SCRIPTING -- Dave Winer bought a Eurail pass and mentions Bavaria, Prague, and Budapest in the same seven-day journey. If I had that pass, I wouldn't consider "breakfast in Bavaria" as a "must-do." Fruhstuck in Deutschland disappoints anyone used to huge breakfast buffets in the States. Instead, I would plan my day so that I sprawled out in Munich's Englischer Garten just before noon, fell asleep, and listened to voices awaken me at lunchtime. If I chose my spot correctly, I would be amazed at the landscape greeting me when I awakened. Clue: German naturists are often office workers who enjoy healthy sunshine.
A train journey from Munich to Prague takes you through countryside about to benefit from huge infusions of EU structural money. I think the best lunchtime value is anything on a terrazo within a half-mile of the Charles Bridge.
Budapest? Get to Pest's Great Market Hall and smell fresh produce (red peppers!), spicy sausages, and salami. Plus you will find all the artisans with their (pricey) stuff under one roof. You get value for money from the small food stands in the Great Market. Get there after 3PM and join boisterous locals who gather for a well-deserved afternoon beer alongside steaming sausages swimming in sauerkraut. You actually need two meals in Budapest, because no trip there is complete without diving into your own bowl of heavily spiced goulash. You won't spend more than $7 for dinner if you stay out of the major hotels.
Dave Winer -- "bought my Eurail pass"
Gayot -- "72 hour Budapest"
Lance Knobel -- "grittiness of Budapest"
Andras Torok -- "Budapest: a Critical Guide" ISBN: 1873429622
The webcam snap is from the Charles Bridge in Prague on April 19, 2004.
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