The bed at Corinthia was so comfortable and I was extremely exhausted from all the strenuous walks from previous days. I didn’t get up until 1pm the following day. Feeling guilty for wasting precious time in Budapest, I headed straight to Starbucks (FYI, US app doesn’t work in Budapest) and caffeinated myself with a cup of cold brew. I then hopped on a tour bus and checked out various parts of Budapest. Afterwards, I visited the Citadella – let me tell you, climbing Gellért Hill wasn’t easy. When I finally conquered the mountain top, my knees buckled and stomach begged for food. I noticed I gained weight from eating so well in Iceland so I skipped breakfast and lunch that day.
Instead of early dinner, I ordered the most beloved Hungarian dessert, chimney cake. Okay… how shall I describe this melt-in-your-mouth, sweet pastry? Remember your high-school crush for whom you had frequent bursts of intense emotions? Of course, you do. Everybody had a crush in high school. Imagine s/he made your favorite dish, which your grandmother prepared only on the most special occasions. Your crush somehow nailed your grandma’s recipe. Now imagine how happy you would be at that moment… that was me on the Budapest Castle on a warm, picture-perfect day. Thank you, evolution (perhaps directed by a super-intelligent being) for refining gustatory perception over millions of years. Thank you, Hungarians for creating the chimney cake!
The chimney cake was so delicious and I promised myself never to eat it again. It would be a game of diminishing returns – there is just no fucking way it could ever taste as good as the one I had that day. Eating it again would tarnish the precious memory. I shall preserve the integrity of my initial encounter by not allowing myself from indulging it ever again. Amen.
*I challenged my own conviction by purchasing two more and gave them away to random strangers.