And we’re off! Almost everyone (though not quite almost everyone's luggage) makes it to Budapest by Sunday.

Day 1 of the official TMMBA International Study Tour, aka Sunday, March 15, was “National Day” in host Hungary. This holiday commemorates the 1848 Revolution and in the past several years has become an opportunity for the opposition party to stage a variety of events protesting the present Hungarian Socialist Party government. The bad news was the potential for violence in the streets. The good news was the intense police presence on the streets (hundred of well-armed men & women in riot gear, water cannons, gas masks, etc.) made everyone feel safe.

We did an abbreviated tour of the city by bus and a few short walks. The latter included a visit to neoclassical wonder St. Stephen’s Basilica. The bad news was that we saw a severed human hand. The good news was that it belonged there; we were told that it is the Szent Jobb, St. Stephen’s mummified right hand (and one of Hungary’s most sacred relics). The architecture of the church was nothing short of amazing.

Dinner was on our own, but we all pretty much ended up at the same restaurant recommended by our guide. The good news was twofold; first, the dollar is quite strong versus the Hungarian forint, and, second, they serve Coke Light (aka Diet Coke). The bad news was also twofold; you can easily blow through that favorable exchange rate ordering lots of drinks, and Coke Light was delivered sans ice in 200 ml (approximately 6.7 oz.) bottles. That’s the size I would typically enjoy while waiting for the foam on my 44 oz. Super Big Gulp to bubble down at 7-11. Let’s hear it for western capitalism!