Valley of the Beautiful Women, Hungary

Eger, Hungary, July 22, 2007

Eger, a small town two hours outside of Budapest, boasts "The Valley of the Beautiful Women", where casks of Egri Bikaver (bulls blood wine) ferment in the wine cellars carved into the rocky walls of the valley. Wine, beautiful women... certainly an enticing combination that a bachelor such as myself is too weak to resist.

A tantalizing sign stands erected before me at the top of the valley, promising the pleasures below. I prepare myself. Armed with extravagant visions and my pants bulging with... umm... money for the wine, I stand firm in my optimism for the experiences to come. I slowly go down into the valley of the beautiful women, poking in and out of various caverns and cellars at my whim and leisure, while taking time to suckle the individual flavours of the intoxicants.


In reality, this valley should have been named "The Valley of One Moderately Beautiful Woman, and Several Crusty Old Men". I am sure there is not enough wine in the valley to obscure my vision sufficiently to convince me of the true name of the valley. If I wanted beautiful women, I should have stayed in Budapest!





Eger. A quaint town that boasts The Valley of the Beautiful Women.



Me, drinking Egri Bikaver (bulls blood wine).




They dont advertise this view of the shop owners when discussing the supposed beautiful women.

Boiling in Budapest

Budapest, July 15 - July 24

Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest, separated by the Danube. Similarly, Budapest is also separated by two temperature definitions: hotter and hottest (note that I skipped right by 'hot'). Thanks to the record-breaking temperatures, each morning the pillow served as my alarm clock by filling up with sweat until I could no longer breath. When the Hungarian goulash is cooked before it even gets to the oven, it is definitely time to find a reprieve from the sweltering heat. Luckily, Buda and Pest are equipped with public baths that satiate both the eyes and the body temperature. The labyrinths below the castle was another place to escape the heat, raising goosebumps on my body from both the cool damp air and also 'the tunnels of courage'.



Budapest is arguably still relatively free from the hordes of tourists, and retains the feeling that it is still a city to be lived in and enjoyed. Beautiful gardens, parks, and tree-lined streets make Budapest comfortable city to enjoy. Thanks to couchsurfing(.com) I had an almost instant circle of friends, and my days and evenings were filled with activities (special thanks to Zsuzsanna, Marta, Aniko, Jason, Beatrix, and Alice). I also managed to sample the raging Budapest nightlife at the Buddha Beach bar along the Danube.



Winding trails along a hill, overlooking the Danube and Pest.



Overlooking Buda on the left, and Pest on the right.



A view of the Chain Bridge from near the castle.



An eerie fountain deep within the castle labyrinths. The sickly sweet smell of wine(?) that was dripping from the mouths of the creatures in the fountain.



Yummy...



Budapest gardens and flowers were everywhere.






The public baths in City Park.






A night shot of the cathedral.

EXIT Festival, Novi Sad, Serbia - July 12-14

Approaching the Petrovaradin Fortress (Novi Sad, Serbia) along the bridge spanning the Danube, a growing sense of urgency arises in my body. It is dark. It is unknown. A gentle rhythm pulses from beyond the hills and walls. Perhaps my adrenaline rush is caused by the collective frenzy of the hordes storming the fortress. Perhaps it is an unknown primeval excitement engrained in my blood from a past life of terrorizing the lands. The onslaught of the crowd passes through the street vendors along the narrow cobblestone street, constanly flowing upwards. The cobblestone worsens, the slope increases, the walls rise, and the pulse of the music begins to float from all directions as we move upwards along the fortification.

The festival is held throughout the grounds of the fortress, 29 separate venues interspersed among the empty moats, stone tunnels, ramparts, rock tunnels, and hills within the medieval landscape. Arriving later than expected, The Prodigy had already performed, so we advanced through the crowd towards the main dance area. Cresting a hill, we peered down into the pit that was the dance arena. This crucible, bounded by impregnable hills and walls, was a furor of people throbbing and stirring to the beats being pounded out by Richie Hawtin, and further enticed by a sensational vibrating raver in pink, flaming poi spinners, and futuristic wardens throwing sparks into the crowd. As the sun rose over the horizon more than 5 hours later, the crowds showed no signs of abating.

The biggest draw for me was seeing The Beastie Boys live. After being 'banned' from listening to them as a teenager, it only served to heighten my fascination with them as they continued to evolve their music and style. They have certainly endured the test of time (to get ill). The festival was four days long, of which I had only intended to stay for three. The evenings began around 10pm and lasted until well after the sun shone across the throbbing crowds. On the last evening (morning), the drum and bass sounds of LTJ Bukem continued to echo off buildings for the full hour walk back home. As I laid my head on the pillow at 8am (for my half hour of sleep before going to the train station), I heard the parting words of LTJ shutting down, just as my own system did.


The beach party during the day, where more DJs continued to spin. The fortress lies on the hill in the background across the Danube.




The dance pit absolutely stacked with people... and this is about 7am!


Another view of the dance pit from atop the fortified hills.


The fortress snaked its way along bridges, under ramparts, and through cobblestone walks. Each corner providing a new stage for a different style of performer.


More beach party daning during the day after day after day. The campgrounds which I did NOT stay at were packed beyond belief nearby.


Market stalls in Novi Sad. The people were amazingly friendly and Novi Sad was a great city to visit.

Entering EXIT Festival Serbia

My first day in Budapest was accidentally long. The fact that I only got a few hours sleep the night before (no, not for THOSE reasons) is a probable explanation why I made the following decisions and ended up in Serbia... I contacted a guy from couchsurfing.com to meet up for a drink and discover some secret photogrpahy places. Enter the Ukranian vodka, enter the absinthe shot (with thujone), exit the rational thinking. The next morning he was leaving for a music festival in Serbia with some Croatians that he didn't really know, and suggested I consider coming along. The lure of The Prodigy, the Beastie Boys, and LTJ Bukem sat in my subconscience. Thinking this was an interesting possibility, I returned to the hostel before midnight to get some sleep, and decide in the morning.

The hostel which had previously been somewhat of a ghost town, was now occupied by a few guys drinking and listening to music... in our dorm room. Sleep was an impossibility, and I was eager to see as much of Budapest as I could. I surrendered to whatever the evening had in store which ended up being an outdoor dance club down by the Danube. The rising sun greeted me harshly as I walked back to the hostel, realizing that sufficient sleep was not in my immediate future.

This is how the next day evolved:

Thursday July 12
10:00 am - wake up after only 3 hours sleep
11:00 am - check email. Jason is going to the festival... hmmm...
11:02 am- decide to go to Serbia for the EXIT festival. Where is Serbia? Figure that out later...
12:00 pm - arrive at Jason's, madly pack a small bag, jump a subway and bus to the train station
12:45 pm- uh oh. Huge line for tickets. Train leaves in half an hour.
1:10 pm - buy train ticket, scrounge my last remaining change for fruit and sandwiches
1:15 pm - jump on train. Not sure I fully realized this was a 7 hr trip and it is standing room only
1:45 pm - random girl offers me a seat she was saving for her friend! What a savior!!
8:30 pm - in Serbia. Cell phone doesnt work, can't get hold of the people with accommodations
9:30 pm - buy Serbian SIM card, chill for a beer, have faith.
10:32 pm - call comes in, accommodations settled, meet new people, and leave for concert.

The EXIT Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, is held on the grounds of an old fortress. The lineup included The Prodigy, Groove Armada, Trentemoller, Green Velvet, Richie Hawtin, The Beastie Boys, Danny Tenaglia, Basement Jaxx, Snoop Dogg, Roger Sanchez, LTJ Bukem, and many more... pictures and experience to come soon!!

Vienna - July 3 - July 10

Ah, Vienna! A nice safe and quiet place to spend some time relaxing from the travels. These are my thoughts as I am laying down on the grass in the shade of the trees, allowing my mind to run free... occasionally reading, daydreaming, watching the old buildings get older, or eavesdropping on a particular woman's conversation regarding her views on the problems with marriage (mostly her, in my opinion). I have already done many of the tourist things, hence my hiatus from using my camera, and my current mood of pure relaxation.

As I am enjoying the serenity of Vienna and drifting into my subconscious, I am suddenly catapulted into the throes of a raving street party... or a partying street rave... given my rapid ejection from my daydreams, I am not entirely sure. I needed to find out who belonged to the massive subwoofer that was echoing though my skull. As I approached the street, I found myself in the middle of a convoy of speakers, DJs and their decks, and enough bass power to awaken Kurt Cobain. The trucks/flatbeds were being followed by hundreds of grooving dancers, ravers, and groupies as they pulsed through the street. This seemed to be some sort of protest against the 'organized' government, war, drug stereotypes, sex classification, and general restriction of freedoms (a few women interpreted the brassiere as being part of the restrictions they were protesting against). Due to my distinct lack of German, I'm not sure exactly what their cause or reasons were. Ach gut. It was a great street party. So much for quiet, safe Vienna!

Whether the weather in Vienna cooperates, which is generally not the case when I visit, the Viennese are always out of their homes and enjoying the many venues available to them. My friend Julia's schedule was quite limited since she was leaving for India in a few days, but we managed to find a little time to enjoy the simulated urban beaches where they brought in sand, beach chairs, and beer, as well as catch one of the nightly outdoor screenings of a classical music performance at the Rathausplatz. I also took a day trip to Bratislava in Slovakia to wander around the old town and enjoy the city!

I should also mention that Julia managed to get me out for a few bouts of Bikram yoga (I don't think I've EVER sweat that much in my life) and also for a few jogs through the hills surrounding Vienna.


Street protest / danceclub outside a government building.


One of the vehicles sporting DJs and subwoofers.


The Rathausplatz nightly screening of classical music.

Prague - June 28 - July 3

Praha – June 28-July 3
I arrived in Prague on what was erroneously titled an overnight sleeper train. Even at mid-morning, the swarms of khaki-clad tourists were enough to guide me through the twisted streets and towards one of Prague´s centrepieces – the astronomical clock in the Old Town. After napping at the hostel for a few hours, I set out into the streets to explore. At a popular pedestrian intersection, I made a donation to a mental health foundation in exchange for a brick which I was able to paint and place on the temporary structure rising with each donation. The twisted streets and alleyways, having nullified my normal sense of direction, allowed me the pleasure of becoming continually lost among the city´s densely packed ornate buildings, viewpoints, and beautiful women.

Ah yes, a description of Prague without a description of the beautiful women would not be complete. Amongst other… um… assets, the colour and intensity of their eyes continually crippled my ability to think (diversion of blood flow from the brain could also be used to describe this phenomenon)… It was as though there was a single creator for the eyes of every Czech woman… an ancient alchemist concocting them from glacier blue mountain-fed mineral water, blended with a splash of charcoal, and infused with two heaping spoons of raw animal aphrodisiac. The result is paralyzing.

The nightlife and social scene was busy with tourists and locals horded in the cavernous underground of bars and clubs. Freedom from the oppression of religion and communism, Prague has evolved into a very accepting society where it seems as though anything goes. One of the clubs I went to was a maze of interconnected chambers allowing people to freely spelunk through sections containing casual lounges, stand-up bars, dance floors, and even strip shows. I met a few locals out on the dance floor who showed me around the next day and evening, which allowed me to see other parts of the Czech culture. At an out-of-the-centre neighbourhood pub, I met two beautiful girls who were into photography, a very talented oil artist, and another guy who would just not let me forget about Wayne Gretzky’s crying fiasco when the Czechs beat the Canadians in hockey.

I also met with some couchsurfers(couchsurfing.com) who were both hosting and visiting in Prague. I got taken for a personal tour of some secret little spots including a sneaky one on the famous Charles Bridge, and also taken out to a fantastic authentic dinner with great people.

I have heard that people tend to spend more time than planned in Prague… I have yet to decide whether it is because of the enslaving eyes of the beautiful women, the beautiful architecture, or simply that they just can’t figure which way is out!


The astronomical clock.


River with the old town to the left, and Charles Bridge ahead.


Charles Bridge.


A disaster for those daring high heels...


The astronomical clock...


Cafe culture and buildings.


Charles bridge from lookout above city.


Cool little canal and cafe.


Bricks... see mine?