Vienna!

We kicked off our visit to Vienna at the venerable Cafe Central. Trotsky and Lenin played chess here. So begins our tour of the Viennese coffee house...

Gellert Baths

What happens when you combine the romantic architecture of Budapest with the amenities of a spa and the customer service of the DMV? The Gellert Baths, of course! A quintessential Budapest experience, the Baths feature mineral water in a wide range of temperatures and assortment of pools--all against a stunning backdrop. It's not your typical spa experience, though. Bring your own towel, or be prepared to put down a $20 deposit to rent one. Wayfinding inside is minimal, and don't rely on the preoccupied and non-English speaking staff to help. Find your way as best you can, and in the process experience the best possible cross-section of Budapest's population, folks of all ages and body types experiencing the healing waters. The Baths also offer an astonishing array of medical treatments, including dental surgery. After an efficient and competent massage on a vinyl table with a masseuse named Attila, and some subsequent soaking, I was relaxed and ready for the next portion of our journey...

Best streetlights ever

Wines of Hungary

We've been surprised and delighted by the range and quality of Hungarian wines. We found the familiar--Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and the exotic--Furmit, Juhfart, Kéhnelü. Many are light and mineraly, providing perfect accompaniment to the heavy and paprika-saturated cuisine.

All Your Goulash is Belong to Us

Karpatia encompasses the finest in Magyar dining: a series of cozy, distinctively adorned rooms, roving bands of folk musicians, and enough paprika to stun a horse. I'll take mine in an opening soup course, followed by a bright orange chicken with dumplings. And it was a real chicken, not one of those factory chickens. It's a difference you can taste.

Graphic Affrontery

This is a bottle of water, but dear lord could they have abused the label stock any more? First, what's up with the name? I'm sure in Hungarian it rolls off the tongue, but for the rest of us... Then there's the heart and crown motif, with a crooked cross and a color pallet to make your eyes bleed. The two-tone text, combined with drop shadows on steroids, not to mention the background patterning, sends this to new heights of design lows. And the text at bottom? Having a little too much fun with word art, are we? D-

Foie Gras Creme Brûlée

I didn't know such a thing existed, but my new quest is to eat as much of it as possible.

On a side note, it was paired with a turrine of foie that was better than Keller's. And in what surely must be one of the signs of the apocalypse, I got Karen to try a bite. Take that, PETA.