Always Hungry in Hungary

It has been a hell of a week.

It started with a Sunday trapped in the Charlotte airport. (After a beautiful weekend in Asheville, NC for the wedding of LGA turned LGAK.) It turned into an extra evening at one of Charlotte's most QUALITY INN's (compliments of United Airlines) and a very late arrival to a very stressful work situation on Monday.

And after another tough morning at the office on Tuesday, I boarded another plane, this time headed to Hungary. I honestly have never sat on a plane - or anywhere - for as long as I did on Tuesday. So long that my butt truly did ache, despite glasses of wine and Tylenol PMs.

Come Wednesday afternoon, Central European Time, when I did finally arrive in Budapest, and only an hour later to the Hotel Grand Royal, did it sink in. I am in Hungary!

And although I felt like I really hadn't slept since last Wednesday, the night before my Thursday night red-eye to NC for the wedding festivities, I forced myself to run 8K on the hotel treadmill. It wasn't too bad. Mainly because I really didn't have the brainpower to convert my km/hour pace to miles/hour, and I therefore had no idea how slowly I was running, therefore removing any frustration with myself. Also, it wasn't too bad because I was able to watch a Russian sports channel that was showcasing a gymnastics meet between Central and Eastern Europe teams while running. If only ESPN showcased more gymanstics!

After an amazing shower - European hotels really do have the most amazing bathrooms - I set out to do a little exploring of Budapest. And so I walked down Erzsébet körút and turned left down Andrassy ut into Jozsef Attila utca, got a little lost, but finally stumbled on DIÓ Restaurant & Bar.

What a find! Perhaps the waitstaff - all very handsome - felt bad for me. I was eating by myself - the horror! But the service was amazing. The wine was amazing. The salad? With goat cheese and cherries and walnuts - again, amazing. And my entree? Wild boar medallions served with a strawberry chutney over polenta with melted goat cheese.

A lactose intolerant non-vegetarian can eat very well in Budapest. Provided they like goat cheese...

After my lovely meal, I headed back to the hotel where I spent the majority of the past two days. Trapped inside a ballroom with 100 others for a conference. My presentation went well, though, and it is time to explore some more.

We are off on a bus tour with the group and onto what I expect will be another lovely dinner. Amazingly enough, despite all the good food, I am still hungry. But perhaps that is just how things work, here in Hungary...