A Weekend In Budapest

This past weekend was an unforgettable adventure for me. I was in Budapest, Hungary. The city, the people I was with, the place we stayed all these plus more made my experience there unforgettable.

My decision to go to Budapest was not made until two days before I left. I was originally going to go to Germany that weekend. But plans fell through. So some other friends from the group invited me to go to Budapest with them. How could I resist? In Germany I had a slight idea of what I could expect. Budapest, though, was completely unknown to me. A great mystery awaited me.

When we first arrived in Hungary, we were met by a surprise. The proprietor of the hotel in which we were staying had agreed to pick us up from the airport. It was only for a small fee of 20 euros for all five of us. I had expected him to be a middle-aged man. What I saw, though, was a 24 year old, the same age as my brother. Needless to say, Marton, which is his name, turned out to be a great proprietor and guy. He took us to our apartment and then gave us two days worth of sight-seeing in the city.

Our experience in the city began quickly on Friday. We embarked on the tour Marton had laid out for us. Starting off, we went to an indoor flea market. There were many varieties of Hungarian food, clothes, toys, decorations, and many others to buy. The amount of stuff in there was overwhelming in a good way.

After that we spent the afternoon exploring the city, seeing different churches, seeing a museum, and watching an impromptu comedy group.

The day ended with all of us going to a palinka and sausage festival held on the grounds of Hungary's royal palace. While we ate delicious pretzels, we watched the city lights of Budapest shimmer in the background.

The next day we went to the Parliament building. I thought we would go see a big, pretty building then go somewhere else. That expectation was smashed almost as soon as I walked off the metro by Parliament. The group of us walked right into an anti-communist protest! I could not understand what was being said but it sounded very exciting.

After we finally broke away from the protesters, we went to Margherit Island, which lies on the Danube River. It was a nice time in which I got to enjoy a fall walk with friends and get to know them better. All around us the cool wind blew and leaves began to change their colors. The fall in Budapest reminded me so much of home. Even though Italy is gorgeous, it lacks the beauty of autumn. I have always loved that season in Pennsylvania and now Hungary.