Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is a town that reminded of Graz, Austria. Both towns have their fair share of Baroque and contemporary architecture; a river flows through the heart of each; and there is a castle perched on a hill in each city.

Ljubljana is small enough that one can cover the sights in less than one day. My highlights included the views from atop castle hill, witnessing a traditional Slovenian dance at a wedding and wandering into the village-like neighborhoods of Krakovo and Trnovo. It’s amazing how small Ljubljana is--walk 15 minutes south of the city center and one will feel like one has stepped into the countryside.

One memorable experience was my first tasting of horse meat, which I was told is not typical Slovenian cuisine. I consumed this is the form of a burger. I actually enjoyed horse meat more than beef as it was leaner.

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, straddles the Danube River with hilly Buda on one side and flat Pest on the opposite side. The city is renowned for its history (as one of the major cities of the Austrian-Hungarian empire), thermal baths and goulash.

I visited Budapest during its hottest week--38°C and high humidity. The conditions were quite unbearable and thus I did not visit the thermal baths (I’ll have to come back in the winter for that). However, I did walk around, primarily staying close to the Danube. My highlights include the views of the neo-Gothic Parliament and Danube from Castle Hill; the neo-Romanesque Fisherman’s Bastion and the Cave Church below Gellert Hill.

I also got a chance to experience authentic Hungarian goulash. Goulash is found in many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, but the Hungarian version is a soup rather than a stew. However, it is still a hearty soup, filled with beef, potatoes, carrots and paprika.