A Gelato Saturday

After the late night on Friday, everyone decided to sleep in. I woke up around 12:30 and waited for people to get up. I just ate a banana and got ready to go for a run with Laura. Friday, I took my iPod thinking I would need the music to pump me up and a water bottle. This time, I decided to forego the iPod since the views of the city would keep me going (and plus it is not like we are actually doing any hard running anyways), and instead took my camera that I didn’t take on Friday.

I wanted to take pictures of the things we see on our run, but didn’t realize that we would be looking disgusting in the pictures; you will see in a later post. On our way back I stop for gelato at one of the 1,438,754 gelato stands in Pecs. There is a stand about every 20 feet; every store and restaurant has one out front with about 20 flavors each…but I’m not complaining. I got the Coconut Dream one because it just felt so much like a tropical type of day, and only for like $0.50!

I will probably gain 80 pounds by the time I get back to the US because all food is soooo much cheaper over here and living right next door to two bakeries doesn't help either. An average $8-10 meal in the US costs about $4-6 here, with huge sweet bread things about $0.50 each…unless we go about an hour before they close when they start having everything 75% off and buy the place out. I have found out that I am seriously addicted to carbs. When I don’t have any in my apartment I start craving bread, granola bars, etc…and can’t stop thinking about them. I need help.

After getting back and taking showers, everyone decided to go to a famous restaurant called Tex-Mex that is closed for the month of July. The only problem was that we are a group of 20 and it is a smaller place and placing reservations would be difficult. Of course some people were starving and wanted to go right then and others wanted to wait for another hour. We decide to split up into two groups and I went right then.

Laura and I tried finding out where it was located on our jog earlier in the day but couldn’t figure it out with all the looping streets and alleyways, but we found it all right then. We get in and the guy immediately starts talking to us in fluent English, so we became much more excited/relaxed since we were already tired of getting frustrated looks when people found out we did not understand Hungarian.

They serve…you guessed it…Tex-Mex cuisine. For some reason I had a huge daiquiri/smoothie craving for the week before, and it didn’t help that one of the groups presented the idea the day before of serving smoothies since Hungarians did not know what they were. I ordered a virgin pina colada, which satisfied it perfectly (again on my tropical kick). We got really good chips and salsa and I had amazing vegetable enchiladas. Of course we come to Hungary and within the first couple days we have already eaten at places called Arizona Ranch and Tex-Mex. But both were excellent.

As we were finishing up our meal, the other group joined us (there was plenty of room), so we sat and had a good time for a while. Then we head back, hitting up the same gelato stand that I visited earlier (with the same girl still working) and I get the tiramisu.

Laura, Lauren, and I all head up to the winfestival to listen to music and people watch. Everyone said Saturday is the night everyone goes out and let me tell you, that was by far understating it. I felt like all of Pecs was at the wine festival. We go up and down the aisles looking at the arts and crafts everyone had, some gorgeous jewelry, and all the delicious smelling food. We find a spot in the square to listen to music and relax there for a while.

We decide to get a closer look at the band playing (apparently a famous local Hungarian folk band) and try taking a couple pictures of ourselves when a young couple spots us and decides to help out. They take a picture, then continue to take more, and we had no idea how to tell them to stop, so we just kind of thanked them, grabbed the camera, and bolted off. We decide to walk up to the cultural gardens to see them at night and Laura grabs a cup of coffee that was pretty much all foam. Pecs in the day is beautiful and takes on a whole new vision at night with the twinkly lights everywhere, peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, and music playing somewhere off in the distance.

We walk back to the apartments, not really feeling in the mood to go back out and spend another long night, but I end up getting a second wind and eventually end up waiting for everyone to go out. Two hours after we were supposed to leave, everyone heads back out. We find out places were charging an entrance fee and I did not feel like paying, so I just headed back and decided to write, catch up on emails, and upload pictures. Low-and-behold the sun starts rising…it is 4:30 am…and I am so wide awake and do not feel like stopping writing. I figure I needed sleep and just try to fall asleep after another spectacular day in Pecs, Hungary.

I was tired as I was writing this as it has been raining all day today, but it is funny at how each day is filled with small adventures throughout the day that turn into an incredible day at that. Exploring all the places on our run that day again helped me continue to fall in love with the city and find out more about it, and the relaxed atmosphere of the nights helped deepen the sense appreciation for getting to be here.