Hungary 2009-First Night

Recounting my incredible journey to Hungary is long overdue, so here goes:

I arrived at the Budapest airport; I'd been talking to a couple from Denver, CO on the short plane ride from London and also was talking to a large group of students from a Church group (who I gathered were like the American version of the Von Trapp family; dancing and singing all throughout Europe). I chuckled to myself thinking that they were here in Hungary to get all excited about God through music and song and dance and I was here to party, drink heavily, and maybe even do sinful, naughty things with my body. For shame.

After landing and grabbing my luggage, I walked outside; as I was doing so, Bence was walking in! I hugged him and just tried to soak in the awesomeness of the moment, seeing my good friend once again! He explained there was a bomb threat and thus police were everywhere; probably just heard the crazy, uncultured American had arrived and got scared I would pollute the country.

The first song I heard on the radio was "Poker Face." FREAKING POKER FACE! It was like I never left America, but apparently the "GaGa" craze was just as big in Hungary as in the U.S.

The first night hangin out with Ben had many elements of "New York" nostalgia merely 6 months earlier when he came to America for the first time; we ate, raised a glass(es), laughed, partied, danced, partied some more, and had a great time, soaking in all the wonderful elements of our friendship, and of the night in general. We started off at his flat in Budapest, drinking shots (like always, he sipped, I pounded) and we hung out with his neighbors for a bit.

Next, we headed into town, and Ben treated me to a hearty steak dinner in a quaint and nearly empty Italian restaurant (it was late by the time we arrived). The story was as random as could be; we were offered a ride by two burly men who "knew of a good place," and who proceeded to take us to Alessandro Sparta and our succulent meal. Afterwards, it gets a bit blurry, but we ended up at Morrison's Bar, which is apparently a staple in town and on our way we met "Tom" from Finland, a Nordic looking scholarly type. Singing karaoke, drinking more, getting shots on the house, and dancing around in the sweaty orgy of bodies before us summed up the evening.

By the time we hopped in a cab for home, I was blitzed; yet I remember the cabbie driving like a madman, much like in New York. Maybe there's an unwritten cabbie code that justifies their insane driving methods.

All in all, Monday, July 6, 2009, my first night in Hungary, was enough fun and memories for the year. If I had to pick one night to remember from the year, it might be this one. I was in another country, peaceful and intricate; I was on vacation, head was cleared, and most importantly, I was reunited with one of my best friends in the world, and the experience was electric.

JD