Who is Hungary?

Did I ever think I was going to Hungary in my life? Never. But we are here in Budapest! 9 of us (LJ, Julia, Kristen, Ayisha, Rachel, Ana, Annie, Heather, and I) took an overnight train from Prague on Thursday. We lucked out with sheets on our bed and LJ, Heather, and I even had a shower in the bathroom of our compartment. Naturally, LJ took the top bunk of the triple-decker. This was Heather’s good morning picture of me. And then all the "I'm Hungary" jokes began. They never got old for LJ.

Although Budapest was ravaged by WWII and then weathered by the ’56 Soviet Invasion and 40 years of Communism, the city has been rebuilt and still retains exquisite architecture. Buda (the older and more peaceful side that contains the big castle) lies on the west side of the Danube River and Pest (constructed in the 19^th Century) lies on the east. Our hostel was located right around the corner from the gorgeous St. Stephen’s Basilica- it is so pretty at night when it is lit up.

The Parliament building is also truly magnificent. It is the 3^rd largest Parliament building in the world. It is Gothic architecture and stands 96 meters tall, a number to symbolize the date of Hungary’s millennial anniversary. This is a view of the Parliament across the river at night (we are standing in Buda).

We have eaten at a couple of hummus bars for meals and have been extremely satisfied with the falafels, kebabs, and hummus plates. Highly recommended. Ham and eggs were the popular favorite in the group for breakfast. We ate lunch at an open-air market yesterday afternoon, and although very expensive, the mix of meat and veggies with bread was delicious. We sat on the sidewalk while listening to some traditional Hungarian music being played on a stage nearby and caught some nice sun. The pastries here are amazing and we got plenty of those yesterday morning at another indoor market place we checked out.

Yesterday afternoon (Saturday) brought us to the House of Terror on 60 Andrassy Boulevard (Hungary’s grandest boulevard). The House of Terror is a museum now, but it was witness to two tragic periods of Hungary’s 20^th century history. In 1944, the house was the head of the Hungarian Nazis and between 1945 and 1956, notorious communist terror organizations. The House of Terror is where the most unimaginable and horrific interrogations took place, and the cellars in the basement were the place of death for the victims of this terror. I think that this commemoration museum was extremely well done, very informative, and was so interesting to see the Nazi and Communist effects from a Hungarian lens. A must see in Budapest. It reminded me a lot of the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.

One of my favorite parts of yesterday was walking up Andrassy Boulevard after the House of Terror to Hero’s Square. I got to Hero’s Square right as the late afternoon was sun was shinning on the Millennium Monument. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my camera to take any picture perfect photos, but I had some time to hang out and soak in the beautiful atmosphere.

We are sad to say goodbye to Budapest- it has been my favorite city so far. I'm posting this from a McCafe outside the train station. Happy Easter Sunday from McDonald's! We had such a great time wandering through all of the streets and experiencing the nightlife, but Vienna will be exciting too! Hope all is well at home!