Budapest

I am sitting on the train from Rome to Florence after the first weekend adventure of my abroad experience. So where did we chose to go? Budapest, Hungary. To be honest, before coming to Florence and hearing other people mention Budapest on their wish list of trips, I never even thought to go. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this is really one of those places that I will never have the opportunity to visit again. So on Thursday night, we hopped on a train to Rome to stay the night in order to be ready for our 9 AM flight to Budapest from Rome.  By 1 PM Friday afternoon, we had touched down in Budapest, Hungary. The first thing we did was take a bus from the airport to our Airbnb which was an adorable and very authentic Eastern-European apartment in the heart of the Jewish District.  So what did we do in maybe the most random place I will choose to go?

1. Mr. Funk: We quickly cleaned ourselves up from our travels and made our way to get lunch…or should I say a very early dessert at Mr. Funk, a place with the most insane milkshakes I have ever seen. The sugar rush from these gave us enough fuel to make our way to one of the most famous and popular sites in Budapest.

2. Szechenyi Baths: The Szechenyi baths are the one thing I did know about Budapest before planning this trip. The baths are a very popular cultural experience in many parts of Eastern Europe, but famously in Hungary. The thermal spa baths are full of medicinal minerals like calcium and magnesium and are pumped to 96 degrees F or more and full of steam. There are 18 different thermal pools at Szechenyi, some colder than others, some with whirl pools, and others just to hang out in. There is no lie it was kind of gross being in a communal bath tub, but it is something we had to try while we were there. And although we took showers immediately after getting out, I do have to say my skin felt very clean after!

3. Ruins Bar: After we were all double clean from the bath and the follow up shower, we got ready for dinner and drinks at another staple spot of Budapest: the ruins bar. The ruins bars are old residential or other buildings that were ruined during the occupation of Hungary. The bars have no been renovated in any way, but turned into trendy and casual bars and restaurants. The one we went to was called Szimple Kert, where we got burgers and beer in one of the coolest atmospheres I have been around. We spent the night trying drinks at the various bars within Szimple Kert, each with it’s own unique spin on it. Especially being with a large group of people in a place filled with both locals and tourists, the ruins bar was perhaps my favorite part of my trip to Budapest.

LabBar at Szimple Kert

Beer at Szimple Kert

More beer!!

4. Walking Tour: Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a free walking tour of the city of Budapest. I loved this idea since the city is so big and not a language we are even remotely familiar with, thus giving us an easy way to see all the most historical aspects of Budapest. Budapest is actually split into two areas: Buda and Pest, connected by various bridges across the Danube river. We saw St. Stephen’s Basilica, the highest building in Budapest, crossed the chain bridge, climbed to the top of the Buda Castle, and visited Mathias’s Church on the top of the mountain. The views of the city below were absolutely stunning and we learned so many facts about Budapest and Hungary that I would otherwise have not known. For example, did you know the Hungarian language is the second hardest one to learn in the world and their alphabet contains 44 letters? A great way to see the city, we ended the tour and were cold and hungry (not a good combination) so we decided to continue our historical day but going to an authentic Hungarian restaurant. To be honest, it was not bad at all! Authentic foods we tried such as goulash soup and paprika chicken were enjoyed by all, but there is really only so much meat and potatoes a girl can eat! However, a traditional Hungarian dessert that we could not get enough of is called a chimney cake. Basically, it is a churro like cone filled with Nutella and ice cream. Now that is a cultural culinary aspect I LOVE about Hungary.

On top of the Buda Castle

Mathias’ Church

View from the Buda Castle

5. The Jewish History: There were two very moving and important things for me in Budapest. The first is that the second largest Jewish synagogue in the world is located here, right after Jerusalem of course. It was absolutely beautiful on the outside and I wish we had more time to visit the inside of it. It is remarkable to see such a synagogue in a place that seems so foreign and to feel a little sense of community and welcoming. The second was something I discovered accidentally, while walking to dinner on Friday night. It was the side of what used to be the ghetto wall in Budapest during the Holocaust. Having visited Germany and Poland and all of the camps and other important sights of the Holocaust, this was an incredible moment for me. The memorial they have for the ghetto was is a beautiful tribute and was a great thing to stumble upon accidentally.

Second largest Jewish synagogue in the world

Ghetto Wall

6. Boat Tour: To end our trip in Budapest, we signed up for a nighttime boat tour of the city. The boat brought us onto the Danube river so we could see all of the amazing lights of Budapest such as the way the chain bridge and the Parliament building light up. It was a super fun way to end the trip by having a great time (Budapest is known for it’s nightlife of course) while also seeing some of the sights we missed throughout the day. While I am NOT a fan of boats, the small boat and a little bit of wine helped me really enjoy the beauty and liveliness of Budapest at night.

Boat Cruise

Hungarian Parliament at Night

Chain Bridge

Overall, I think Budapest was a great first trip to take. We learned the basics of traveling with a group and in a new city and got to see somewhere I never would see otherwise. As I sit here on the train, I realize that this trip helped me to understand the immensity of what studying abroad is. Being able to go from one country to another within hours, to explore a culture so vastly different from mine, and to learn about so many countries is what studying abroad is truly about. So many times we would stop and think, wow, people really do live in other places the same way we live in America. I am started to understand ethnocentrism much more, because it is so hard to put yourself in the shoes of someone who grew up the same way we did, but in a country such as Italy or Hungary. But now, the train is pulling up to Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station, as my first journey comes to a quick end. For more pictures of the views and obviously the food, check out the gallery and the eats page.

Until next trip, wanderfully yours,

Sophia