Budapest

My journey through Eastern Europe began in Budapest, a city of bright lights, bicycles, majestic buildings and secret labyrinths. Though jet-lagged and without my luggage, my time in Budapest was just unforgettable.

Budapest has two souls; it's unique charm lies in the contrast of historic Buda with lively and urban Pest. Pictured above is the view of Pest from Buda across the Danube. You can see the Chain Bridge and the bulbous towers of St. Steven's Basilica. 

Our cozy duplex apartment in Pest was right on Nador Utca, close the basilica and in the heart of the center city shopping district. On Saturday, we were able to sneak into the basilica just in time to hear the singing of hymns with organ accompaniment. 

The grandeur of the interior was unbelievable. 

Budapest is also home to the largest synagogue in Europe, The Dohány Street Synagogue. 

Unfortunately, the visiting hours were limited and we never made it inside. But my research tells me it looks a little bit like this:

On my second night in Budapest, we took a nighttime ferry tour along the Danube. If Budapest is a remarkable sight to behold by day, it is just breathtaking at night. 

The massive, Gothic-style Parliament building was most impressive.

And the Chain Bridge looked so majestic as we passed underneath.

While mesmerized by Budapest's ability to light up its medieval castles like the interior of a metropolitan nightclub, we were also struck by the city's obsession with its history of terror, impalement, imprisonment and torture. On Wednesday, we visited the House of Terror (Terror Haza), an exhibition of the torture inflicted on victims of the Nazis and the regime of Soviet Hungary. The next day, we went to the murder house, a commercialized tour of a selection of history's serial killers, featuring mostly American murderers and psychopaths alongside Countess Elizabeth Báthory's, a royal Hungarian with a thirst for 'virgin blood', and, of course, Vlad Dracu the Impaler. If the cheesy visual and audio effects weren't enough, the tour ended in the meditation room, where we were seated in front of a Garden of Eden-inspired scene told via voice-over to raise our children right and pray for the troubled ones. Mildly disturbed and thoroughly confused, we cheered ourselves up with our daily quota of gelato. 

The flavor of Budapest was, overwhelmingly, that of Hungarian paprika. There was goulash galore. . . 

. . . and we also had the most delicious lemonade with nearly every meal. Lemonade came in raspberry, blueberry, elderflower and nearly every flavor you could imagine. Here we are enjoying lemonade with lunch on this picturesque plateau on the Buda side:

On Friday, we crossed the Danube by foot and climbed the steep cliff up to the historic district of Buda. This was by far the highlight of the trip. The Buda Castle and State house towered above charming cobblestone courtyards and artisanal markets.

Later, we snaked our way through the colorful rows of houses shown above to the secret labyrinths under Buda castle, were Vlad Dracu was supposedly imprisoned during his reign. We had the most fun navigating our way through the dark corridors and inspecting "Dracula's grave".

On Saturday night at 11:30, we finally boarded the overnight sleeper train in Budapest's antique Keleti Station. Twelve stuffy/mostly sleepless hours and two passport checkpoints later, we arrived in Transylvania. More on that soon. 

New England Cycling Tour 2013

Each summer, my family gets together with my dad's close friends from college and their family to tour select scenic regions of the northeast by bike.  This was my second year on the tour, and by far the most rewarding biking I have ever done. And what we endured through long days of biking, we made up for it with decadent meals, fine company and laughter (and then some)!

The tour started in Burlington, which offered all the charm of a college town, with the picturesque backdrop of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. On Day 1, we set off from the more suburban side of Burlington and arrived, 40 miles and 1800 feet of climbing later, in Middlebury. The Middlebury Inn greeted us with a delightful afternoon tea. I took my coconut tea with jam and crumpets in a fancy winged arm chair and admired the grandeur of the lobby. 

Tea time at Middlebury Inn

That night, we ate in a fantastic restaurant in Vergennes, VT, which had a modest menu but a fantastic chef. We shared a bottle of wine, I had haddock topped with coconut curry and toasted almonds, there was escargot and gourmet french fries, and, for dessert, passion fruit creme brulee. 

The next day started with the threat of rain but turned into the hardest and hottest ride. From Middlebury, we   climbed a long stretch of hills to a ferry which took us - and our bikes - across Champlain and over to Fort Ticonderoga in New York. 

Relaxing on the ferry to Fort Ticonderoga

Starving, we stopped at this adorable luncheonette decorated with relics of the 50s and 60s, and shared grilled cheeses, burgers and enormous chocolate malts. After 48 miles, 3600 feet of climbing, and the growing fear that we may not beat the rain after all, we arrived suddenly at the inn in Westport. We took refreshing showers and toasted over cold beers on tap. That inn was literary-themed, and offered an extensive library of classics. We stayed in the James Fenimore Cooper room, next door to Edgar Allen Poe. 

Day 3 arrived, and the weather took a turn for the worse. Overnight, the temperature had crept down and moisture hung in the air. We started out in jackets and tights, but chilled quickly against the strong headwind. We stopped 15 miles in at the Turtle Island Cafe for hot chocolate and a light lunch. I warmed up with french onion soup. Continuing on after lunch with still more layers, it finally started to rain. The highlight of the afternoon was stopping over the Ausable Chasm. 

We arrived in Plattsburgh drenched and chilled, 45 miles and 2500 feet of climbing later. We were quickly revived by delicious falafel, hummus, a bottle of pinot noir split among us, and a sampling of baklava on the house.   

The following day promised by far the shortest ride, but the most treacherous conditions. We prepared ourselves for 22 miles in a nor'easter that had swept over Lake Champlain. We wore all the layers we brought, rain jackets, tights, rainpants, and, for lack of high-tech neoprene shoe covers, I wrapped my feet in plastic bags before stuffing them in my shoes.

Bundled for the nor'easter

A few miles in, we boarded a second ferry along with the traffic crossing the lake into Grand Isle. The men running the ferry invited us into the upper level and kindly cranked the heat up. They told us that the ferry runs year round, and could break easily through ice. It was a rough ride, but we were definitely in good hands. Back on land, we fought the wind and rain, wheel-to-wheel behind the burlier men of the group to dull the effect of the headwind, into North Hero. After only 15 miles, we arrived at the Shore Acres Inn. Such relief. 

We waited out the storm that night and through the following day. The inn looked out over the lake with a gorgeous view of the snow-capped peaks. We spent the day lounging, reading, admiring the variety of birds, and playing on the pier.

The floating dock at North Hero

The birds of Lake Champlain

We ate the first night at the inn restaurant, and had such a fantastic meal that we came back again the following night. The most memorable dishes for me were wild mushroom ravioli with carmelized onions and goat cheese, seared tuna with cracked pepper and mandarin oranges, and a monkfish in a delicious cajun style sauce with crayfish. Oh, and dessert! There was a fantastic salted caramel ice cream, and flourless chocolate cake. 

The sun came out for the final ride from North Hero back into Burlington and it was just magnificent. It was another 45 mile day with 1000 feet of climbing, but we were so happy to be dry and warm that kept a brisk pace. 

Single file on a bridge

The bridge from Grand Isle back to the Vermont mainland gave a breathtaking panoramic view of the lake and the mountains, speckled with windmills. For the remainder of the ride, we got on a winding bike path and weaved through what appeared to be the greater population of Burlington, walking their dogs, pushing their children on swings, and basking in the first taste of summer. 

So, we arrived back where we started, with 200 miles and a few hills under our belts. We celebrated with fresh-squeezed lemonade, steamers, fish tacos, laughter and reminiscing.

The bravest members of the group continued on from Burlington to our house in Amherst. There were two 70 or 80 mile days, and one one scorching 45 mile day. Kudos to them! Meanwhile, I was perfectly happy cool and relaxed at home, getting ready to welcome them with a homemade strawberry rhubarb pie.

 The post-trip crew

Photo credit: Paul Oppenheimer

Our year in photos

So these photos are a bit out of order- It may take me a while to get this blogging thing down.  But here are some of my favorite shots of us from the year- What a wonderful time we had!  I love each of you through and through, and am already missing you like crazy (even Mary, who came over for breakfast this morning).  Your love fills my heart to the brim!

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog! After a busy spring semester, we're mostly settled into our respective summer locations.

Melina ran off to Alicante, Spain. She will be there for the summer, taking classes to fulfill Spanish minor requirements as well as possibly pursuing a public health internship. She'll return to New York City for junior year at Barnard/Columbia. 

Julia has returned to Amherst, Massachusetts where she'll be continuing her research on the apoptosis of caterpillar intersegmentary muscle cells, until she departs on a six week journey to Romania working on an archaeological dig. She'll return to New York City for junior year at Barnard/Columbia. 

Hannah moved into her boyfriend's apartment next to Columbia, where she will be living for summer. She's going to make a quick trip home to Albuquerque, New Mexico before beginning a ten week internship program at Goldman Sachs. She's headed to Seville, Spain for the fall semester. 

Samantha is momentarily home in Niskayuna, New York. She'll be back at Barnard for the summer, while she continues her internship at a talent management agency. She's headed to Paris, France for the fall semester and a not yet known destination the following spring. 

Mary is living in New York City this summer. She's staying in the same apartment building we lived in during the year. She'll be doing research at Columbia University's, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory. She's likely headed to Athens, Greece next spring. 

Rose is living at home in Cambridge, MA. She will be examining the role of women in medicine through a study sponsored by the OB/GYN department of Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, Beth Israel Medical Deaconess Center. She's headed to London to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science for the next academic year. 

Rose + Mary after crashing the Greek Parade (Spring 2013).

Julia, Melina, Hannah, and Sam (Fall 2011).