Hey guys! I’m finally back after a month spent sightseeing around Europe during the Easter break. Didn’t manage to blog much before the holidays as I was busy rushing all my assignments, especially knowing that I would be away for most of April (note to self: NEVER doing this again!!). It was a period I’d like to call ‘Mid-semester Madness’, having 3 reports due before the break and 2 to be submitted immediately after. I had a good drive and pushed myself to complete my assignments early so that I could enjoy and relax fully while travelling. Albeit being a bit DAMN SHAG SIAL, I felt like I learnt a lot through the past couple of assignments as they are focused on hospitality operations. Definitely a fruitful semester thus far and it’ll only get better from hereon.

SOOO back to my travels, I was roaming around Europe for 20 days, exploring 4 different countries and had an AMAZING time mostly spent on eating (heads up: I tried 10 different gelatos in 7 days) and just a wee bit of sightseeing to burn off the calories!! I’ll be sharing my highlights for my trips to Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria and Italy in the next couple of posts. First up it’ll be Budapest!

Fishermen’s Bastion

The Fishermen’s Bastion a terrace situated on top of the Budapest Castle hill at the Buda bank of Danube. Sporting beautiful architecture in neo-Gothic style and offering the best panoramic views of the city, it’s no surprise that this attraction was absolutely swamped with tourists and locals alike.

Hold Street and Downtown Market + Lunch at Buja Disznó(k)

It only seems natural that a foodie like myself would be drawn to the food markets that each city has to offer. However, I am aware of the possibility of such places to be too ‘tourist-y’ where food vendors are out to extort money from the incautious traveller. BUT, having visited Budapest’s main Central Hall Market this market felt more local and with fewer tourists. The produce and food available here were just amazing!!

Lunch was at Buja Disznó(k), whose name refers to ‘lush pig’ in Hungarian, a nod to the restaurant’s main staple ingredient – pork. I tried 2 dishes, the schnitzel and lung stew. My first bites of each just led to the eventual demolition of the dishes in a matter of minutes. Absolutely stunning!!

Traditional Hungarian Dishes – Langos, Goulash and Chimney Cakes

Langos, a Hungarian fried bread usually sold as street food and highly reminiscent of the good ol’ Singaporean dish of prata. You thought that prata is unhealthy? Well, the bad-boy Langos I bought was loaded with sour cream, ham, cheddar and parmesan. Take that arteries!!

Goulash, a stew of meat and vegetables heavily spiked with paprika, giving it the distinctive fiery red hue. A true national dish of Hungary, it is even considered a symbol of the country (so Wikipedia says). Served with a side of spatzle, an egg ‘noodle’ quite like pasta, this hearty dish would warm up your soul on the coldest of winter nights.

Chimney cakes, a popular Hungarian street snack available in flavours catered to all tastes ranging from plain sugar to chocolate. The authentic ones are grilled over charcoal, giving the cake a subtle hint of smoke and char. The one I had was coated with cinnamon sugar, laced with apricot jam and packed with chocolate chips. Decadent.

Alright that’s all I have for today, time to head back to finishing my assignments! Stay tuned for more of my travel experiences in the coming weeks!

Cheers,

Dwayne