Sunday/Monday Aug 17-18:
We left from Chicago and arrived in Dusseldorf, Germany at 7:30 in the morning. The problem - this was just after midnight in the U.S., so we basically missed a night of sleep. When we got off the plane in Dusseldorf we felt like we had travelled forward through time 100 years. The airport looked very futuristic. It also seemed eerily different. It took me some time to figure out why - despite there being hundreds of people around the airport was as quiet as a library. I don't know if the Germans are really this quiet, if Americans really are that loud in comparison, or if this is simply due to the fact it is early Monday morning (although it does feel like Sun night to us).
During these 4 days Susan and I shared a tiny dorm room. While my university is right downtown, we are disappointed to find the dorms to be 6 miles away at the edge of town in a not very aesthetically pleasing part of town.
This was a tough time as every day involved long trips around the city on public transportation looking for an apartment, dealing with our initial culture shock and the language barrier (while many people told us that a lot of people speak English here - we have found that to only be true in the more touristy parts of town).
We found an apartment in Buda! Budapest is actually 2 cities - flat, industrialized Pest on the east side of the Danube River and hilly, historic Buda on the west. Buda is far and away the prettier half so we are thrilled to find such a great apartment there. Yet we are still close to the bridges so I still should be able to walk to school in downtown Pest.
Susan and I explore the neighborhood of our new apartment for the first time. Finally I feel like we are in Europe. We walk up some narrow, steep, crooked, cobble-stone streets and ascend the hill on some even steeper brick staircases. Roughly 320 steps up from our new apt we reach the top of "Castle Hill." There are several castles up here along with a gigantic church. I am in awe of all the historic buildings in Budapest. The truth is a little disappointing as I find out that many of these supposedly several hundred year old buildings really have been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The historic bridges, for example, were all destroyed by the Nazis in 1945 as the Soviets were advancing on the city.
Still, I'm really excited about living in the midst of all this fascinating history. Our apartment building itself dates to 1822 and is protected as a national historic place. Although it is modest, Susan and I feel a little guilty as we are living in one of the wealthier parts of town. Despite our tight budget, living over here we will probably perpetuate a few stereotypes about wealthy Americans. Oh well. But at about $525/month our apartment is cheaper than what we had in Albuquerque (one of the cheapest U.S. cities for housing) and it's furnished. (If the $ hadn't weakened so much over the past year we would have gotten it even cheaper).
Quick overview of Week 2: Jeremy gets sick, Susan stresses (over language barrier) Jeremy gets better, Susan stresses (over her job), Jeremy studies, Susan stresses (over difficulties with bank), Jeremy studies some more, Susan stresses some more, Jeremy gets sick again, learns how to say "Where is the bathroom?" (hol a mosdo? if you care), gets better again, decides not to drink the water, Susan still stressing (but not about Jeremy's illnesses - she's fairly confident he will live).
We did do some sight-seeing.
We also have started running again.
The first run in Budapest, and my first run in a month was quite interesting. Susan and I ran up the steps to Castle Hill, avoided the tourists, and then descended on the other side. First, we get stopped by a film crew filming an interview on the only stairs we could take to get down (nothing too strange here). Ten minutes pass and then we contine down the steps. At the bottom of the hill, we pass 2 guys and 3 heads.... Wait, hold on, I do my first and thankfully only double-take of the run. One of the men is wearing medieval armor and carrying a huge bird. It has an ugly red head so I originally thought it was a vulture. But, now I wonder if it is some sort of eagle. I remember seeing some sort of eagle or large bird on a medieval Hungarian seal - I think it is a historical symbol - I will have to read some more on that....
So, we leave King Arthur and Vulture Man and continue our run. I decide to explore some of the out-of-the way paths underneath the castle walls. First mistake....
Exploring down this path, I catch something strange out of the corner of my eye. I turn. Second mistake. I see a large - scratch that - huge lady dancing and spinning in circles with nothing on but what God gave her. Susan and I both turn away, quicken the pace down the path. Then it dead ends. Well, we surely can't turn around. So, I decide to blaze my own trail. But then we get cornered between 2 homeless men sleeping on benches and the castle wall. We look for another way. There isn't. We slowly realize we have to go past BCNL (big crazy naked lady) again. I pull my hat down so low I can only see my toes and sprint...
Lesson: While running in the more desolate parts of the mountains in Colorado and New Mexico by myself I used to talk to myself on occasion, both because I'm a little looney, and so that I don't come upon any bears in surprise. I decide as mountain man converted to an urban warrior, this strategy should also be employed while running in Europe. Funny thing is that bears and mountain lions never worried me that much. Here, I am terrified.
Sun Aug 31:
Well I start school tomorrow. I or Susan will try to post regularly. Please keep in touch.
