If you have ever taken the Megabus from Cincy to Chicago, you know that there isn't a legit station where the bus picks you up but rather a sign on a corner in the city. Well the same goes for Orange lines in Europe. There isn't a station, there is only a drop off point. We left with plenty of time to catch our 7am bus and we thought we had a clear idea of where to go. Upon getting off at the correct metro stop we climbed the stairs to the street and looked around for the station..... nada. We went around the train station, attempted to ask a lady if she knew where the bus station was, she responded something in German that meant I only speak German, and we were back to square one. So we went back to the starting point and in doing so, we see that the bus has pulled up to exactly where we were standing. We hop on and I fall asleep almost immediately. Aside from my PTN (public transportation narcolepsy) I also was fighting a terrible cold/sinus infection without any meds.. I know, not the brightest idea. I woke up to find us in the Hungarian countryside... it is beautiful. The countryside makes me feel so happy. I love seeing it outside my window. I have a thing for license plates and so I was scouting out the different plates from my comfy, leaned back seat on the orange lines bus. They aren't as colorful as ours in the states, but you can tell the difference by the little letter under the EU symbol telling where the car is from. I was having fun.
We arrived into Budapest around 10:30ish or something. We were dropped off on the side of the road near a metro stop and a building. Luckily, the bus stewardess helped us out and told us we were at the station that we wanted and that we could buy tickets below. The subway was dark, musty, and quite unfamiliar. There was a sense of mystery, a lot of unknown, and a little bit of fear running through my veins. I am not sure why I got this feeling, but all I know is that I was a little out of my comfort zone but it was a feeling that I was all too willing to embrace. After walking back and forth in the dark from one side of the ticket area to the other, Rachel and I just looked at each other unable to decipher the station names and which line we needed. Finally, we got it figured out and held our paper up to the window to buy our tickets. The woman was all too kind in helping us out.
We held on tightly to our backs and descended the steps, hoping we had chosen the right way. I all too often second guess myself when it comes to directions. The rickety old subway pulled up and screeched to a stop. We climbed into the car and the doors, needing a little bit of oil, closed and we were on our way. Barely able to read the stops, we were absolutely unable to hear as the announcements rang through the car. 3 or so stops to go before we were to switch to the blue line. Thankfully, all of this was done with ease and before we knew it we were ascending the stairs and staring at our landmark: A Burger King. We were almost there and my excitement was growing.
In between the bookstore and before a pharmacy, a small green sign bearing the name Homemade Hostel was staring us in the face. We made it! We buzzed up saying that we had reservations and the door opened for us, leading the way into an old Budapest courtyard and a large staircase to the hostel and a multitude of apartments. From the street, you never would have known that there was a middle to the building and that it ran so far back. It was just a little door. We walked up the large stone staircase and the door to the hostel was opened for us by a cute blonde girl who was new to the hostel and eager to show us the way. The night before the hostel was occupied only by women and it was like the days in the sorority house with everyone recapping their night in the living room. As the girls checked out, we waited to drop our bags and ask about the highlights of the city. My camera needed batteries and after being told where to get batteries and asking about a place for lunch, Rachel and I were off.
First things first. Change our money. In Hungary, although it is a part of the European Union, they do not use the euro as their form of currency, but rather the forint. Luckily, there are maximum withdrawals at ATM's or my terrible math skills would have gotten me in trouble. As Rachel and I tried to figure out how much money to take out we repeatedly miscalculated. At one time, I continuously tried to withdraw more than $1000 USD. Thankfully, that is not allowed as I would have been SOL. Having the largest number of bills in my purse that I have ever had (albeit not that much money) we set off to get some batteries so that I could take some photos. I led us in the wrong direction initially but we found our way to the mall and after conseguiring the batteries we went looking for the hummus bar. Who doesn't love a good hummus? well no matter your preference, I love me some hummus and it had been way too long since I had eaten it. Luckily for us, the restaurant was close to where we needed to be and we sat down to falafel, hummus, and diet coke. We commented on how interesting the Eastern European Men looked, their choice of hairstyles, and how we even thought they were kind of cute. After our delicious meal and almost a little late, we headed to St. Stephen's Basilica to meet the group for the free tour. This is my favorite part of being in a new city. I love to take the free walking tours to hear the history, get some fun facts, and to see the sights that are sometimes overlooked. We joined a large group of tourists and after a brief introduction we were on our way. We started in front of the main cathedral but our first stop was the central park. There is an underground club where the young adults go to hang out and have a drink or a coffee, at night it turns into a club. Next up was some history of the communist times and a showing of the different building styles so close to each other. We stopped by the Parliament building and learned a few hungarian words.. not an easy language. After crossing over to the Buda side from Pest we learned about the history of how Budapest was originally two cities: Buda and Pest. It was originally settled by the Magyars, which is how Hungarians refer to themselves. The "H" was later added due to the settlement of the Huns in that area, from which the Magyars came. I thought it was interesting because the Hungarian language sounded a bit Asian to me and it was interesting to hear that it has roots in Asia. We learned a lot about the way the country was during the communist times and how it is just now beginning to recover after the end of the communist era. There is so much history to be heard and discovered in Budapest. I was constantly wondering and questioning the history and the stories of Budapest, always eager to hear more.
... there is something about that city.
We continued on to see what used to be the Castle but is now a lookout point with some great views and ended at Matthias church and the lookout wall. The church has one of the most beautiful roofs that I have ever seen and the views of the city at the lookout wall are not half bad either.
and this was only half of our day. More to come. Probably in two weeks. Ha, its a joke, I've got my computer back so we are good to go.
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