I’m in Budapest – third trip in 3 weeks. Wow, when they said 50% travel, they meant! It’s my first time in Budapest, and my very first impressions are fabulous. The city center is beautiful at night, and we took a nice walk along a pedestrian mall to a Hungarian restaurant. Unfortunately, Hungarian cuisine is not exactly a vegetarian’s delight, but there were a couple not-so-Hungarian options on the menu. The Giant Green Salad did not disappoint – it was a freakin’ giant salad, which reminded me of the Chinese restaurant in Kyiv where my hot and sour soup was delivered in a bucket! I know people think I’m weird that I get so excited about a Giant Green Salad, but lettuce is still not very common in Ukraine, and a salad that is made of something other than minutely chopped potatoes, beets and carrots drowning in mayonnaise or oil just really turns me on.
In between these three trips, Igor and I also managed to move to a new apartment. I’ve spent a couple nights there, and it’s slowly starting to feel like home. We finally got to explore our new neighborhood a bit on Saturday. There aren’t any really good grocery store options, but the market is pretty good. We also found a sauna just a 5 minute walk from us, where we happily spent the early evening. Igor is a much bigger fan of the dry-heat sauna experience than I am, but I enjoy seeing him get such happiness there. I much prefer a steam bath or the hot mineral baths like I tried in Georgia. I’m looking forward to a good soak and scrub in the baths here in Budapest!
We had a great day together, which was much needed. It’s been quite a while since we could just relax and enjoy each other’s company. Igor made a totally yummy dinner, we had delicious wine and cheeses – after massages and the sauna, we were complete zombies with full bellies. Great way to spend the day with my favorite guy.
The trip to Moscow was good, very productive. My standard answer to the question “So, how was Moscow?” has become – “BIG!” Geez, it’s a freakin huge city. And freakin’ expensive. Some things t hat particularly impressed me:
– Wow, do the Russians ever know how to queue up. No mad-dash chaotic rushes to beat everyone else to the metro escalator like in Ukraine; these people politely and patiently get on one at a time and line up single file, even on the up escalator. That did seem a bit extreme to me, but the pretty girl in the instructions poster was, after all, giving clear instructions to “Stand on the right, pass on the left.”
– The express train to Sheremetova airport rocks. As if saving $50 compared to the price of a taxi wasn’t enough, reducing the time it can take to get to the airport from as much as 3 hours (depending on traffic) to a mere 30 minutes is so totally worth it. And the train itself was awesome – I almost forgot I was in Eastern Europe. In fact, are they really allowed to make something so clean, efficient and comfortable east of the Danube?
– The train terminal at Sheremetova airport also rocks. Cafes, shops, internet – and almost no customers since most folks rush on to the airport terminals for their flights.
I’m looking forward to this week in Budapest, but wish very much that Igor could have joined me for the trip. It’s becoming quite a dilemma for me – I love my job, love love love it; but I love love love love my husband and miss him every minute we are apart. It’s hard to be away from him, and when we are together, I try very hard to focus on us and not let work get in the way. I’m not balancing things well so far, as I’m WAY behind on work, just can’t seem to get ahead of things at all, but I also don’t want to let work take over my life. Hopefully after this trip I’ll be able to get a handle on things during the slow holiday season, when not many folks do much work in this part of the world. Russia is basically closed for the first 9 days of 2009, as will be most offices in the other countries in my portfolio. I actually look forward to working then so I can get caught up!
Anka in Kyiv 