We all met Thursday at noon to take the bus to Madrid, where we were flew out from. We flew Wizz Air (one of Europe's many low-cost airlines) and spent the majority of our time in the Barajas airport worrying about getting all of our carry-ons on the plane without them having to be checked... they are very strict about carry-on luggage. But we all made it! And we flew off to Budapest without a hitch in a pink plane. We were all so excited by the time we got to Hungary that on the shuttle on our way to the hostel, all we could do was say "Oh my gosh, guys, this is Hungary!" "That's a Hungarian road!" "That's a Hungarian sign!" "That's a Hungarian building!" First things first, when we got to the airport we had to withdraw forints (Hungarian money) from the ATMs. There a 222 forints in 1 US dollar, so we were working in hundreds and thousands with everything we bought this weekend, which definitely made the best of my math skills.
Once we got to our hostel it was pretty late and we had to run to a 0-24 shop (basically a 24 hour convenience store of sorts) to break our bills down and pay for our hostel rooms. Our hostel was super sketchy and a tad smelly... I shared a room with Taylor Anne and and Andrew, and we spread our sweatshirts and clothes over the top of the beds so we wouldn't be directly on the pillow or comforter. But heck, we were in Hungary, so we were happy anyways.
After breakfast at our hostel Friday morning (Friday, March 2nd, 2012, AKA: MY 21ST BIRTHDAY!!!!) we headed out and walked to Hero's Square and the park on the Pest side of of Budapest. The city was beautiful, and the street the we happened to walk down was full of embassies from all over the world. Hero's Square is a beautiful, large square with monuments, and behind it is a park with and a beautiful palatial complex. We strolled through the park and bought mulled wine and large, bready pretzels from a street vendor. We stopped and sat along the moat of the castle to enjoy the hot wine and pretzels. On our walk back towards the hostel we stopped and spent a few hours at the Terror Museum. As it turns out, Hungary was essentially a pawn during WWII, first for Germany and then for Russia. When Germany was in charge, they tortured and killed all of the Hungarian communists. When Communist Russia took over, they did the same to the Hungarian fascists. It was a bad situation all around. The building that the museum was in was the actual place in which much of the killing and torturing took place. It was a really somber experience, but I think it was good to learn a little bit more of the history behind Budapest.
After a quick lunch at Starbucks and some free time at our hostel, we were ready to go out for the night. Jenny, Alix, Alice and I decided to spend part of the evening on a river cruise down the Danube with drinks and live music. What a good choice! Evening along the Danube is gorgeous-- it was dark and all of the beautiful buildings (such as parliament and the castle district) were lit up. As if it couldn't get any better, the girls had the string trio (which included a world-famous violinist) come up and serenade me for my birthday. They played a pretty rendition of 'Happy Birthday' and then played an upbeat, traditional Hungarian song. As I sat there enjoying the champagne, the music, the setting, and my friends I couldn't help but thinking about how truly, truly blessed I am. I could never have dreamed of spending my 21st in such a wonderful way.
After our cruise we met back up with Andrew, Katie, and Taylor Anne and searched for dinner. We didn't find the Hungarian restaurant we were looking for, but we ended up in an awesome Italian restaurant. After that we went to Szimpla Kertmozi, which, according to Lonely Planet, is the third best bar in the world. I'd really like to see how two others beat it out, because it was probably one of the coolest places I've seen, located in the ruins of an old Communist building.
First thing Saturday morning we walked back towards Hero's Square and went to the thermal baths. They were beyond beautiful and elegant, and consisted of outdoor pools heated naturally to varying temperatures, encircled by gorgeous, antiquated buildings. Such a fun, relaxing experience-- something truly Hungarian and very typical of Budapest. On our way back we stopped and had Indian food for lunch. SOOOOO delicious! I tried Paneer Tikka Masala for the first time and fell in love. Afterwards we were so full we had no choice but to take a little siesta. That evening we walked across the river to the Danube side of Budapest, which is where the castle district is located (aka: Hogwarts). That part of the city is elevated, so once we climbed up the hill we got to look across the river and see the sunset over the entire city. And then the lights came on, and the city from that view was incandescently beautiful. We spent the evening taking our time and enjoying the sights of Buda at night. We then went to an authentic Hungarian restaurant, which was delicious. As we walked back down the hill towards Pest, with arms linked, Alix, Andrew, and I started singing Save Tonight... it seemed fitting. If only that night and our time in Budapest could've lasted forever.
We went back to the bar again that night, but were so exhausted that we went to bed by 12:30. Sunday morning we strolled around the area near our hostel a bit, but had to be ready to leave by noon. After a plane ride back to Madrid followed by a train, we got back into Cáceres at about 2:00 in the morning. And it felt like coming home.
Now I'm back to real life a while. My internship is going really well, and I already have my 'favorite' residents. This week the ladies have begun vying for my attention, and all of them keep giving me little gifts to win me over. It's adorable. I've also still be working with the nuns, and am truly enjoying that. Also, being back home makes me realize how much I love my host mom, Isabel. So thankful for all of the awesome people here!
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