Budapest Done!

So we met a new friend today, from Belgium... Goris is his name. He taught me a lot about the different parts of Belgium and the Flemish and the Dutch. I really enjoyed his company, I wish we could have spent more than one day traveling with him. But anyways, today we go first to the Labryinth, which we really wanted to do I guess, but after doing it, I don't know why. We had the impression it was this huge maze that was difficult with like a wine cellar and stuff. Yeah, they pretty much just told you how to "get around it"... kinda stupid, but there was wine, and it did flow from something in the wall. Pretty cool, but it was dark and we just stood in dark corners and scared each other... ha! Actually made it worth going there. After this, we go down Vaci street. Vaci is a big tourist street where hookers and other girls stand outside, try to converse with the tourists and ask them to come inside and buy them a drink... thats where it gets sticky (no pun intended). After having a drink or two with the girl, several large men will bring you your bill... and it will be somewhere between 200 and 1000 euros... yeah they scam you. So this place kinda creeped me out, and i made sure to stick with my group here. But then, of course after our lazy day... we go back to the baths... we couldn't get enough! We do much the same thing, but stay for 4 and a half hours this time! Geez it is so relaxing, I miss it so much. Nothing like this in america, and no the hot springs don't even close to compare! But stupid, on the way home, well all week I bought no tram or metro tickets, and just gambled that they wouldnt catch me. And it worked all weekend except on literally our last ride home! Yeah, they caught us, but it cost like 12 dollars, and thats how much i would have spent anyway just buying tickets all weekend, so it actually worked out all right. And then staying in the hostel, another low key night, cause those baths really tire you out! And that is Buda Buda baby!

Budapest Part III

Day three. Not a good start again. We went to bed too late again, and no light in our room, so we slept til 1230. But eventually we got started off and went straight to the national museum. The national museum buildings around here are all very impressive. The thing I liked most about the museum was learning about the history of Hungary. I feel pretty equipped now! But there is just so much stuff. You could spend hours upon hours there. We walked around for about two hours and saw just about everything there is to see there. So after becoming more culturally equipped, we set out again to go to the largest synagogue in Europe! Yeah, anticlimatic. Closed. So back tomorrow. Then we headed back towards St. Stephen's Basilica, but of course we had to stop and get food at the infamous Burger King. Boo! but delicious. The inside is so majestic, with towering domes, pillars of ancient relics, an old mummified holy hand and probably the most impressive service ever! But I still don't know what differs a Cathedral from a Basilica. But I'd like to find out. After seeing the Parliament building again, we decide to head to Heroes Square... man was this a good idea(r). We get off and there are just these huge pillars, monumental statues, and historical museums surrounding the square. I can't believe we almost missed this! There is just this huge open area to walk around, roller skate, do whatever in, with museums on both sides. Very cool, so we play tourist, then continue walking to find one of the biggest ice rinks I've seen, and its in like a castle! Yeah, I dont know how they came up with that one. But woulda been nice to have someone to skate with and hold hands with :)... But, then the best part of Budapest, the thermal baths. We go t othe Szechnyi bath. This is the biggest thermal bath in this city, but maybe the world... cause its pretty fricken huge! Man, what a cool place though. You head in another magnificent building expecting the world, and man do they give it to you. First you head over and pay a whopping 10 bucks for an all-inclusive (minus thai massage... booo) ticket. So you head in pick your locker, put on your suit and head out. But funny story, of course none of us really brought suits, so we all have to wear underwear... ha! And well, everyone is wearing pretty normal underwear except Ben. He strips down and is wearing whitey tighties! O man, they let people wearing like string bikini thongs in there and they wouldnt let him in there! He starts walking out and the workers are all kind of looking at him with a peripheral eye and then i guess they decided it was too much, so they just point at his underwear and shake their hands and head. it was the funniest thing. But i give him credit for actually having the balls to try it... pun intended. But eventually we head in and get in the bath. They have this huge outdoor area that you first walk into. Its just this gigantic area filled with huge thermal baths, a swimming pool a whirlpool and regular pools, places to sit, places to lay, and apparently places to have sex... yeah, the baths are definitely really gross, you just dont want to think about it when you are in there. But there is so much steam coming up out the water you can barely see when you are in there. And it was perfect cause it was a cold night, so every time you got out you had to run and freeze as you went from place to place, and your feet would freeze, but man would it feel good to jump back in. After days of traveling and walking and not eating, this was a perfect thing. Thats not all, then you can go inside, where they probably have over 100 rooms of saunas, steam rooms, massage rooms, pools, hot tubs, and showers. So, you'd go from room to room, getting in 80 degree (celsius, which is 176 F) saunas then a 55 steam room, then you'd jump in 20 water, then sit in a hot tub then go play in the pool. Geez, so much to do and so much fun! I was so relaxed i fell asleep in the big thermal bath outside! But after a 2nd nap in there, we head back and go to a restaurant, For Sale... just like an american restaurant. Good service, you get to just throw the peanuts on the ground, actually mildly expensive, but huge huge huge portions and actually vegetables! Back to the hostel for a guys night... poker movies, etc.

Budapest Part II

Today, our 'first' sightseeing day. We get up a little later than planned due to our lack of windows in our prison cell, excuse me, bedroom, and get started midday with our new band of six (me, tyler, john, eugene, nathan and ben). We decide to go for the Buda side. I guess I should explain. Budapest is actually 'two' cities together. On the east side of the Vltava river (same as in Prague), is the Pest side. And on the west side, obviously is the Buda side. So, sounds good to us. We first set off and find a church built literally into the side of this giant hill that leads up to their statue of liberty (i thought there was only one). I get a quick pretzel just outside, and we decide to hike our way up to the statue. Man the amount of stairs we hit that day still haunts me. Surprisingly I did better than I thought, and still managed to run to the top filled with excitement and vigor at being at the top of Budapest. I stopped several times along the way, 'making' pictures, because it was a tremendous view of the river and the Pest side of the city. It reminded me of hiking a 14er. No way was anywhere as challenging, just at every turn there was another cool site to see stretched for miles and miles. But after we all regroup up top we walk around and check out their little market area up there. Tyler even gets a little incense guy that blows incense out of his nose after you light his butt... yeah the thing is absolutely worthless but its funny looking. All of Buda was like, giant hill, endless valley, giant hill, endless valley, giant hill.... yeah up and down. So now, we go down, really fast, defying death down mud-drenched slopes covered in brush and getting whapped in the face by low-lying branches. Of course funny. I like people like this, that don't say no to things, despite any limitations they might have. people that don't know how to say no, not because they they feel pressured, just cause they want to experience everything, even if its as little as falling down a hill. Anyways, next to Buda castle... da da da. It was more castle like than the prague castle. Cause it was more beat up, cold, gray, barren and fortress-like. Even one of the walls there were all these bullets and small projectiles splattered into the walls from some war. Not sure which one, but cool to see the authenticity of the castle. Now again, we are getting hungry and tired. Every time I travel, I seem to starve myself until I'm forced to eat. Good choice idiot. But we somehow temporarily lose each other, and john and i head into the gallery inside the castle. It was cool to see, but also boring, you can only see so much art. And they were obsessed with King Matthias... which after googleing him, hes not that impressive. But we leave the castle, head back down and back up, and head to their glorified churches region. Cool churches, but the basilica was better, of course. But anyways, in short, we eat at a hungarian restaurant, head back, get some alcohol for the night, take naps and meet the newbies. There were four new girls and they were american going to school in vienna, but they really didnt know much about it. Cause i wanted to ask to see about the next week, yeah thanks for being worthless! But anyways, we all head to this club, Inside, together eventually afte drinking vodka's with cherry, and peach juice. Whew, but right away, I lose everyone. So I just go around looking for people, eventually finding some nice local flavor to dance with. Dance til 4, always the same, and then head home.

Budapest

So, after landing in Budapest, I was the closest I think to feeling culture shock. Tyler and I got off the bus together and literally only had the directions on Tyler's hand as a point of reference. we knew absolutely nothing about where we were or the city we were in. And, stupid me, didn't even get directions before we took off, I had to call John to get directions as we were sitting on the bus leaving Prague. Anyways, we get off the bus and start wandering around, feeling adventurous and spontaneous. However, we realize that we need our main base, the hostel, before we go exploring too much. So, we start walking towards the train station, starved and having to pee. We head looking for an ATM, because we have no Hungarian money. So, we can't buy any food to eat, a ticket to ride the tram, or to pay to go to the bathroom (they always charge to go to the bathroom in busy public areas). And of course, we can't speak a lick of Hungarian. So, as Tyler frantically searches around for an ATM (he has to pee worse than I cause he couldnt fit in the bathroom on the bus) I sit down with a book and try to learn how to say please and thank you in Hungarian. So, this could have been quite a nerve-racking and frustrating time. however, I think I'm like Josh Harnett in Lucky Number Slevin, in that I make things seem easier than they are sometimes. I like it though. Of course I don't have the devilish good looks as him. Anyways, eventually, Tyler finds an ATM, pulls out 50,000 Forent (yeah not that much, 1000 Forent=5$) and goes pee and buys his sandwich. We feel better now. So, we then get our tram ticket and get on the metro. And right away, you can tell how much dirtier it is than prague. The tram's seem like you are riding a kiddie roller coaster in Disney World and the metro seems like something out of a horror movie. And then as we get off at our stop, we see piles of gypsies just forming nests of blankets and sleeping on the ground in the metro. And these piles of families are everywhere scattered on the ground. Gypsies are 9-11% of the population here! Yeah thats a lot. So, anyways, we step out and see daylight once again. and we are lost again. Another funny thing, well not funny, actually cruel, but the street signs here are barely visible. Never in an obvious line of sight as they post them on sides of the building thats closest to the corner of the street in small font so I literally would have to get out my binoculars just to see what street we were on. So you can never tell where you are. But it takes some time, but eventually we find our Imperio Max hostel. But no easy task. As we are walking down the street we should be on, we are looking for building 13A, but its just a door. But we are like, well that must be it. So, we get closer and in small font on the doorbell is a bunch of names and then Imperio Max hostel. So, we're thinking, ok, lets see what happens. So, we ring the doorbell and they buzz us in. We open the door and the first thing we see is the courtyard of this apartment complex. Now, if I had seen the movie Hostel, I'm sure this is an exact scene out of it. The concrete floor was all broken with weeds growing out of it, and water dripping from random places although there was no rain, bars on all the windows, and in the corner was our man, the owner of the hostel waving at us to come in. I really have no idea what to think at this point. This is my first hostel experience, and it looks like we made a big mistake choosing the cheapest hostel on the list. Nonetheless, we head in, cause we have no other choice, and things change instantly. The inside looks much nicer. The owner is a kid about our age (26) and starts firing questions at me about this and that and shows us up to our room. The room isn't that bad either. Of course just beds and a light, but not that bad. But in the 'lounge' area, they have a T.V. to watch movies, a fully-functional kitchen, two bathrooms, laundry (yeah right), two computers with free internet, and a spiral staircase. So actually a nice place for ten bucks a night. And there are only like 20 beds in the whole place, three rooms. But Tyler and I are still shaking n our boots, cause this is our 1st hostel experience and we had no idea what to expect, and I'm not sure actually what I did expect, I just don't think it was this. But we cautiously unload our stuff, whispering about the place and our thoughts, into the Wal-Mart style lockers that don't really lock as I lock my backpack up to the lamp in our room. As we are paying, two more Americans from California come in and begin to check in. Nathan and Ben. they both quit their jobs and are just backpacking around Europe on whatever money they have before they have mortgages and a family to start fending for. They have already been traveling for a month along the Northern side of Europe and then now coming along the Eastern side and heading back west. well, as we are getting acquainted, the owner, Abraham, is highlighting all of the sites of Budapest for us. Actually one of the most helpful things. So, now, we, as in, Tyler, me and our two new friends, decide to head out and use our last few hours of daylight to explore the city of budapest. So, we walk and talk. We visit the Parliament first, which apparently is closed to due to rioting. I guess they stand outside the parliament and shout things waving hungarian flags... not sure, kinda wish I coulda seen that. Then to the Basilica, St.Stephens style I believe. But an impressive building, and the Parliament too, wow, very impressive. Budapest makes you do the same as Prague, make you just walk with your head in the air and just say wow the entire time. I became a stupid tourist again taking pictures everywhere. And then we head to the opera house, dont know why, but turned out to be a bad idea cause we got lost. But first, we head inside, which was hilarious. We all looked like hobos, especially Nathan, who by the way, was a way funny guy. He hasn't shaved in two days(which is a lot for him), he is wearing a ratty old coat with a holey backpack and the classic hobo cap. Classic hobo. But, we stood there for 5 minutes as we talked and made it look like we were discussing when we were going to go to the opera. But I couldnt even concentrate on the conversation. You know when everyone in a room is staring at you, so I looked up and glance around, and see all these women in fur coats and men in top hats staring straight us and giving us the up and down, saying get the f*&# out of our opera house. Someone even tried to give Nathan some money as we walked out... Ha! Ok, so we had enough embarassment, now we head to the Mongolian BBQ place! So, you pay 5000 Forent for all you can eat AND drink! So, this was a must. But we walk in the wrong direction for a while getting grumpier, more tired, and hungrier as the time dragged on. We find some place to get back on the metro eventually and get yelled at in Hungarian for stepping over the 'yellow' line. We get off, find a restaurant and ask someone if they know of the place and they say, "sorry I don't know any English at all." Hmmmm... sounds like you know a little. Ironic too, cause you said that better than the Kiwi's speak English. But eventually we do find it, from across the street, and I shout it out, literally jump for joy, cross the street without looking(quite possibly one of the most dangerous things you can do in eastern europe), but i didn't care, I was ready to eat baby! I could write forever about this place, but I'll spare too many details, basically, best place ever. Glamarous, excellent food. we ate caviar, goose liver, alaskan catfish, hungarian fish soup, veal, rabbit bits, saltimboca, horse, lettuce wrapped in bacon and even quail eggs! Geez, and the beer and wine, and cocktails and coke(yeah who cares?) were all you can drink! And the service was so good too. It wasn't like ordering a beer, and then thirty minutes you would get it, there were prompt. I would go back to Budapest just for this dinner! And such a funny time, I literally cried at least 5 times from laughing so hard! We stayed there til they close up shortly after midnight. And then finishing the night, we come back and go to a club in the metro (yeah what?). It was called Cha, Cha, Cha, and there were all these juicehead Hungarians in there dancing just convulsing their body with their arms waving above their head. we did not stay long.

Ballet, Classical Concert

We stayed here the weekend of the 19th, I think. But definitely a good choice. the whole weekend was spent just sightseeing. we went to an art gallery on Friday in the Rudolfinum. then saturday night we go to listen to a classical music concert in the national museum building. But then just before that, we bought tickets for the swan lake ballet on wednesday. First though, the classical concert was amazing! So cool being able to go with a group of friends and enjoy classical music and talk about the intricacies of the music afterward. Concert was definitely a first for me, and definitely won't be a last. One of my favorite things is to watch the way the players play. Whether they are swayers, foot tappers, close their eyes with intense concentration, smile as the music picks up or body shakers. Love it baby! But afterwards we go to eat, and I see Claire from CSU at a restaurant we are eating at. Crazy, yeah there was no way I was going to see her otherwise, but it was definitely weird to see her sitting at the table right next to us! Small world huh! But we go to a Lucerna club, where they play 80's music, not that fun until of course we get up on stage and start dancing. Then it gets crazy, so we stay til 4, and then, being the crazy party kids we are, Zeus, Sampo (finnish) and I decide to head to another club. Yeah, and we dance til they stop playing music at I think it was 6. And for easily the last hour, we were the only ones left dancing. Dancing all night... one of my new favorite things in life. then we ride the tram the wrong way, cause we are completely incoherent, across the river, and we have to walk back across the bridge, almost at sunrise. But too tired to stay and watch so we walked back and got on the tram to go home. Except we all fell asleep within five minutes of getting on the tram, and the tram operator had to shake us until he woke us as we hit our last stop. We stepped outside and the sun was up. I couldn't stop laughing. We had partied all night!

School

School has begun. However, this really isn't saying much. School here is entirely uninteresting and devoid of any sense of knowledge or a will to learn. i'm not sure whether it's due to the restrictions of speaking English, the curriculum or just terrible teaching. But it is very much different than America. Maybe part of it is how uninteractive my classes are. The only one that is, Elementary Czech, is by far my favorite class. I'm actually feeling like I'm learning here. In my philosophy course, the professor is a textbook philosopher. Crazy hair, arms flailing about and never making eye contact with anyone in the class. And you can tell when hes got this in depth thought that he thinks is going somewhere cause he does the sideways like body twitch while his eyes roll in his head. Its really weird. Philosophy is weird. I'm complete opposite. Plus, in here we only have one paper due on the last day of class that needs to be 4 pgs, and no attendance required. Same is the case for my history class, and just as boring. However, Environmental Economics and Policy could be good if eventually the teacher ever picks it up. Cause I'm actually interested in the concept very much so, but it's hard when the teacher makes me feel dumber for having paid attention. The one thing that is discouraging about my Czech class is though that people in there speak several languages. This upsets me very much about America. We learn nothing. None of the Americans know any other language. Most here know at least two, but I'd say the average is three if you don't count americans, aussies, and kiwis. Its just weird how in the schools here they really preach spending so much time learning new languages in their schools, and I just wish it were the same for us. I'm in my 20's and I can barely speak two languages, I need more. But basically, school is boring and easy. Now my time here is going to be like a 4-month travel session. I'm ok with that.

Actual Ice-Breaking weekend

Well, I was so upset that initially I wouldn't be able to get in. But now, I don't see what the fuss was all about. There was nothing too exciting there. We started at 2 or so on Friday with a 3-hour long bus trip, where we got to watch Scary Movie on it, which sadly I really enjoyed. I kept trying to fall asleep, but I couldn't cause I kept chuckling to myself about the hilarity of the movie. It's terrible, I know. But I barely even made the trip, cause I went back for shoes. And when I was on the tram, watching my minutes tick away, I thought, this is whats tough about depending on someone/something else on getting me around from place to place. It's very frustrating sitting on the tram watching time tick away, knowing that I could ride my bike faster. But no matter, I made it. I room with Matt from Penn., and Eugene and John from Jersey. Good guys, and it was good to stay with some Americans. But anyways, we stay at this hostel pretty much in the middle of nowhere town, where we had to walk a mile from where our bus was parked to our hostel, carrying our bags the entire way. Not that it was hard, just another miscalculation on their part, they didnt even check to see if the buses could make the entire drive. Ridiculous, and the hostel, did have a bar in it, a pool table, and a 'dance floor'. the rooms had four beds, barely enough room to get around with a pogo stick, a sink with a mirror, and a closet. The showers were communal, although I failed to bring my towel, so no shower for me... whoops. But anyways, we dump our stuff off, sit down to eat and start drinking. I sit with my new friends, and we play shithead all night. Yeah, a new card game, very fun. Can't believe I've never played it... kind of like BS, but not at all at the same time. We dance, talk, whatever all of the above all night long til about 430. But the next day was so poorly planned. We got up at 830, had breakfast in order to get on the bus and drive to Prachatice, which is a small town an hour away from where we were. everyone was exhausted, naturally, from partying all night. So, we slept the 'short' ride there, and could barely move when we get there. Not like it mattered, the town sucked. Then, when we were there, their plans of what to do with us was for us to swim for a few hours or to walk around town. Now, why would we want to go to a town, get up at the crack of dawn sit on a stupid bus and be in a place where we will never be again, and swim... yeah, boggles my mind. But being the smart people they were, they planned on everybody wanting to swim, so they had no plan for where we were to walk around. Didnt matter we walked to the end of the town, which took about maybe five minutes, then came back and sat in a coffee shop for about an hour and a half. After this, we head outside to soak up some rays and more talking. the lone policemen, who we saw drive around the square 3 times in 2 hours, told us to get off their 'monumental' foutaing in the center. But pretty much in short, we eat, which i didnt 'sign up for' apparently, and head back and take a nap. A wasted day. they had no plan for the day. But that night, we have a costume party, which i wasnt really planned for. But I managed, I was a latin american dancer. One thing I did find interesting, some guy from texas came up to me and told me how i would get my ass kicked in america for wearing a shirt like that and just making fun of me. And I was standing with a girl, and she seemed to like it, so she stood up for me. But I told him, I'm not in America, and I could give two shits about what you think, but thanks, now I know how you really feel about me. I guess thats what being drunk does to ya. but he apologized the next week, but the damage had already been done, I know how he thinks now. Interesting, Americans can still find ways to be jerks still over here. God I love america. But anyways, at some point through this night, i lost my eyebrow ring, probably in somebodys hair, dancing, but so as im going to bed, i stick a toothpick in it... yeah great idea. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but I dont think so now. Ha, and then on the ride home, I stuck a girls earring in it... yeah man am i a smart one... yeah dont answer that.