Sunday evening my mentor Niki stopped by to take us to the Buda Labyrinth. we took the bus over to an area that appeared to be nothing more than a neighborhood and a few corner stores, amongst it all was the entrance to the labyrinth. we walked down a steep flight of stairs and were instantly shocked by the extreme temperature difference; it went from wiping the sweat from our brows to seeing our breath in an instant.
we walked down a dimly lit corridor with drips of water falling down around us until we reached the entrance. we grabbed a lantern and stepped into the dark stone maze. there were a multitude of dark hallways to explore not knowing which would lead to a dead end. there were various statues of men throughout and every time i turned a corner i jumped at the sight of them. there was also a group of small fountains spouting wine that filled the surrounding halls with it's rich sent. there was a small tranquil pond of water as well as a variety of chain curtains and gates we had to make our way through and around. we spent at least an hour maneuvering our way through the stone maze until we were greeted by the blindingly bright outdoors.
we walked around the small town surrounding the labyrinth before we made our way to a crape cafe where we indulged in chocolate filled crapes for less than a dollar each.
we boarded the bus and made our way home and proceeded to freshen up for a calm night out. Kate and i walked to Raday utca where we sat sipping our two dollar beer. soon we were bombarded by a group of men who had clearly started their evening well before us. the guy who first approached us was wearing a grass skirt with a shell bra and had some questionable items taped to his hand. we soon discovered that this was his bachelor's party and his friends had dressed him in a successful attempt to make him look foolish. they were all quite nice and just having a rambunctious night out. our encounter surly added some humor to our evening and made for a great ending to our day.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Sandor Palace, Buda Castle, Matyas Templom
On Saturday we decided a long walk through Buda was in order. (Buda is on the west side of the Danube river, i live in Pest on the east side of the river).
it was a long walk in the heat but i think walking is the best way to get oriented in the city and soak in all the surroundings.
we walked along the Danube until we came to the chain bridge and a huge hill, atop which was the Buda Castle, Matyas Templom, and Sandor Palace. we had two options for getting to the top of said hill.. there was a fun looking up-hill trolley car type thing that zips you too the top but unfortunately there was a colasal line of people waiting on this hot summer day thus we decided it would be faster to walk up the 15 flights of stairs.
We made it to the top of the stairs with sweat on our brows (after encountering a man exposing himself to passersby..sick) and were greeted by Sandor Palace, which is where the President lives. it was beautifully landscaped and had a magnificent view of both the Buda hills Parliament and the rest of Pest, its perch above the city made for some great photos opps.
of course we had to stop for coffee at an outdoor cafe and soak in the view before we headed over to Buda Castle which was quite grand as well.
Kate read that Matyas Tempolom (Mathias Church) is one of the most photographed buildings in Budapest. it had a magnificently colorful tiled roof and detailed spires but unfortunately for us there was a wedding taking place in the church so we were unable to see the inside. around the church there are castle like columns and buildings that line the edge of the hillside and provide a beautiful view of parliament and the Danube. there are adorable little cobblestone streets all around the church, castle, and palace which add to the small village feeling. it was so picturesque, one of those places you'd imagine riding in a horse drawn carriage through the streets in the snow.
after visiting a small art gallery and a sculpture exhibition we decided to walk the entire way back as well. about a mile into the walk back we spied a fountain where people were soaking there feet and couldn't help but join them.
we finally made it home exhausted and starving so we ended our with a simple pasta dinner.
it was a long walk in the heat but i think walking is the best way to get oriented in the city and soak in all the surroundings.
we walked along the Danube until we came to the chain bridge and a huge hill, atop which was the Buda Castle, Matyas Templom, and Sandor Palace. we had two options for getting to the top of said hill.. there was a fun looking up-hill trolley car type thing that zips you too the top but unfortunately there was a colasal line of people waiting on this hot summer day thus we decided it would be faster to walk up the 15 flights of stairs.
We made it to the top of the stairs with sweat on our brows (after encountering a man exposing himself to passersby..sick) and were greeted by Sandor Palace, which is where the President lives. it was beautifully landscaped and had a magnificent view of both the Buda hills Parliament and the rest of Pest, its perch above the city made for some great photos opps.
of course we had to stop for coffee at an outdoor cafe and soak in the view before we headed over to Buda Castle which was quite grand as well.
Kate read that Matyas Tempolom (Mathias Church) is one of the most photographed buildings in Budapest. it had a magnificently colorful tiled roof and detailed spires but unfortunately for us there was a wedding taking place in the church so we were unable to see the inside. around the church there are castle like columns and buildings that line the edge of the hillside and provide a beautiful view of parliament and the Danube. there are adorable little cobblestone streets all around the church, castle, and palace which add to the small village feeling. it was so picturesque, one of those places you'd imagine riding in a horse drawn carriage through the streets in the snow.
after visiting a small art gallery and a sculpture exhibition we decided to walk the entire way back as well. about a mile into the walk back we spied a fountain where people were soaking there feet and couldn't help but join them.
we finally made it home exhausted and starving so we ended our with a simple pasta dinner.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Jewish district, Gellert Hill, and a night at Morrisons2
Events of Thursday August 13, 2009
We started off our day heading to a quaint little coffee shop that Bogi recommended, one of the many many many outdoor cafes that line the streets. It turned out to be wonderful coffee and i will surely head back to this cafe soon! we sat sipping our coffee and planning out the remainder of our day. we decided to walk to the Jewish district of Budapest to see the Synagogue and museum.
We navigated our way to the Synagogue and i was astounded at the beautiful detail in every element of the building. We were able to hop in on an English speaking tour and learn some very interesting and saddening history of the Hungarian Jews. Kate and i plan on going to a service there sometime so we can experience it for ourselves. (i'll post pictures of the synagogue on FB soon.) we then went to see the tree of life which is made of metal and has a person's name engraved on each leaf, each name represents a person that died and because they were unable to find their bodies they used this as a memorial for them. it was a bit of a somber visit yet it was still so beautiful.
we also went to the Jewish Museum before heading home to meet with my mentor Niki who we went on a walk with across the Danube River and up Gellert Hill. it was a great walk that lead to an even more fabulous and expansive view of Budapest and the Danube. we also went to the Cave Church on that hill which is literally a church in a cave. its astonishing how many different rooms were formed out of the rock and what a serene feeling the natural structure gave to this church. there were also amazing wooden alters and wooden confessional booths that were hand carved in great detail. after the trek back down the tallest hill in Budapest we were famished (surviving all day on a granola bar and coffee is not a great idea) so we went to a persian restaurant on Raday utca called Shiraz. we scarfed down the food and meandered on home.
we then got ready for a night out at Morrisons2 which is a bar/club that Eva and all of the mentors told us about. so we put on our party faces and headed out for the evening. It was nothing like i expected it to be, in fact it was much better! it was three floors of people, music, games, booze, karaoke, and dancing. we spent the majority of our time dancing down stairs and meeting some nice people :) its strange to be a foreigner, people seem so much more interested in getting to know where you're from and such.. i like it. It was a great night getting to know more of the mentors and seeing night life in Budapest.
well now Kate and i are off to find something for dinner, i found a place that was described as a "popular and cheap simple restaurant serving tasty Hungarian food in enormous portions." ie just what this poor traveling duo is looking for!
We started off our day heading to a quaint little coffee shop that Bogi recommended, one of the many many many outdoor cafes that line the streets. It turned out to be wonderful coffee and i will surely head back to this cafe soon! we sat sipping our coffee and planning out the remainder of our day. we decided to walk to the Jewish district of Budapest to see the Synagogue and museum.
We navigated our way to the Synagogue and i was astounded at the beautiful detail in every element of the building. We were able to hop in on an English speaking tour and learn some very interesting and saddening history of the Hungarian Jews. Kate and i plan on going to a service there sometime so we can experience it for ourselves. (i'll post pictures of the synagogue on FB soon.) we then went to see the tree of life which is made of metal and has a person's name engraved on each leaf, each name represents a person that died and because they were unable to find their bodies they used this as a memorial for them. it was a bit of a somber visit yet it was still so beautiful.
we also went to the Jewish Museum before heading home to meet with my mentor Niki who we went on a walk with across the Danube River and up Gellert Hill. it was a great walk that lead to an even more fabulous and expansive view of Budapest and the Danube. we also went to the Cave Church on that hill which is literally a church in a cave. its astonishing how many different rooms were formed out of the rock and what a serene feeling the natural structure gave to this church. there were also amazing wooden alters and wooden confessional booths that were hand carved in great detail. after the trek back down the tallest hill in Budapest we were famished (surviving all day on a granola bar and coffee is not a great idea) so we went to a persian restaurant on Raday utca called Shiraz. we scarfed down the food and meandered on home.
we then got ready for a night out at Morrisons2 which is a bar/club that Eva and all of the mentors told us about. so we put on our party faces and headed out for the evening. It was nothing like i expected it to be, in fact it was much better! it was three floors of people, music, games, booze, karaoke, and dancing. we spent the majority of our time dancing down stairs and meeting some nice people :) its strange to be a foreigner, people seem so much more interested in getting to know where you're from and such.. i like it. It was a great night getting to know more of the mentors and seeing night life in Budapest.
well now Kate and i are off to find something for dinner, i found a place that was described as a "popular and cheap simple restaurant serving tasty Hungarian food in enormous portions." ie just what this poor traveling duo is looking for!
Sziget
on Wednesday we went on our first big solo journey, we managed to not get lost and got to the Sziget music festival without a hitch. I have been told that Sziget is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and i'd believe it based on the number of people we encountered that had traveled from as faraway as Australia just to partake in the 5 day festival. there were tons of activities, 50 different stages and tents, countless little eateries and bars all out in this huge field swarming with people.
I am X was the first band we watched on the main stage, they're from the UK and were SO good! we proceeded to wander around and soon noticed the plethora of people with straight up BUCKETS of mojitos but we opted for something a little less intense (aka we couldn't find the Mojito Bucket selling tent haha)
Oh by the way the drinking age in Hungary is 16.. Kate got carded twice haha poor thing!
another ridiculous yet awesome activity was this big rocking wooden boat like thing. its hard to explain but its like a ride that rocks back and forth (from "bow" to "stern") and the 50+ drunk people on it are the ones propelling it back and forth. so naturally after seeing this I had to get on and test it out! we got on board and as it got into full swing we began singing Andy Samberg's I'm on a Boat..no one really understood where we came up with this song but it was hilarious non the less.
we went on to get some deliciously cheap gyros, listened to a Roma band and then headed back to main stage after crawling scraping squeezing through a gate in order to find the only non disgusting bathroom at the festival. We then watched Snow Patrol perform which is when Kate got kicked in the head by some extremely intoxicated fool trying to crowd-surf.. but despite said incident the band was still amazing live. The final performance on the main stage was Lily Allen and she was adorable and fantastic as always!
Overall the experience was absolutely amazing and completely worth the trek out there and back, it would have been a whole nether ridiculous experience had we been able to camp there with the thousand+ other people there, but perhaps if i venture back another year camping there for the week will be my goal.
I am X was the first band we watched on the main stage, they're from the UK and were SO good! we proceeded to wander around and soon noticed the plethora of people with straight up BUCKETS of mojitos but we opted for something a little less intense (aka we couldn't find the Mojito Bucket selling tent haha)
Oh by the way the drinking age in Hungary is 16.. Kate got carded twice haha poor thing!
another ridiculous yet awesome activity was this big rocking wooden boat like thing. its hard to explain but its like a ride that rocks back and forth (from "bow" to "stern") and the 50+ drunk people on it are the ones propelling it back and forth. so naturally after seeing this I had to get on and test it out! we got on board and as it got into full swing we began singing Andy Samberg's I'm on a Boat..no one really understood where we came up with this song but it was hilarious non the less.
we went on to get some deliciously cheap gyros, listened to a Roma band and then headed back to main stage after crawling scraping squeezing through a gate in order to find the only non disgusting bathroom at the festival. We then watched Snow Patrol perform which is when Kate got kicked in the head by some extremely intoxicated fool trying to crowd-surf.. but despite said incident the band was still amazing live. The final performance on the main stage was Lily Allen and she was adorable and fantastic as always!
Overall the experience was absolutely amazing and completely worth the trek out there and back, it would have been a whole nether ridiculous experience had we been able to camp there with the thousand+ other people there, but perhaps if i venture back another year camping there for the week will be my goal.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
market, university, mall, and bars
Kate and i got up early today to go to this huge market that's 2 blocks from our apartment. its full of produce stands and meat counters, bakeries and all sorts of interesting things.
we were on a mission to find some bread and once we hunted the perfect loaf down it was pretty intimidating to mumble out the one Hungarian phrase i know "do you speak english?"
luckily she spoke a little English and we were able to leave the market with some bread, meat, and cheese.
we later met up with our mentor Bogi who took us to the metro station where we took pictures for our student IDs and later we visited the university which is quite beautiful yet currently undergoing some construction. we went to an authentic Hungarian restaurant for lunch and i must say i rather enjoyed my first encounter.
i was still quite exhausted from the jet-lag but we went to the Westend which is the largest mall i have ever seen! there i learned that an iced coffee isn't just coffee with ice.. rather it is coffee with ice and ice cream, whip cream and chocolate.. a dessert? yes.
after taking a short ride back on the metro kate and i recuperated and then headed out for a bar crawl on Raday utca (one street away from our apartment) we were quite pleased to be able to buy a pizza and 4 beers for $14 , we then proceeded onto 3 other bars and had a grand ol' time!
with every new experience i am loving it more and more!
<3
we were on a mission to find some bread and once we hunted the perfect loaf down it was pretty intimidating to mumble out the one Hungarian phrase i know "do you speak english?"
luckily she spoke a little English and we were able to leave the market with some bread, meat, and cheese.
we later met up with our mentor Bogi who took us to the metro station where we took pictures for our student IDs and later we visited the university which is quite beautiful yet currently undergoing some construction. we went to an authentic Hungarian restaurant for lunch and i must say i rather enjoyed my first encounter.
i was still quite exhausted from the jet-lag but we went to the Westend which is the largest mall i have ever seen! there i learned that an iced coffee isn't just coffee with ice.. rather it is coffee with ice and ice cream, whip cream and chocolate.. a dessert? yes.
after taking a short ride back on the metro kate and i recuperated and then headed out for a bar crawl on Raday utca (one street away from our apartment) we were quite pleased to be able to buy a pizza and 4 beers for $14 , we then proceeded onto 3 other bars and had a grand ol' time!
with every new experience i am loving it more and more!
<3
Monday, August 10, 2009
traveling and day 1
So everything got worked at with my flights and i made it to Budapest in one piece! the flights weren't so bad actually, i got acquainted with Tylenol PM and passed out for almost the entire 9 hour flight from Newark to Rome!
but anyways, i made it to the first apartment i'll be staying in and i've got to say its pretty dang nice! we're talking at least 15' ceilings, french doors, huge windows, and big rooms!
Kate and i went with our mentors (aka students from Pazmany Peter University) on a tour of the area around our apartment, had coffee at a nearby cafe, and went to see the university. its quite beautiful here, all the buildings have so much detail and character, its charming really. its a bit overwhelming though, the whole not knowing what people are talking about thing is unsettling but perhaps i will get use to it.
kate and i decided to stay in for our first night and rest up so we can jump right into tomorrow with a little less jet-lag. so i'm off to bed.
but anyways, i made it to the first apartment i'll be staying in and i've got to say its pretty dang nice! we're talking at least 15' ceilings, french doors, huge windows, and big rooms!
Kate and i went with our mentors (aka students from Pazmany Peter University) on a tour of the area around our apartment, had coffee at a nearby cafe, and went to see the university. its quite beautiful here, all the buildings have so much detail and character, its charming really. its a bit overwhelming though, the whole not knowing what people are talking about thing is unsettling but perhaps i will get use to it.
kate and i decided to stay in for our first night and rest up so we can jump right into tomorrow with a little less jet-lag. so i'm off to bed.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Just my luck..
so things are off to a rough start and i haven't even left Portland yet, my flight from Rome to Budapest was canceled! not delayed but CANCELED and i leave in 32hrs.
i'll be calling the airline to fix this little fiasco bright and early tomorrow morning!
just when i had finished packing and thought i had some time to relax something like this happens! just my luck!
i'll be calling the airline to fix this little fiasco bright and early tomorrow morning!
just when i had finished packing and thought i had some time to relax something like this happens! just my luck!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
gearing up
So i'll be leaving for Budapest in just a few days (8/9) and i'll try and keep this updated once i get there for whoever is interested but i can't make any promises regarding how often that will be.
i have a pretty long day of traveling ahead of me (19hrs) and i will be going from Portland->Newark->Rome->Budapest!
wish me luck on my first solo flight out of the country!
i have a pretty long day of traveling ahead of me (19hrs) and i will be going from Portland->Newark->Rome->Budapest!
wish me luck on my first solo flight out of the country!
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