My Time In Budapest

I have learned that most trips start on an odd note, this time it began at 6:20 A.M. on an Air Lingus flight with a bunch of rowdy 28-year old boys shouting in front of me and my friends. But what bothered me most was the boy sitting in front of me who had a grotesque pimple on his neck.

Once the flight ended, we had an easy time getting to our airbnb via public transit, but first we got money and stopped at a café. In terms of the money, the Hungarian florent is a very cheap currency compared to a dollar or Euro, so it seemed strange paying for lunch that costs 2000 forints when that is 6.5 euros.

As for our first taste of Hungarian Cuisine, it had quite a smoky taste rather than the alleged spiciness I had heard about. But I’m not one for incinerating my tongue, so this was all well and good. My favorite dish during my time in Budapest was the chicken paprika, which had chicken in a goulash sauce served with Hungarian gnocchi. Unfortunately, due to my friend Jack’s culinary taste, much of our diet in Hungary consisted of 2:00 a.m. trips to Buddha mini for chicken teriyaki and fried rice.

As for the sights in Budapest, the city had an eclectic variety of architecture ranging from Hapsburg Neo-classical masterpieces to stark Russian cubes. My friend Patrick complained that all of these buildings seemed quirky and jumbled together, but I’d like to think of it more as a mosaic. My favorite building was definitely the parliament, although I enjoyed the basilica and got a picture at the top.

We obviously had to go to the baths. Now of all my abroad experiences, this one was likely the furthest out of my comfort zone due to a traumatic water park rash incident I experienced in my adolescence. I nonetheless went to the baths. Unfortunately, we ran into the rowdy Irishmen from the plane at the baths, and all I could do was stare at that man’s grotesque pimple. Aside from this, the baths (or as I like to call them, the worlds best adult kiddie pool) were pretty fun.

What I really did enjoy about this city was how navigable it was. We stayed very close to the city center so restaurants, nightlife, and sights 30 minutes away at the worst. From here, I go to Vienna then Prague.