Budapest

Ever wonder what it’s like to wear sandals in 40 degree weather, travel by yourself and take a bath with hundreds of people? Well you’re in luck because that’s what my weekend consisted of.

   It all began when I booked a round trip ticket to Budapest, Hungary last Wednesday. That meant a late train from Florence to Milan (2 hours) then the connecting train to the airport (1 hour) culminating with a sleepover at the airport with dozens of new friends (I actually didn’t talk to anyone).  The train rides were by far the most frightening period of this experience.  There were 2 men at 2 different times who sat next to me and stared. While I kept my headphones in and glared out the window the men tried to ensue conversation. When I finally reacted and stood up each of the men left. Moral of the story- sit in train cars with other people (which I did), stand your ground, be calm.

            After arriving in Budapest at 10am on Friday I took a bus and a couple of Metros before walking 2 minutes to my hostel, Zen Hostel. Just like the name suggests the owner had incense burning but it was a great place and the price was even better, $5USD/night!! Upon arrival I met an Australian girl and 2 French guys and we went to the Central market to have lunch. I had a meat and vegetable dish with rice and then later had a pancake with cocoa (similar to a crepe)  The French guys left us and us girls went to the House of Terror (museum dedicated to the communist regime in Hungary), the baths and then ice skating! We went to City Park by Heroes Square to the Szechenyl Bath.  Now Hungary is famous for its baths much like most of Eastern Europe. The warmest one is only 38 degrees Celsius so don’t be expecting a hot tub, but the saunas were nice. You see people of all shapes and sizes, colors and swim attire and I mean ALL (picture a 300 pound Hungarian man in a speedo J   It was a nice cultural experience.  We went to the huge ice rink after! I was by far the happiest person there. It happened to be Valentines day so there were plenty of couples holding hands all in love, but I was in love with being on the ice. See mom I told you that if I brought my skates I’d use them somewhere J  Some Egyptian guys thought I was famous and asked me to skate with them and then take pictures with them. 

Egyptian friends

           

the baths-no you don't wash your hair in them

Saturday I went on a free walking tour, they have these in many cities around the world and they’re generally awesome.  The tour started at St. Stephen’s Basilica and wandered the streets across the chain bridge to the Buda side of Budapest. Side note- the city of “Budapest” is divided with Pest on one side and Buda on the other side of the river. And Budapest derives from the word “water” so nothing related to “Buddha”.  We saw the Royal Palace where museums are located, the national gallery and wandered over to Matthias Church.  I met 2 girls, Jennifer from the US and Julia from Germany, and we spent the next 4 hours together.  We found the hospital in the rock which was used during WWII, had a lunch of chicken dumpling soup and had a strudel.  We then watched sunset from the hill. A perfect pink+blue cotton candy sunset.  It was sad leaving those girls as we had become friends and had met other people along the way, including Ester (Hungarian girl) who said “this is the start of a great friendship.”  I ventured over to liberty Statue and the Cittadella just after dark. I climbed the hill which provides a spectacular view of Buda+Pest.  After about 10 minutes of sitting on a bench by myself 2 guys asked if they could join me. Now here’s where your gut, first impressions and confidence come into play.  Here’s me, a young American girl by herself, and 2 guys in their twenties.  We proceeded to have a 45 minute conversation about just about everything from politics to religion to travels around the world, family, friends, and sports.  Mario and Shabab are incredible people and I wish all of you could meet them. They made me laugh and had insightful opinions, many of which I agreed with like what the power of human relationships can mean to people and why fear is the worst thing plaguing society. I walked down the hill with them, took a selfie on the bridge and went to a coffee shop to celebrate Shabab’s birthday. Mario and I sang Happy Birthday and I enjoyed hot chocolate.

  What great people!  I left them and went to a Hungarian market to get my last fix of Hungarian food. I had langos (fried dough typically with sour cream and shredded cheese) and bought some chocolates after the man told me I was beautiful (what a compliment considering I hadn’t showered in a couple days, I had 3 layers on and my hair was on top of my head). I still needed some Hungarian Goulash soup so I stopped at a restaurant and ordered some. The waitress, Viola, and I had a long conversation about our lives and how she loves surfing and wants to move to Australian at some point.

view from Buda at Parliment

cotton candy sky

Mario and Shabab

            Sunday morning was a 6am flight back to Milan and then thankfully uneventful train rides back to Florence.  Now here’s where the sandals come in…..I had awful blisters on my toes so wearing shoes was really painful so I wore sandals all weekend.  It really was never that cold and there was no snow so I thought it was fine, but apparently not to the Hungarians and other tourists.  The comments, stares, and pointing of fingers was astonishing throughout the weekend. It was a humbling experience because I was only wearing sandals, it’s not like I have a fake leg or some other disability.  So please don’t comment or point or stare at people who might not look or dress or act the same way you do because you don’t know what they are going through.

langos with sour cream and cheese

            Here’s what I wrote in my journal about my experience…. “I know I know. The world is a scary place and traveling alone isn’t safe. What if I get raped, or abducted or robbed? But what if I make a new friend or crack a smile or embrace a hug or fall in love? For me it’s those things that motivate me to be vulnerable. Because the idea of a scary situation tests all that you are as a person and the rewards you may gain out way the possibility of something really bad happening. Of course you need to be aware and smart and cautious, but you should be aware all the time no matter where you are.  I guess this goes with my belief and the belief my parents have instilled in me that the world really is a great place full of people who are here to enjoy life with you. There just happen to be several handfuls of  people who ruin that whole reputation.” 

            I recommend that most people try traveling alone at some point (I know it’s not for everyone).  It doesn’t have to be to a new country, but just try something on your own….and maybe tell your parents only after you’re safe J


Fun Facts~ the rubix cube and forbid acid from Vitamin C both were invented in Hungary.

PS All while alone I kept thinking of my friend Rayna from DU who traveled South America and she talks about using fear as a compass to guide you. Check out her cool story...http://matadornetwork.com/community/healyrayna/from-that-time-that-i-experienced-fear/


"Hungary is like pepper, small but strong."-tour guide Anita