Budapest and the Czech Republic are two very different places. The language, the people, the food, the currency...... though Budapest was evocative of Prague and other European cities (namely Vienna), it was certainly a place unlike anywhere I had been before. Here's the general rundown of my weekend in Hungary:
Our first night there, we were super exhausted (after an 8-hour train ride, can you blame us?). So we decided to hit the BATHS. Hungarian baths are an awesome, unique, confusing, and certainly interesting experience. Pretty much, Szecheny (the baths we went to) are located in a beautiful and HUGE neo-classical complex that houses saunas, massage rooms, locker rooms, steam rooms, etc. And the building is located around a giant outdoor courtyard with three gigantic hot pools filled with mineral water. We decided to forego the saunas and went in the actual baths instead. They're super relaxing and very refreshing...... until you decide to switch to a new one, at which point you get out of the pool into the FREEZING winter air and run across the deck to the next pool. Still, we had a great time relaxing and partaking in a typical Hungarian activity!
Taking advantage of the fantastic exchange rate, we had some great Hungarian meals, especially our first night. We found a very nice restaurant/winery, got ourselves a gigantic platter of meat and cheeses, a bottle of wine, and entrees.... all for about $20! Budapest also has great Turkish food, as well as great traditional cuisine - think goulash, meats in sauce, fishes, etc. It's easy to eat very well for under $10!
Other highlights of Budapest:
- A fantastic walking tour, taking us to all the main sites of Buda and Pest (Budapest is actually 2 cities). We saw St. Stephen's Cathedral (and the Chapel of the Holy Right Hand, where St. Stephen's right hand lies in a reliquary!), the many bridges running along the Danube, the castles in the Castle District (Castle Hill), the Bastion, and many aerial views taken from the Buda side.
- A trip to the Grand Market, where we got some great Hungarian food for lunch and enjoyed looking at the merchants selling spices, wines, meats, and fruit.
- A few visits to the wonderful Christmas market they had set up in the main square at the foot of Vaci Utca - the main street in Budapest. (right)
- A visit to Heroes Square, the site of a few picturesque museums, as well as an impressive victory arch.
- We went to the "House of Terror," the former headquarters of the communist party in Hungary, which now serves as a museum documenting Hungary's political history. This museum was incredibly depressing, yet also very eye-opening. It seems as though the Hungarians have had one political misfortune after another, especially in the 1900s, with Nazism and many different periods of oppressive communist rule. It was chilling to see the cellar of the building, where countless people were tortured, imprisoned, and executed just for exercising their freedom of speech - against the party in power. In any event, it's much easier to understand why the Hungarian people (and the Czech people, for that matter) can come across as unhappy, mistrusting, and reserved. Definitely makes one stop and think about the basic freedoms that we take for granted in America. It's really unbelievable to me that such oppression can rise to power without a significant amount of people stopping to think that something might be seriously wrong...
- After a pretty somber experience at the museum, our hostel organized a booze cruise along the Danube, followed by a pub crawl - those certainly lifted our spirits!
- Before we left, we followed Budapest tradition and stopped at Gerbeaud Cafe to relax, sip some Viennese-style coffee, and enjoy delicious cakes!
As far as I know, I'm officially done with trips out of the Czech Republic for the semester. I've had SUCH an amazing time traveling all over Europe, but I'm really excited to settle down, stay in Prague for a few weeks, and finish seeing and doing all the things that I haven't gotten around to yet. It's hard to believe that I'm only here for another 4 weeks, but I'm really very excited to get back to the US. We're looking forward to Thanksgiving in Prague - some of us in my dorm are cooking a traditional style meal - but I can't help but think that it's not quite the same..... I'm going to miss watching the Macy's Parade on Thursday morning, and of course being with my family. My Mom has reminded me, though, that although it's tough to be away from home, I'm having experiences here that many people can only dream of. For that, I'm truly thankful. I hope everyone has a great holiday - talk to you soon!
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