K & L's Travel Blog

The day opens bright and sunny.  We are once again blessed with warm temperatures: t-shirt and shorts weather.  The third-floor location of our apartment is ideal in the day with balconies on two sides that stream in light.  But at night the music pounds and the young shriek till four or five AM. The electric metal shutters close us up and muffle a good deal of the noise, but not all.  It keeps Lorena awake more than me.  We are literally at ground zero for the party district, the heart of the “happening” Jewish quarter.  Imagine spring break at Daytona.  But when the sun comes up it is beautiful and calm.  

We feel safe.  Our building has lots of security. The chatter is in all different languages as the crowds of college age youth jockey for social dominance and conquest.  Sex is in the air.  The full moon just came up over the buildings.  We keep going back and forth analyzing the pros and cons. 

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This morning we head out to a weekend market.  It is held at a famous “Ruin Bar.”  Ruin Bars are a big deal here.  They were an organic phenomenon, bars that sprang up in old abandoned buildings.  Our street has several such establishments and Lorena is excited to do a ruin bar crawl (it is scheduled for Thursday evening).  Anyway, on Sunday morning they hold a farmer’s market at Szimpla Kert, one of the first Ruin Bars.  We went and Lorena was in photo heaven.  The old building had lots of little rooms and metal stairwells with junk and decorations everywhere.  I think this idea would work well in Asheville if you could get past the fire codes. 

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After a return to the apartment to put away our market bounty we headed out on a walking tour of the eighth district. This area is less touristy and in the process of gentrification.  The buildings are dark with years of pollution and the communist presence mixed with old Budapest is strong.  One old building still had bullet holes in it!  We walk ourselves silly ending up at an old cemetery.  

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Once back at the apartment we nap, read and sup on crackers, apples, cheese and sausage.  Our legs are sore and the youth are out there.