Day 5 (öt)

Sziastok! (Hello everybody!)

     After our commute, day 5 in Budapest began with another Hungarian lesson. However, today’s lesson was much more enthralling since we are all math-lovers here: we learned numbers and applied them by working on our adding and subtracting (what a feat)! A quick yet delicious midday meal was followed by further exploration into number theory. Today we focused on Diophantine Equations, which are equations that can be solved only using integers. When it came time to put our knowledge to use and complete the group worksheet, a man named Frank and his incorrectly cashed check—in a word problem designed by Professor Hanson—gave us a run for our money. After completing such a challenge, we left feeling accomplished.

     For a small group of us, the highlight of our day, by far, was our discovery of “the most beautiful coffee house in the world” (but actually though). The New York Café is located a few blocks down from the Rákóczi tér station of the number four metro. A bronze statue outside represents the ancient symbol of coffee and meditation. Upon walking through the doors a sense of grandeur is immediately evident as you are greeted by ridiculously high ceilings, gold plating around every corner, Venetian crystal chandeliers, and art worthy of a museum. The atmosphere is not that of a typical café but of a palace, embodying its past and embracing the present.

     The building was commissioned by the New York Insurance Company in the late 19^th century and opened in 1894, celebrating its one hundred twentieth anniversary in 2014. The architecture reflects that of the Renaissance era. Hungary’s foremost representatives of literature and art frequented the café in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Around one hundred years after its opening, the New York Palace Budapest, in which the New York Café can be found, was in ruins, devastated by two world wars and neglected by the communist regime. The Boscolo Hotels chain invested in it in 2001, and today it is a popular attraction for people around the world.

     Having just completed day 4 of our schoolwork, we were in search of a well-deserved treat. When it came time to order, the menu of delicacies made selecting only one dessert and beverage a challenge. That being said, we were more than happy with our choices of New York chocolate cake, cheesecake with homemade apricot jam (apricots are a big deal here), vanilla cream on chocolate sponge cake served with raspberry-blueberry and violet favored ice cream, cappuccino with French vanilla flavor, hot chocolate with caramel flavor and whipped cream, and hot chocolate with roasted hazelnut flavor and whipped cream.

Vaníliás Cappuccino—Cappuccino with French vanilla flavor

Sajttorta házi baracklekvárral—Cheesecake with homemade apricot jam

Forró csokoládé karamell ízvilággal és tejszínhabbal és vanílias krém csoládés piskótan, málna-áfonya-ibolya fagylalttal (that’s a mouthful)—Hot chocolate with caramel flavor and whipped cream, and vanilla cream on chocolate sponge cake served with raspberry-blueberry and violet flavored ice cream

     As the nicest restaurant we have visited in Budapest, the New York Café’s prices were high for Hungarian standards but comparable to Olive Garden in the States (at least for dessert).

     With many more adventures, stories and highlights to come, we leave you with a picture of the bridge near Gellert Station, shining brightly on a chilly Budapest night (the high today was 30).

Jó éjszakánok! (Goodnight!)

-Kali and Megan