Budapest, Hungary

Budapest is a city with rich historical architecture.  I enjoyed seeing all the old buildings, but it is hard to draw inspiration from them.  I suppose because that type of architecture rarely gets built today.  We got to Budapest around 8:30a.m.  The bus picked us up at the train station and transported us to our hotel, where we stored our luggage and ate breakfast.  Later a local guide showed us around the city and some of the most important sites, including Hungary’s government buildings.  I wish I had more to share with you about our tour but unfortunately I was too tired to pay attention.  The train ride was so hot and claustrophobic that I hardly got any sleep.  It didn’t help that the conductor slammed on the brakes every half hour it seemed like. 

We had a free afternoon of independent study so Dan, Devin, and I got a late lunch/ early dinner at a nice restaurant and dessert at a café famous for their hot chocolate.  At the café, there are endless choices of hot chocolate.  I chose milk chocolate with strawberries puréed in it.  It was so amazing that I wish I could go back already!  We returned to the hotel for yet another evening of homework, which I had no problem with.  I did not get much homework done though because I went to bed entirely too early.  I made sure to get up a couple hours before we had to check out today so I could have that time to work.  We went to an indoor market a few hours before our train left to do a little shopping. 

Fast forward 3 hours and now I am sitting on the train Vienna-bound writing this journal.  As I write I realize how boring the last couple days have sounded compared to the rest of the trip.  It is sad when I use four sentences of this short journal to talk about how amazing my hot chocolate was, but to be honest I have enjoyed every minute of it!  It isn’t the visits to the famous buildings that make this trip for me, it is the amazing hot chocolate that I had in a hole-in-the-wall café moments that I will always remember!