seekingmygreaterperhaps

Although, I was in Budapest, Hungary for a full week, it appears I was having too much fun to actually write about it. Oops. Sorry not. 🙂 JUST KIDDING. I’m here to fill everyone in.

It was a busy week, and my lovely host Szili (sounds like Silly) did a wonderful job of making the week absolutely perfect. I also got to meet up with 4 of my Alpha Gam sorority sisters on Wednesday. It was great to have a little piece of home there in Budapest. It also made me feel super old, but hey, that’s life right?

This was the monument at the top of the hill looking over the city. I climbed up it on my afternoon with my Alpha Gams. Shoutout to Alli, Grace, Dana, and Natalia- I’m so glad we got to hang out. After we took the mandatory photos of the city, and with each other, we headed to the House of Terror. If you’re thinking this is a haunted house like I did, you will be greatly surprised. It is actually the old Nazi and Soviet headquarters from when they occupied Hungary. it is a really extensive museum and it takes you through pretty much every aspect that it could. I never realized how horrible of a social atmosphere there was in Hungary just a short while ago. The museum ends in the torture chambers that real people used to have to endure. It left me with a sick feeling in my stomach, to know that people can perform such terrifying acts on others.

That night Szili took me to some ruin pubs, which are a big thing in Budapest. No, they are not located in ancient ruins, but rather have lots of memorabilia of really old stuff hanging on the walls.

I personally think the out of focus look makes it more authentic. When we got back to Szili’s flat, he ran straight to the bathroom without turning on the lights, leaving me to run straight into a mannequin in a wedding dress (his aunt’s wedding dress shop), and we did a nice little dance in order for us not to fall down. Szili thought I fell through the window. Thankfully not. Haha

The next day we went to the Tropicarium!!! This is an aquarium located… in a shopping mall? It also had a rainforest area with monkeys and a crocodile. A nice eclectic mix. But there was a really cool tubey thing where you can watch all the fishes and the sharks. That was the coolest. Oh, we also got to touch a sting ray, a couple times even.

Thankfully, the shark wasn’t hungry.

Next we went to another place in the shopping mall… called… Cosova? (I’m trying to remember the name, but have an awful memory.) It’s basically an interactive science museum. With their hands on experiments, they explain how scientific laws work. And it is awesome. Szili and I got a discount for being a “couple” and we even got a heart shaped balloon. Haha these crazy Hungarian discounts. So besides playing with all sorts of crazy things, puzzles, and games, we went to a demonstration. Yes, it was in Hungarian, so Szili was a sweetheart and translated the whole time. Then we got to fix an alien spaceship so they could make it home. True fact. It was a series of games you could play haha.

Whoa. Szili can fly.

This was all to butter me up before I met his family in his hometown of Dunafoldvar. We took an hour and a half bus, where Szili had to stand the whole time. It’s not even like a city bus where there are things to hold on to, it’s a charter bus. He was a gentleman and let me have the only seat we could find. What a sweetie.

When we arrived, I met his family, and Szili had to be my constant companion because I don’t speak more than 3 words of Hungarian, and one of them would be highly innapropriate to say to a family member! His family was very very nice to me. His dad took us to a “name day party” down at the “bay” where I had no idea what was awaiting, except for dinner. Well it turned out to be about 30 men hanging out and drinking. Yes, just men. I was nice, and had no idea what was going on the whole time. There we ate fish soup, which was SO GOOD. I added one drop of hot sauce, which turned out to be extremely hot. Then I accidentally touched my eyeball, which then turned to fire. One of the older men was like, yeah I told you it was hot, but I couldn’t explain that my eyes were watering because I’m an idiot, not because I couldn’t handle the heat. Szili just laughed at me. At the name day party, we proceeded to drink homemade peach Palinka, and homemade wine. Things got very fun very fast. Szili was asked to play guitar pretty much so that they could “steal” me away to dance with. Jokes on them, because I couldn’t dance at all, but tried nonetheless. It was a fun night.

The next day we played with Zolna, Szili’s little sister. She would get out games and start playing with us, and then leave because we were boring. But later on when we played Barbies, I feel like we really bonded haha. I may have accidentally shown her how much fun it is to run over Barbies with the little Barbie cars… but I take no responsibility for this.

Szili’s mom made homemade Goulash soup and it was the most delicious thing ever. I had two bowls even. Overall, this trip to Szili’s hometown was quite pleasant. I was terrified that they wouldn’t like me or I would accidentally offend them, but everything turned out smoothly. They all invited me back, so, sorry Szili, looks like I have to come again.

I could not have had a more perfect week in Budapest. The weather was great, the food was tasty, and the company was even better. Sorry Paris, but Budapest has booted you off the top of my “favorite cities” list. I have undoubtably left my heart in Budapest.