This street sign was on display where we ate lunch. It says "May 1st Street" and is a relic of the Hungary's Communist days (May 1st being of course a sacred laborer's day in Communist ideology). When Communism fell in Hungary, street names like this were changed to help usher in the new era. But for a period of time, the new street names stood side-by-side the old street names until locals got used to the change. To signify the old, soon-to-be-erased names from the new, red x's would be spray-painted over the Communist street names.

This was my desert after lunch today. It's called "turos gomboc" and features two cottage cheese dumplings smothered in a sweet yogurt sauce with powdered sugar sprinkled over the top. Thank goodness I'm competing in the Eurogames tennis tournament in Holland later this week. Maybe I'll be able to shed some of the calories represented so bountifully by treats like those above.

Another insane (and weirdly delicious) Hungarian specialty I tried today in St. Andrew. OK, let's see, its pasta noodles covered with yogurt and sweet cottage cheese, with chunks of bacon fat sprinkled throughout. It's called "turos csusza." How do they come up with such concoctions, anyway? And for those not in the know, that's the Hungarian flag.

Standing under gobs of Hungarian paprika, the national spice here.

Hungary - Day 3 - Sunday, June 12 (Happy Birthday lil' sis' Krista!)

Hungarian desert. If it's impossibly rich and tasty with heavy cream or custard, it must be Hungarian.

Csaba's family.

Csaba's wonderful mother made this wonderful lunch for us. Potatos, pork with gravy, fried cauliflour and cucumber salad.

Budapest detail.

Since Janos said I dressed like an American and not a Hungarian, we traded jackets for this shot, and I even held his cigarette to try to get the full "Hungarian" look down. He tried mine on to look more American. Anyone convinced?

Me and Csaba's friend Janos. Janos said I dressed like an American, not a Hungarian.

Close-up of Csaba's Hungarian crepe.

Csaba takes on an even more ridiculous Hungarian crepe creation -- it has bananas, chocolate pudding, "fruit punch-flavored" pudding, heavy cream, custard and more. He was only able to finish half of it.

These aren't your ordinary crepes. They're Hungarian, after all, so they're smothered in luscious heavy cream, filled with rich custard and highlighted with Cherries and chocolate sprinkles. This was a meal unto itself.

This is a menu for Hungarian crepes, a favorite late-night snack here.

Budapest's "Chain Bridge" over the Danube. See the lions? Csaba says legend has it that the bridge's designer dared anyone to find something wrong with his "perfect" bridge. When an observant citizen pointed out that the lions had no tongues, the bridge designer was so devastated that he killed himself.

Csaba's friend Janos strikes a pose at the Hungarian freedom monument.

Csaba's friend Janos and I on a hill overlooking the lights of Budapest.

Two nice Hungarian girls who agreed to have their picture taken with me.

Hungary's "Satue of Liberty," a gift to the country from France. Sound familiar?

Csaba, Sofie and Csaba's friend Janos at a monument signifying the coming together of two cities on opposite sides of the Danube River -- Buda and Pest -- to form, you guessed it, the Hungarian capital Budapest!

Beautiful Budapest

Close-up of Attila the Hun, founder of Hungary.

St. Steven.

This is the story of St. Steven's right hand.

That's me, Sofie and Sofie's mom with the Cardinal of Budapest. I got to meet him, and he gave us a special tour and a look at St. Steven's right hand.

More from St. Steven's Basilica.

And quite a church!

Quite a pipe organ.

Csaba took me to St. Steven's Basilica to hear his girlfriend sing in the choir. We walked these stairs to get to the choir area high above the church pews and just below the giant pipe organ.

Hero's square in Budapest. Atilla the Hun and his band are of horsemen are flanked by Hungary's past kings and other national heros.

Hungary - days 1 & 2

At ruins of a Roman ampitheatre in Budapest.

Yummy Hungarian raspberry cookies.

Oh yeah, Hungarians, such as Csaba's friends here, like to drink a lot. Hungarian beer bottles dwarf American beer bottles.

Shooting pool with Csaba's sister, Csaba and his friends. EVERYONE smokes in Hungary when they go out. But they do know how to have fun.

The view over Budapest from the my guest room at Csaba's house.

Aren't they frickin' everywhere? "McReggeli" is Hungarian for "McBreakfast." Csaba says in Hungary McDonald's food is on the expensive side.

They don't know how to make an ugly church in Budapest.

Hungarian mailbox (scroll down to compare it with Swedish and Danish mailboxes).

The lovely Danube River flowing through Budapest.

This giant eagle is a Hungarian war memorial.

Sofie and I in front of the Hungarian parliament building on the Danube River.

A Russian Lada car, holdover from the communist days. Csaba says they are sometimes referred to as 'Gypsie Mercedes.' Before communism ended in Hungary, Csaba's family had a Lada -- but they were on a waiting list for seven years before they got it.

Budapest detail.

The beautiful Hungarian parliament building.

Standing in front of Saint Stephen's basilica in Budapest.

My hosts in Hungary - Csaba and his girlfriend Sofie. I met Csaba four years ago in San Diego when he was there studying English.

Today smaller, friendlier animals frequent the place where once fearsome lions tore into human flesh.

The Roman Empire reached its furthest boundaries in central Europe right in the middle of modern-day Budapest. Romans once watched gladiators and beasts duke it out in this ampitheater.

The goulash is followed by this equally deliscious Hungarian desert - moist cake smothered in rich custard, cream and chocolate pudding. Can desert this good be legal?

My first meal in Hungary - a scrumptuous bowl of authentic Hungarian goulash.

Dreary grey Communist-era apartment blocks like this still abound in Budapest.