Snooze: Budapest Edition #HogsAbroad in Europe

Budapest began early; I arrived at the hostel around 10:00 AM, after an awkward standing metro ride with my luggage. Coming up out of the station and into the sunlight, I had to stop for a second: everything around me, from bridges to buildings, were beautiful. I also had to stop to catch my breath: Hungarian escalators are oddly fast.

It took several minutes to find the hostel hiding behind beautiful iron doors, and several minutes more to figure out the process to enter the inner doors.

Through those doors was a beautiful stone courtyard, with one side parting off to the Maverick: my two-night home. It was housed in an old palace of the Hapsburgs, with marble, spiral staircases and wooden banisters, more iron doors and elegant floor design.

The front desk was manned by a young guy in a backwards cap who talked faster than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m not sure all of it was in English. He helped me put my luggage into a storage room until the bedroom was ready, then told me about a free tour going on at 10:30. I had on pants, boots, and an undercover fanny pack, and I was exhausted, but I desperately wanted to figure out the city, so I decided to go. Besides, it’s just a tour, right?

Well, four hours later, my feet squeaking in the boots and my legs sticking to my pants begged to disagree. It’s very hot in Hungary. The tour was wonderful, however, and I was able to find out plenty about the city’s history as well as find out where many of its main monuments were located.

The tour also showed off the city’s beauty. I was able to see churches and bridges, old buildings and new statues. Budapest truly is a hidden gem.

After the tour, I grabbed some goulash- traditional Hungarian soup- and went to the hostel to eat. I immediately went to sleep afterwards. It was 6:30.

I woke up 12 hours later, surprisingly full of energy and ready to tackle the day. I took a quick shower and then set out for Budapest.

My first stop was the bakery next door, because I knew I would need a full stomach. I ordered something resembling cream cheese, fried, and hit the road for the City Market, my next stop. I was expecting stores and souvenirs, but instead I found aisles of fruit, vegetables, and some of the best looking meat I’ve ever seen. Knowing I couldn’t eat any of it because I didn’t have the time, I didn’t stay long, but I’m glad I was able to see its beautiful roof.

I left the market and hiked a mountain up to Victory Statue, a beautiful stone plaza overlooking the city. I got lost on the way up and on the way down, but the view from the top made everything worth it.

I then hiked a separate hill to the Castle District, where the National Gallery, Matthias Church, the Prime Minister’s Office, and cobblestone streets are located. When I reached the top, I found only a red rope and a security guard waving me around. I walked to the side to get a better vantage point and found myself looking at a color guard, a cavalry unit, a military band, and a red carpet leading into the Prime Minister’s office. I had to stay.

Soon, importantly-dressed people came out of the building and lined the red carpet, and then another cavalry unit began walking toward the building, followed by two Audis. Security was everywhere, from police officers to security guards to high-level suits with briefcases and earpieces. As the Audis arrived, the band began to play and the color guard moved into formation to display the flag. Sure enough, a man walked out of one of the Audis, greeted someone, and then confidently strutted down the red carpet, shaking hands with his cabinet, presumably. I had stumbled, out of pure accident, onto the Prime Minister.

Still dumbfounded, I walked one building over to the beautiful National Gallery and ordered and ice cream cone to go with the view, regardless of the fact that it was only 10 AM. Ice cream in one hand and phone in the other, I moved onto the rest of the castle district and saw Matthias Church, a new semi-castle, and antiquated buildings all around. I tried marzipan coffee after carefully researching what exactly marzipan was, and really enjoyed it.

I walked down the hill and onto the Chain Bridge that links Buda to Pest. So begins the story, “How I flashed a group of schoolchildren: an autobiography.” An unfortunate gust of wind cascading over the bridge hit me in a weak moment, as my t-shirt was a little loose from the way my backpack was situated. At that precise time, innocent children on a field trip began walking past me on the bridge, heading in the opposite direction. Before I could react, the gust of wind grew stronger until my shirt came flying up, exposing myself to my embarrassment before the majority of the kids. Most of them let out a laugh.

I made it over the bridge without any further scandalous behavior and made my way down the riverside to the Parliament building. I passed a memorial to Hungarian Jews, a row of metal shoes forever stuck on a platform beside the river, remembering those who were shot into the cold water by the Nazi-sympathizer Arrow Cross party as a part of the final solution.

The parliament building was one of the most beautiful architectural masterpieces I’ve ever seen, with an enormous dome, facades different on each side, statues and sculptures, and a centuries-old design. My next stop was a museum over a mile away, so I made a pit stop and tried falafel. I learned quickly that I’m not a big fan of falafel. I postponed the rest of my hunger pangs and rushed on to the museum, the House Of Terror. As its name suggests, it was not a happy place historically.

The House of Terror, a building located on the corner of one of the busiest streets in Budapest, was used by the Arrow across party, the Nazis, and the Soviets, all at different times, to house the most vicious government agencies and “intelligence groups.” Here, leaders would not only plan kidnappings and assasinations, but would also torture those who they believed had information or who they simply wanted to punish. An elaborate system of cells lies beneath the building, which is where they would store prisoners. The cells had no air vents and no windows, and some of them were built as “standing cells”, with not even enough room to crouch down.

The museum covered the house’s history, as well as Nazi occupation and the later Soviet occupation in Germany. Both were so very cruel and evil; the end of the war did not mean the end of the terror. It was heartbreaking, but extremely interesting and one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. I was able to read stories and hear from survivors and truly absorb the horrors the Hungarian people faced for decades.
I then did something slightly more lighthearted and toured St. Steven’s Basilica, although I wasn’t able to go into the dome. To recover from my falafel lunch, I ate a burger right after. I then went back to the hostel to pack for my departure early in the morning.

When I arrived at the hostel, someone in my room was playing “Amos Moses”, a country song that I thought only people from Arkansas knew. I guy my age was playing the song, so I asked him where he was from. Surprisingly, and with a thick British accent, he said, “West London.” So began my friendship with Elliot, a neat Londoner traveling through Eastern Europe. A girl, Jenna, overheard our conversation and jumped in. We found out that she was from Pennsylvania and was on her way to teach English in Bucharest. Elliot, having never met me prior, asked if either of us liked to drink and described a rooftop bar he had heard rumors of. I didn’t want to miss out on a cool experience, and it was only 4pm, so I decided to go. A mile later, the three of us arrived.

We went up in an elevator to the top floor, and as soon as the doors opened I knew I had made the right decision. There before us was an incredible panoramic view of the city, a trendy bar, and plenty of couches and chairs. Elliot, having had experience with bars, went up and ordered. Jenna and I held back, really weighing our options as if either of us knew any of the choices on the bar’s drink menu. I finally settled on the 360, named after the bar, because I wanted to try its namesake.

Jenna, Elliot, and I all sat down with our drinks on big, comfy couches overlooking Budapest’s east. We sat in silence for a minute because of how neat it was. Then, the small talk from the walk to the bar switched into deep, meaningful, life talk. Jenna was a Christian and Elliot was “religious, but not a church-goer,” so these talks were very interesting. We discussed love and sex, marriage and covenants, God’s word and the world’s perception of Christianity, and all kinds of cool stuff. We ended up staying at the bar for two hours.

We left out of sheer hunger, and so on our walk back we stopped for Hungarian food at the restaurant in which I had ordered the goulash in the night before. I ordered gyros this time, and the conversations continued, this time about government. The gyros were wonderful, and i had two new friends.

We headed back to the hostel afterwards, and for the few hours I slept, I slept well.

Budapest was one of the most incredible places I’ve ever been to, and Lord willing, I’ll go back soon.
--
Follow Hunter as he studies business in Germany at https://heartoverseas.wordpress.com/
For more internship and study abroad opportunities within Walton College, visit http://walton.uark.edu/global/index.ph