Finding Gems - Budapest, Hungary

Budapest was unanimously recommended to us as a cultural melting pot and foodie-friendly corner of the world. It's a large city, but can be easily be navigated via the quality public transportation system. Looking for a place to plant some roots, we booked a 10-day stay to determine what all of the hubbub was about. We hit the usual sites (Fisherman's Bastion, Hungarian National Parliament, St. Stephen's Cathedral, etc.), but also went off the beaten path with a caving expedition in a nearby national park, toured a WWII hospital, and a visited to the little known pinball museum/arcade.

The Caving Under Budapest tour was unlike anything we've ever done. The cave's air was thick with dust as we crawled and climbed our way through spots we wouldn't have thought possible. We pushed our boundaries during this incredible excursion, and our knees and elbows paid the price the next day when they revealed a few impressive bruises accompanied by aches and pains from muscles we don't usually exercise. We checked caving off of our bucket list and anticipate that our next underground experience will occur in a slightly more sedate venue, a wine cellar.

We also toured the surreal underground Hospital in the Rock, a WWII medical facility and bomb shelter. Built to accommodate 60 people, it ended up housing over 600 individuals during the wartime invasion of Budapest. Both of us detected a scent similar to formaldehyde in the musty air in this inherently eerie place. While educational, we found ourselves ready to reach the one-hour tour's end so we could get some fresh air and seek out a merrier venue.

Where does one turn when seeking the merriest venue of all? For us, it was the Flippergaléria Pinball Museum. During our casual exploration of the city we stumbled upon this side-street gem, home to over 130 pinball machines dating back to the 1930s. All of them are functional and unlimited play is included in the modest admission price. We had a blast in this pinball time warp and recommend it as the perfect distraction from the more recognized sights.

We were delighted to find Budapest as the incredible city everyone described with its historical architecture, restaurants and Sörözős offering fresh food and incredible local wine, and especially those little gems that haven't quite been discovered by the sightseeing masses.

Bringing Back Cocktail Hour - Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany

Munich’s Oktoberfest, a beer lovers’ festival of global proportions, provided the perfect venue in which to recognize Mike's generous "Bring Back Cocktail Hour" sponsorship.

To locate Oktoberfest at Theresienwiese we simply followed the people dressed in traditional dirndl and lederhosen until the buildings parted to reveal a collection off impressive tents and well lit amusement park rides. The smell of roasted meat filled the air and spurred the appetite.

We explored the grounds before selecting a tent that captured our attention. It was our first time drinking Pschorr beer and we enjoyed its frothy, cool, clean flavor. Our libations were perfectly accompanied by a freshly roasted hendl (chicken) which was juicy and well seasoned with a salty finish. The hours passed as we sang songs and shared camaraderie in this cross-cultural gathering of merrymakers.

We raised our mugs with a hearty “Prost!” in appreciation of Mike’s generosity for helping us realize our delicious Oktoberfest dreams.

Potty Mouth - German Humor in the Bathroom Queue

"Ich verstehe nur ein bisschen Deutsch" is a handy phrase that means "I understand only a little German”.  We relied on this convenient response when the residents of our host country casually put forth flowing statements and questions in their local tongue.  Sometimes we could understand enough to respond, like when we were able to give rough directions to Marienplatz, but often we were dumbfounded.

One such instance of assumed German fluency occurred while Matt was waiting in a ridiculously long Oktoberfest restroom line and a fellow reveler shared what turned out to be an entertaining joke accompanied by a hearty high-five.  A nearby friend translated the German quip, “as soon as I get through this line, I need to get back in the line again”.  This statement made one thing perfectly clear:  Toiletten-humor transcends the language barrier.

Up, Up and Away - Boulder, Colorado

Hot Air Balloon Ride in Boulder, COWe recently received an offer we couldn’t pass up when Gary, a friend of Matt's, called to ask if we'd like to “catch a lift” in his hot air balloon. 

Early in the morning with coffees in-hand, we headed towards a vast field near Boulder, Colorado where several people were staging their balloons.  We found Gary and his lovely wife Rachel, said our good mornings, and quickly got to work preparing for launch.

In about 30 minutes, we were ready for takeoff.  We climbed into the basket with Gary and up, up and away we went over fields, homes, and ponds.  The weather was clear and lovely, providing an incredible, panoramic bird's eye view. 

While floating in for our landing, we were fortunate to spot two playful coyotes.  Rachel, who was in hot pursuit with the SUV and trailer, arrived a few moments after we touched down.  We packed up the balloon, drove back to the original launch site and opened a celebratory bottle of New Zealand champagne. 

Thanks to Gary and Rachel, we were able to check off one more item from our bucket list.

SUMO!

Sumo wrestling is Japan's national sport, dating back 1,500 years.  Sumo is also more than just a sport, it's an art form presenting pageantry, showmanship, and to put the cherry on the top, it's beyond entertaining to watch.

Before we booked our flight to Japan we had already purchased tickets to see "opening day" of the Grand Sumo Ryogoku Kokugkikan tournament, which is supposed to be one of the busiest tournament days of the two week event.  When we arrived, we scoped out our surroundings and then decided to sit down with our fellow spectators for a bowl of chanko stew made of vegetables, meat and potatoes.  Sumo wrestlers eat this meal to "beef up" and we thoroughly enjoyed these fortifying bowls of hearty deliciousness.

Once we had our fill, we strolled to our seats to catch the Jyuryo bouts.  These wresters are considered sumo professionals, but have not obtained the status of Makuuchi or the top division yet.  Sumo wrestlers come in various shapes and sizes, so the matches are entertaining and we tried to guess who would win each bout.  Jenn based her selection on the flexibility demonstrated by each wrestler during their pre-match stretching.  Often the smaller wrestlers won, literally demonstrating the concept that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. 

After the Jyuryo bouts, there is a brief break where the Makuuchi Entrance occurs during which the top division sumo wrestlers enter the ring.  These matches offer increased ritual and showmanship including the salt purification tradition in which salt is thrown in the ring to remove all bad energy.  There is also sizing the opponent up, slapping of the belly, arms, face, and foot stomping. 

As a foreign spectator, it is not necessary to understand what was being said, simply sit back with a local brew, watch the bouts, and cheer with the crowd while enjoy the amazing sport of sumo.