The Hungarian Ketchup

We had not been in Hungary long when Will came home from a grocery shopping trip one day.  I put the food in its place.  It's the least I could do since he had done all the shopping.  Afterward, I asked him why he didn't get yogurt.  I know I had put it on the list.  "I did," he responded matter-of-factly.  A little bantering went on until he showed me the 'yogurt' he had purchased - two large containers labeled Tejföl.  I smiled.  Will had brought home a lot of sour cream.

In Hungary there are more containers of sour cream in the dairy section than almost anything else.  A good friend of mine explains it well in his blog post...

Tejföl

Exploring the neighborhood

This is where we live.

The second and third floors (to the left in the picture) are ours. The two windows on the second floor are guest bedrooms (where you can stay if you come visit!) and the top two windows that stick out above the roof are our living room and kitchen.

This is our street.

The Coca Cola sign sits above a little shop where we've bought fruit, meat, cheese, cherry cola, and magnum bars. It's a one minute walk from our flat. Convenient!

This is a nearby Hungarian restaurant about a seven minute walk from our house. It was recommended by a friend of Will's. And Sunday lunch is half price! I think we've found our new Sunday afternoon lunch spot. :)

This was my first authentic Hungarian meal. Veal and potatoes Hungarian style. It was so good!

This is a small park just near our flat. Quiet, no one around, a good place to read a book.

Margaret Island is a seven minute walk from our flat as well. A whole island in the middle of the Danube River with beautiful gardens, walking and running paths, fountains, old churches, Roman ruins, and more.

One of the views on Margaret Island...

There were lots of people just hanging out in their swimming suits getting a tan. My kind of place!

This is the ruins of the convent where Princess Margit (whom the Island is named after) lived and died.

That's our neighborhood! We're in a really convenient location to get all around the city. We've spent a lot of time walking and exploring all the places and beautiful buildings our new home has to offer. Recently we also got a public transport pass. It's official - we're regulars in Budapest!

Now we're spending our time learning the transport system and getting ourselves to different districts all around the city. My impression so far: I think I'm going to like living here.