I'm here in lovely Budapest. It's quite a contrast from Ottawa - a lot more dog poo on the streets, but so much more... "culture" I suppose you'd have to call it.
Budapest has trams (streetcars) - and they are usually fairly full, at least the ones I have seen. It's a bustling, vibrant city. I love it.
I also love the old cars - inbetween the Renaults, VWs and, surprisingly, Chevrolets, are Ladas and Trabants:
What else. Cool money (the Forint - about 350 to the GBP, 280 to the EUR, or 220 to the CAD. That's like buying everything in thirds of a penny, or half-cents.
Stuff's cheap here, too - a pint of beer is about $2. At home it's more like $8, if I remember correctly! Good thing I don't drink much!
There is the slight awkwardness of being a foreigner in a country that doesn't speak your language, though. Oddly enough, despite the fact I've travelled at least reasonably far and wide, it's only rarely I've been in countries where I don't know the language at all.
But thankfully, English is ubiquitous. It's amazing really. Does every hotel employee the world over have to have at least basic English?
It makes me want to really study a language. I think I'm not bad at them... and I guess with my upcoming spare time, I'll be able to. Now.. what to pick. French, that I already know some of (and would be useful at home... if I wanted a government job...)? Cantonese or Mandarin, or perhaps Japanese?
What about Hungarian? I really do rather like it here...
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