Welcome to Budapest: part II

So now that I have tried to, in my own rambling way, explain that while Budapest can look grimy and disgusting, It is also very pretty in its own grimy disgusting way, I feel the need to move onto the more mundane aspects of my life here thus far. Like the University that I'm studying at.

I go to Corvinus  University which is located right along the Danube river and next to the Great Market Hall. (This will be great for between class munchies and sudden unyielding needs for a non-meat-based dish) Much like the city, it is very pretty...but grimy as all get out. The newer of the two university buildings is sleek and modern and clean. More importantly though, it has a coffee shop! Yaaaaaaaay! In spite of it supposedly being a coffee culture, Budapest has few morning coffee places. Go figure. My university used to be called Karl Marx University of Economics and he has a statue in the main hall of the old building. On Christmas they dress him up in wreaths and Santa hats apparently.

By far the coolest thing I've done yet was getting hot chocolate yesterday. It sounds anticlimactic I realize, and when we walked into a big bookstore, I thought so too. I was very wrong.  The first thing we encounter is a wall of wine. In the Hungarian equivalent of a Barnes and Noble mind you. Hungarians LOVE their vino. With this exception it continues to look like a Barnes and Noble until we go up an elevator and walk into a giant room covered in gilded paintings and mirrors from floor to ceiling and glistening with chandeliers. They even had a live pianist playing Sinatra. It was just the essence of Old World elegance. And I got to try real hot chocolate for the first time. So good.

 Veiw of Pest From Buda. As I said, grey

Coffee house