beautiful old buildings. I think I am used to being surrounded by modern buildings because they are so prevalent in the U.S., and coming to a place like Budapest,(and Barcelona, and many other European cities for that matter) it is a novelty to be amongst so much history. Nevertheless, I have way to many pictures like this...

At the opera house. Apparently ice cream and opera do not mix.

St. Stephen's Basilica.

Food! We had an amazing lunch at the market... chicken Paprikash with hand made pasta, a bean dish, and some bread thing filled with an egg and tomato... I wish knew the names of all the dishes, but I don't. What's important is that they were delicious.
In most places, the touristy shops are filled with a bunch of kitch crap that is completely useless. In Hungary (Budapest, at least) they sell beautiful handmade textiles, paprika, wooden chess sets, warm hats and other artisanal goods.
At the market our senses were overloaded with amazing sights and smells. Lots of famous hungarian paprika. YUM!
Day 2, we started out with a trip to a huge market and found some RAD hats along the way...