I knew I'd like Prague as soon as our bike tour guide said, "Here, beer is cheaper than water." The birthplace of the Pilsner. The holy grail of all party opportunities. Apparently, in clubs, nobody shuts it down until the last person leaves. Thinking it was probably 3 a.m.-ish, I left the club and walked out into bright sunlight. Seriously. That was the first time it ever happened in my life.

So the thing about Budapest is that it just kinda takes you by surprise. Everyone raves about Vienna and Prague and all those neighboring cities (and rightly so), but Budapest is kinda lonely. Its streets aren't cluttered with hordes of tourists jockeying for the best camera space or picking their noses in public. So, why was I so surprised by Budapest? Something to do with its beautiful streets and fascinating history, I guess.