My Life Abroad: Budapest

I just got back from a quick weekend in Budapest! We left Thursday night after I got out of class, and returned late Saturday night. Going to Budapest was kind of a spur of the moment type thing, since I was never really planning on going. However, the opportunity came up, so I took it! Turns out Budapest is a very cool city - and the best part is that it is CHEAP! 218 HUF= $1. It was quite a nice change from how expensive the Euro is, and especially how expensive the English pound is.

When we first arrived in Budapest, it was around midnight since out flight was delayed out of Rome. When we arrived, we were expecting our car to be waiting for us, which it was...but we were greeted by a man who looked quasi-homeless and spoke no English, which was equally funny and scary. It turned out to be fine, and we got to our hostel at about 1am. The next day, we just decided to walk around, and we ended walking a TON, which is fine because we saw a lot. My favorite part of the day was seeing St. Stephen's Basilica. It was absolutely gorgeous and if you ever go to Budapest - I highly recommend you go see it whether or not you are Catholic. Around lunch time, we stumbled upon this festival which happened to be going on when we were there. It was tons of food stands with authentic Hungarian food, hot wine (which is famous in Budapest), and homemade chocolates, among other things. I got cabbage stuffed pork, and sausage with mustard and a huge slice of homemade sourdough for 2200 HUF, which is about $10. Great deal!

Next, we continued to walk through Budapest, we ended the night by eating at Hummus Bar (delicious), and by stopping by a few cool ruins bars, which are famous in Europe. We didn't stay long since they were so crowded and we couldn't find a table. We ended the night at a small wine cafe, which was very relaxed and a great way to end our night.

Saturday morning we woke up and walked around a little more, and then headed to the baths. Apparently Budapest is known for its baths, and they were very cool! It was like a giant palace with tons of pools and saunas, all with warm water. It was very relaxing, and I even got a massage! I was very anxious before, because I had never gotten one before, but they are AWESOME!

After spending a few hours there, we headed back to the hostel and waited for our car to pick us up, and then back to Rome we went, just in time to study for midterms (BOO).

I think I will survive though! Plus, only 4 days and I get to spend a week in France!

Ciao!