budapest was absolutely fantastic! cory and i had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and it ended up being one of the best trips we've made. when we arrived on friday, we checked into the hostle and met ulga. she is the owner of the 'buda bubble' who we had heard so much about. from the minute we walked in, she was so warm and welcoming! she sat down with us for a good half hour and told us all about the city and where we should spend our time throughout the weekend. it was great because she encourages everyone staying in the hostle to go out together and get to know one another. she gave off such a wonderful vibe and we felt right at home.
we spent most of friday just walking around trying to find our way around the city. that night we we decided to hop around and sample a bunch of different foods instead of doing a sit down dinner. we found a great little street that was lined with bars, restaurants and pubs all with outdoor patios lining the outsides of the streets. between the goulash, cheese french fries topped with horseradish mayo (supposedly a hungarian specialty), and various types of pickled veggies we were stuffed! while we were walking around that night we saw this guy drinking a HUGE three liter beer. cory and i decided that we had to try it! the bartenders thought it was hysterical that two girls were trying to tackle the massive drink but we were up for the challenge. as we sat on the patio for almost two hours finishing the beer, we made SO many friends! people were constantly stopping to talk with us when they saw what we were drinking.
the next day we decided to cross the river and walk on the buda side through the gorgeous hills. the buda side is mostly residential and totally different from the pest side. it was a beautiful day to wander through the parks and take some really fun pictures. we found an adorable coffee shop where we tried a bunch of different local coffee drinks. we became friends with the guy who worked there and he let us try the traditional hungarian liquor. it reminded me a lot of fruit infused sake--mom, you would have LOVED it! after chatting with him for a few hours, we continued our walk up to the national museum and church that looked over the parliament building. the church was one of my all time favorites! it was so different from anything that i've seen in florence. the top of it was tiled in bright colors and in the sunlight it was spectacular. by the time we finished walking the buda side, it was almost time for dinner. after a quick nap back at the hostel, cory and i went for dinner along the river to see all the bridges and buildings lit up. we decided to call it an early night because we had lots of plans for the next day.
on sunday, our first stop was at the local market. cory and i have made it part of our itinerary to see the local markets no matter where we are. its a great chance to check out all the local food and shopping. after trying even more incredible food we went to visit their synagogue. it is the largest in europe and the second largest in the world! it was unreal! i have never seen anything like it. we then went to the 'terror museum' which we had read about as being a must see when in budapest. the museum is in the building where nazi's used to live during the holocaust. our last stop of the day was to see the bath houses (hot springs) and the huge parks that surround it. the parks were filled with playgrounds and families having picnics. it was a great way to end our trip! one of the best things about this trip was that, because of the conversion, everything was DIRT CHEAP! we spent less than $100 the entire weekend, including our hostel.
with only three weeks left, school is starting to get a little hectic but my roommates and i still found time to celebrate cory's 21st birthday. it was a blast! and as for this weekend, we are leaving tomorrow for amalfi, capri, pompeii and naples. i continue to remind myself how lucky i am!
i will post pictures as soon as i can! i hope everyone is doing well!
lovelovelove
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