Phone. Wallet. Passport.

On the move today.

New experience unlocked: in Istanbul, you have to go through a full security check just to enter the airport. They aren’t messing around. But they are also not especially organized. A massive crowd, and total confusion about which line you’re supposed to be standing in. Good times. So, heads up – if you’re flying out of Istanbul, arrive early. Really early.

Finally at our gate, I got my hopes up that this might be Turkish lemon Fanta. It was not. It was Turkish lemon tea. Not bad, but not what I was hoping for.

All checked into the Corinthia Budapest Hotel. Viking uses this hotel for their night-before-the-cruise package, so for ease of transition, I booked our advance stay here, as well. But I feel like I brought the wrong clothes for this staircase.

Late lunch at a little place recommended by the concierge at our hotel – Cafe Vian. Am equal parts intrigued and nervous about Hungarian paprikash. My body rejects peppers, though, so will need to be careful. Wasn’t feeling brave, so ordered a Croque Madam sandwich because I love them (usually), and I needed to redeem that Croque Madam dumpster fire I had in St. Tropez. Much better.

Then, a walk about. Wait. Are those bullet holes? Those are bullet holes. No clue what this building is, so unsure whether they are from the Siege of Budapest in 1945 (at the end of the war, Budapest was squeezed between the “liberating”Russians and the retreating German army) or from the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. Either way, a reminder that history isn’t as distant as it sometimes feels.

Ken tried to get too ambitious with our walk, but I was able to reel him in before the point of *my* no return (reminded him he doesn’t like me if we cross that line).

Sidebar: If you want to know where the hostel is, it’s HERE. Also, I’ve started taking pictures of manhole covers when we travel. Some of them are quite pretty.

An accident, but we walked by St. Stephen’s Basilica and decided to pop our heads inside. Wow. Absolutely gorgeous. Worth the stop. Are there any creepy relics inside? Well, of course there are. St. Stephen’s mummified right hand (aka the Holy Right) also lives there.

This shriveled relic supposedly belonged to King Stephen I, Hungary’s first Christian king and all-around medieval overachiever. As the story goes, the hand miraculously refused to decay after his death, which is probably less about divine intervention and more about the preservation standards of 11th-century embalming. But never mind the forensic details – the hand is a national treasure. Literally. The Hungarians get it out and parade it around the city every year on August 20th, Hungary’s national holiday.

On one level, I understand relics are about the human desire to attach meaning to objects. St. Stephen’s holy right hand is supposed to symbolize the birth of the Hungarian state (and the establishment of Christianity as the Kingdom of Hungary’s official religion). But, it could also be just a super creepy keepsake.

Highlight of the day: a brilliant Hungarian wine tasting at Bortodoor Budapest (more on this when I do my drinks culture report on Budapest). Tasting was in English, which seems, more and more, to be the pivot language. Covered all the basics – some winners, some losers. Not surprised the star was the Furmint grape – both dry, and in the famous Hungarian sweet wine, Tokaji. Wanted to ship a few bottles some home, but will wait to see what else we find.

One of the best parts of traveling: talking to people from around the world. Great conversation with a lovely Polish couple, and a Greek/Italian couple currently living in London. Six glasses of wine deep, you get some pretty good (and honest) insights about geopolitics.

Asked our host how to say cheers in Hungarian: Egészségére. After I made the “there’s zero chance I can pronounce that” face, we were told most Hungarians just say, Egé. That works for me.

Egé!

Travel date: October 11, 2025