Szia.

I made it across the ocean safe and sound, and the first week in Budapest has been full of exploring. We are gradually learning bits of this lovely city, its architecture, and transportation systems.

Working out the tram, bus, and metro lines has been hysterical and frustrating. Red, yellow, 4, 18, underground, across the river, north, errrrr. Yet after practice, relying on public transportation is satisfying. The system changed the day after we arrived so managing to catch the night bus has been a struggle on more than one evening excursion.

We live a a ways out of the city in a shady, residential area. I have spent several mornings at a small cafe down the block sipping eszpresszo al fresco (usually cramming Hungarian vocabulary into my frustrated brain). My synapses keep firing and misfiring trying to absorb the language around me. Mostly misfiring. Although I did manage to ask for a kilo of peppers from a small, shriveled Hungarian woman at the market. I almost got 25 hot peppers, but I still consider it a linguistic success. 

The weather is perfect: plenty of sunshine and late summer breeze. It is dry here and the leaves have already begun to fall. 

The group of peeps is solid. It exciting to be tossed into such an adventure with many new people as well as some best pals. Szia for now.