the making of a buda belly

Another part we didn't expect to love as much as we did about Budapest was the food.  Oh my God, the food!  The Hungarians can cook.  I don't think we ate a single thing during our four days in Budapest that wasn't to die for, and we ate all.day.long.  By the end of the trip we were all so full and fat we didn't even want to eat any more but still couldn't stop eating.  The food was that good.

So first let's go back to those sausages we ate after the baths.  Spicy, hot sausages, served with pickled cabbage, yellow mustard, and a huge slice of thick bread, washed down with cold beer that were so delicious I'm salivating over them right now.

Budapest is a street-food paradise.  Food carts appeared everywhere we walked, and we made sure to taste everything we saw.  After devouring the spicy sausages, we wandered through City Park, where we discovered warm salty pretzels and sweet mulled wine with notes of cinnamon and cloves.  We took them to go, and traced our path back toward a well-known restaurant in town, Gundel, where we topped ourselves off with Dobos torte and a toasted walnut and chocolate crepe.  On the walk back toward our hotel, we refueled with coffee in hopes of staving off the food comas that had already begun to overtake us.

The effects of the coffee didn't last long; coupled with the gentle rain, the long walk between the hotel and the bath and back, and the utter relaxation from our bath, naps were necessary for all before we could continue our culinary adventure.

Later that evening we met in the lobby of the beautiful hotel where we were staying, a local landmark - The New York Palace - and recommenced our foodie marathon with champagne cocktails for L and me and heartier appertifs for Joey and O.  Then we took a cab to another recommendation from our friends: Comme Chez Soi.

Wow.  From the moment we opened the door we were treated like family with prosecco and treats from the chef.  Then with a bottle of Hungarian red wine, we truly began our feast with sizzling goose liver served atop  garlic mashed potatoes with a balsamic and apple reduction.  Obviously Joey had been giddily looking forward to this dish ever since our friend heard we were going to Budapest; although I'm a fan of foie gras, I was admittedly a little nervous about this significantly larger organ.

It tasted so good we considered making reservations there again the next night.

After the goose liver, we gorged on juicy filet, roquefort-smothered chicken and traditional Hungarian stew.  Then we suffered through dessert, for the chocolate cake was so decadent we couldn't bring ourselves not to  finish it.  Our host shared his homemade limoncello and Hungarian palinka and one of us (who shall remain unnamed) was so full she had to go to the bathroom to remove her control-top pantyhose so she could breathe.  A nightcap was in order, so we returned to the Cigar Bar at the New York Palace for our second round of drinks. 

He is going to kill me for posting this picture.   But if you look closely, you can  see for  whom this post was titled.

The next morning only one of the four of us was hungry (guess), and so my fat husband had to wait until we could find the Great Market Hall before he could eat.  We walked a roundabout way to get there, and so to placate a starving Joey, we all shared some pastries along the way.  Then we entered one of the coolest markets I've ever seen, with three stories of shops selling everything from sausage and cheese to fruit and vegetables to dried peppers and garlic and pastries and bread.  Ready-made Hungarian specialties lined the second floor, and we only regretted stuffing ourselves with an assortment from the main floor because we didn't have enough room for any food from upstairs.

I'm so hungry I can't even stop to put my camera away before stuffing my  cheeks.

Later that afternoon we stumbled across a food festival (okay, it was probably an Easter market, but the party was all in my mouth) in Vorosmarty Square, where we devoured Kürtőskalács, or grilled sweet bread with cinnamon and sugar; Langos, fried bread with sour cream and cheese; and some more spicy sausage (just to make sure).  

Langos

Kürtőskalács

The next morning we found another Easter market on the other side of the river, Buda, at the royal palace, and were sure to sample as much as possible.  Struessel, cheese, palinka, marzipan liquor, a different kind of langos and of course we had to check out those spicy sausages one more time.  Admittedly, Joey did eat something he didn't like, but considering it was blood sausage he should have known better.

Good.

Bad.

"Oh.  Um.  This doesn't taste like I'd hoped it'd taste."

"Hmm.  How do I choke this down?"

"Must.  Keep.  Chewing."

"Oh God."

"Almost there..."

"Thank God.  Where's my beer?"

We also had sushi twice (a faux pas, I know, with so much wonderful Hungarian food, but don't forget from where we came) and the requisite Hard Rock cheeseburgers (can't be helped).  We did a lot of other wonderful things and saw a lot of beautiful places while we were in Budapest; obviously the city has so much more to offer than just its food, but my most powerful memories of Budapest will be mouthwatering ones.

bathing in budapest

Joey and I didn't expect to love Budapest so much; who knew it was like Paris without all the tourists and at less than half the price?!  We traveled to the gorgeous city with our friends, L&O, over the long Easter weekend (got to love having Good Friday and Easter Monday off), and had a fabulous time.  Some friends who lived in Budapest before serving in Abuja highly recommended we partake in the baths that dot the city, which we found to be a fantastic idea, albeit not exactly straightforward.  So here are some helpful instructions for visiting a public bath in Hungary.  Based on my experience.  So take from them what you will.

Step 1:  Pick a bath.  In a city called, "The City of Spas," for its prime location over natural thermal springs, this was no easy feat.  We eventually settled on Szechenyi (pronounced "say-chen-ee" - I think) Baths because of it's beautiful Neo-baroque architecture and status as the largest bath in Europe.

The exterior of the massive Szechenyi bath complex

Step 2:  Verify that when you want to go, you can.  Certain baths designate certain days as "men only" and "women only," and we all wanted to bathe together (does that sound pervy or is it just me?), so we had to make sure we could (and maybe we all also wanted to avoid the awkward nakedness of the single-sex bathing days - yes, we have already established that I'm immature).

Step 3: Pack a bag.  We didn't think to pack flip flops or towels; while "towels" were available for rent (thin, white sheets), we really missed our flip-flops while walking barefoot across the tiles.  (And in the sauna.  Holy blisters on the bottom of your feet batman.)  Also would highly recommend waterproof mascara.

Step 4: Find the right entrance.  Not to be confused with the hospital entrance.  Yeah...

What?  This is a hospital?  Ohmygodwearesosorryandleavingrightnowpleasedon'tjudgeusasidiotAmericans.

Step 5: Find your cabin, change into your bathing suit and lock your insecurities away with your clothes.  Everybody is here to relax and nobody's concerned about anybody but themselves.  All different shapes and sizes populate the baths, and the sooner you get over yourself the sooner you'll be relaxing in the pools.

The cabins

Step 6:  Wander the huge complex, experimenting with hot and cold and wet and dry.  Go into the piping hot sauna and dunk in the icey pool outside.  Try the hot tub, the various steam rooms, and the medicinal pools. Get a massage, drink a beer (yes, they even sell beer), and relax.

This whole complex is baths.  Behind the outdoor pools are more indoor pools, saunas, steam rooms and more pools.

Step 7: Contemplate moving to Budapest.

Step 8: Clear your calendar for the rest of the day.  You could also explore one of the several incredible museums nearby if you're super-human and have any energy left over.  Two and a half hours of bathing later, we'd all unwound so much we were exhausted; our muscles so loose they hovered somewhere between numb and sore.  We decided our best next course of action to be spicy sausages and beer.

Ah-may-zing

a baby shower

Still working backwards...

Before we left for the States, Joey helped me host a baby shower for our dear friend, N.  He did almost all of the cooking: mini frittatas, cheesy scones, deviled eggs, mini crab cakes, cucumber sandwiches, homemade pimento sandwiches, and corned beef and pickle sandwiches!  He also helped me bake the red velvet cupcakes, lemon bars and cherry cheesecake brownies in under 4 hours (something that would take me alone over 6).

N and her husband, B., recently welcomed their new, beautiful baby girl, whom we cannot wait to meet when they with her return to post in a few months.  I had a lot of fun decorating the house, although I still haven't figured out how to get the double-stick tape off the 12-foot ceilings...

why you shouldn't put meat in your suitcase

When traveling back and forth from Nigeria, my friend L describes us as gypsies.  We usually pack at least one large empty suitcase to fill with food from home; this time we checked a 70-lb suitcase full of food and three 25-lb boxes full of frozen meat.  A few days before we left Des Moines, my mom took Joey and me to Costco (thanks for the access, Mom), and we spent almost $500 on beef, chicken sausages (you know the kind, with the gouda in the middle), and cheese.  Then we spent the rest of the afternoon in an assembly line with Mom's vacuum sealer and the meat, before stuffing it in my parents' extra freezer.  About an hour before we left for the airport and our long flight back to Abuja, Joey and my dad filled three large, cardboard and styrofoam coolers with our frozen bounty and we all crossed our fingers.

Fast-forward 27 hours, and I'm standing in the midst of the chaos that is the luggage conveyor belt in the Abuja airport.  As I watch the same bags go round and round the feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I wait for my checked bags sinks deeper and deeper - then one of the airport workers looks at me and tells me to talk to customer service (he probably singled me out by my shirt).  Sure enough, our worst fears are confirmed: all of our luggage, including 75 lbs of now less-than-frozen meat, is still in Amsterdam, and the next flight to Abuja isn't for 2 days.

Believe it or not, when our luggage arrived two days later, two of the three boxes were still cold.  The third box was room temperature and you'd better believe we we're still eating the chicken sausages, cheese and bacon that were in there.  My large, pink suitcase didn't fare quite so well - it was delivered with a huge crack in the hard shell - and Joey's didn't come at all (we got it the next day) - but we got our meat and 15,000 extra miles from Delta - what more could you want?  

home

Our trip home was insane.  We literally had engagements breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for two weeks, some days with coffee in between and drinks after (yes, I had an excel spreadsheet).  Add to that shopping trips to Costco, Target, the grocery store and the mall; two graduations (my little sister graduated college and Joey's little brother graduated high school - congratulations Lizz and David!); daily yoga classes for me and visits to Spartan Strength to get his ass kicked for Joey; and shuffling one car between three people (my mother was gracious enough to share hers with us) and by the end of the trip we were both absolutely exhausted.  Dare I say it - we almost looked forward to the long flight back to Abuja for an opportunity to do absolutely nothing for 24 hours (the upgraged business class tickets probably didn't hurt).  Nonetheless, it was incredible to have two full weeks together in Des Moines, awesomely fattening and delicious to savor two weeks of meals we can't cook in Abuja; reconnecting with all of our friends and family, even if only for a few hours, food for the soul.

With Joey, his brothers and my sister-in-law at David's graduation.  Sadly I didn't take any pictures at all this trip home, luckily my mother-in-law got one!

congratulations, bill and janice!

Back in May we headed to the US for a wedding, a graduation and a whole lot of eating in between.  First we stopped in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Joey's friend from college (I claim him as my friend sometimes too), Bill, married his lovely bride, Janice.  We were honored to be a part of their special day.

The whole weekend was really lovely - we were granted to perfect weather while Joey took care of groomsman duties, including buying a new suit and having it tailored in two days, and I took care of myself, with hot yoga classes at Corepower Yoga, early-morning runs - alone! - and a significant amount of time at the Aveda spa.  We also got to eat Juicy Lucy's (two burger patties with melted cheese oozing from the middle), sushi, and a decadent brunch at Bill's mom's the morning after the wedding.  Then we were off to the airport for a quick flight to Des Moines.

fourth of july

 In photos:

Unfortunately I didn't get my camera out until it started to rain (in case you were worried about my past history with cameras and rain, rest assured - I bought a waterproof one).

We don't get a lot of opportunities to get dressed up and go out in Abuja, so I really enjoyed the chance to wear my new dress and bright lipstick.  Joey even matched his tie to my dress.  Aren't we cute?