Budapest is Budaful!

I arrived in Budapest around 11 pm, which was not a great idea. Everything seemed a bit scarier that far east. I couldn’t find an ATM in the bus station and some annoyed ticket lady would only tell me that there was one “upstairs.” Eventually, I went outside and found one but she just told me to ride the metro without a ticket because she didn’t want to break my big bills. I got out of the metro near my hostel but the directions said to go “left.” Of course I had no idea which way that meant so I crossed some big streets with lots of homeless people only to find out that I had gone in the wrong direction. After a big adrenaline rush, I made it to my hostel just fine and carried my luggage up the 100 stairs. The hostel was very cool. It is called “Carpe Noctem” and was basically like living in someone’s home. It only had about 20 beds so you met nearly everyone there. The staff live there too and were all at one point guests there who couldn’t bring themselves to leave. They rarely get dressed – just to take people out on the town every night. Pretty much everyone was out, so they checked me in and I went to bed.

The next morning, one of the staff members sat me down with a map and gave me a full rundown of the city. It was the most personalized introduction to a place that I’ve ever had and they do it for every guest. I went out to breakfast at a typical Hungarian place, but their breakfast menu wasn’t very Hungarian so I had French toast. I was staying on the Pest side so I walked over to Buda across a beautiful bridge. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going but I hiked up a big hill to this massive palace on top. It was absolutely gorgeous and had amazing views of Pest. There was a market on top that led to a castle and church down the road. They were also stunning. I spent a while wandering around there before crossing back over to Pest and heading towards the Parliament building. I had a little rest outside of there and then went to see the huge synagogue. It was closed but very impressive from the outside, like most buildings in Budapest. Unfortunately, there was going to be a public holiday on Monday so the whole city seemed like a ghost town for the weekend. I would love to go back where there is more bustle. I headed back to the hostel for a family style Mexican dinner. It was a good way to meet people, but it was mostly just the staff and semi-permanent guests joking around. That night, we went on a big pub crawl to five bars. They were some of the coolest bars I have ever seen. They were all decorated by someone who was clearly on drugs. I had a good time chatting with the other people and went back around 3 am.

On Sunday, my last day in Europe, I went with some English girls to the Turkish baths. They were so beautiful and relaxing. It was a perfect way to end two weeks of intense walking. The best part was a whirlpool where I literally got thrown around and around. We stayed there for a few hours, but later learned that we had missed a whole indoor section. I was very upset to hear this, but I had a lot more to do that day anyway so it’s okay. I wandered around the park where the baths are and saw a fake castle and Heroes’ Square, a plaza with big statues. I finally tried goulash soup for lunch, which was yummy but way too hot for the weather. I packed up my stuff for a bit at the hostel before heading out again to see the Basilica. It was really pretty both inside and out. I went to the top for the panorama view of the city but it was not the most impressive city from above. I had gotten $5 tickets to see a ballet that night at the opera house, so I ran back to the hostel for a shower before that. I went there with the English girls too, and when we arrived, they said we needed to exchange our tickets. They tried to put me in the front row, but I asked to sit with the girls so we ended up in the 5^th row of an absolutely stunning opera house. Allegedly, the architect of the Vienna opera house killed himself because the Kaiser of Vienna said he liked the Budapest one better. We could not believe our luck. We weren’t sure what to expect of the show but it turned out to be amazing. It was a collection of short ballets, all of which were very good, but the last one was particularly moving. They made it rain on stage and the dancing and choreography was unbelievable. It may have been the best $5 I’ve ever spent and was an amazing way to end my time in Europe. We went back to the hostel, hung out there for a while, and I eventually went to bed in the hopes of getting a few hours of sleep.

This morning, I woke up at 4:30 am to get my cab to the airport. I flew to Rome, had a two hour layover, and am now on my 9 hour flight to Boston! I’m extremely excited to get back to America and see everyone, but I’m also incredibly sad to be leaving Europe and the greatest adventure of my life. These last two weeks were wonderful and full of incredible experiences in fantastic cities. I am already ready to plan my next trip! Who’s coming with?!

Vienna

Vienna was another lovely city. I’m batting 4 for 4 on city choices (and I have no doubt Budapest will be just as good). I made it to my hostel without a problem – this one was also very nice but huge so it wasn’t quite as easy to meet people. I did have two boys from Scotland and Northern Ireland in my room, though, so my ears were quite pleased. After settling in, I walked towards the city center, which was not far from my hostel. The city is so grand and impressive. Around every corner was another huge and ornate building. I looked in some of the stores and wandered around the market in the center. Of course, I had some delicious apple strudel (my main reason for visiting Vienna). There were tons of people dressed like they were from Mozart’s era selling tickets to performances. One kind of awkward guy talked to me for a while but he was unconvincing. As I was walking away, another more chipper guy approached me and took me on a hunt to find cheaper tickets. He found a guy who was willing to give up his commission to get me a cheaper ticket – nice deal for me. They were really sweet and funny and tried to convince me to give them English lessons after the show. Don’t worry, that never happened. I went back to the hostel to change for the show and trekked back into the city to find it. I sat next to some nice Americans and had a great conversation during intermission. The show was good – it featured music by Mozart and Strauss, an opera singer, and two ballet dancers. The music was great, but the opera and dancing were a little corny and not spectacular. It was a nice thing to see in Vienna though. I accidentally walked to the completely wrong side of the center while trying to get home. It turned out to be a blessing, though, because I walked around the outside of the center ring and saw all of the magnificent buildings and fountains lit up at night. Truly gorgeous.

This morning, the UK boys started talking way too early. I would have asked them to be quiet but I couldn’t bring myself to silence such an accent. I had breakfast at the hostel and checked out. I walked to the center again and wandered around a few new parts for a bit. Then I decided to take the metro to a palace and gardens a little outside of the center. As I was about to buy my metro ticket, a guy handed me his day pass and said he didn’t need it anymore. Lucky me! The palace was very pretty from the outside (I didn’t go in), but the gardens were spectacular. I’m afraid to say it but they were much better than the ones at Versailles when I saw them. All of the flowers were in perfect bloom, everything was perfectly trimmed, and the fountains were flowing. I walked up a big hill to a mini palace on top that had an amazing view of Vienna. My day consisted of walking to different parts of the gardens then sitting for a while to people watch. It was quite pleasant. Eventually, I headed back to the hostel to get ready to go. I had some extra time so I walked around Naschmarkt, a giant open-air market with food and some clothes.

Now I’m on a bus to Budapest. I’m so glad this is my last city transfer before flying home. I absolutely love traveling but it can be quite stressful alone and I’m ready for a bit of comfort. I’m pumped for my hostel in Budapest (it’s supposed to be incredibly social) and to explore my Hungarian roots (mostly while sitting in the bathhouses). On Monday, I’ll be on my way back to Boston!!

Prague

Wow! Prague was absolutely fabulous. I’m sad I had such a short amount of time there because it was truly lovely and full of things I wanted to do. I got into my hostel in the afternoon so I just walked around the city for a couple hours. I was totally impressed by all of the ornate buildings. Literally every building was gorgeous. I saw the astronomical clock tower and some other famous sites. That evening, I hung out with people in the lounge of my hostel (they play movies all day long) and went to dinner with a girl from my room. We went to a local place on the corner where I had delicious salmon and apple strudel for about 7 euros. Not bad, Prague.

Wednesday morning, I went on a walking tour of the city. I got a lot of history of the city but they didn’t show me much more than I had already seen. It was still nice though. They took us to the Jewish quarter but everything was closed because it was a Jewish holiday. It’s too bad because I was really looking forward to exploring the awesome cemetery there. After the tour, I hiked up a giant hill and got a little lost on purpose. I ended up in a cute part of the city with small houses and winding roads. I eventually made my way back down to Prague Castle. I wandered around there for a while and went into a few of the buildings, but I wasn’t super impressed. The outside of the church and the facades were better than the insides. Luckily, though, I ran into two girls I had met in my hostel in Berlin. We ended up spending the whole rest of the afternoon and evening together, which was great for not being lonely. We walked to see the world’s largest metronome – kind of a letdown. Then we walked to the complete opposite end of the city to see Frank Gehry’s Dancing House. It was cool but we were so exhausted by that point. Then we went on a hunt for dinner and eventually collapsed into a pizzeria. After dinner, we parted ways and I went back to the hostel. I relaxed and hung out there and met some really cool people before going to bed.

Now I’m on a cramped bus to Vienna. Prague is up there on my list of favorite cities, so Vienna has a lot to compete with. I definitely want to return there soon and stay for a lot longer. 

Berlin

I arrived at my hostel in Berlin on Friday without a problem. It was really nice! I didn’t plan on doing much that evening so I settled in and wandered around the neighborhood a bit. I met some Canadian girls on the patio and that ended up leading to an amazing night out. We reconvened in the bar downstairs, met a bunch of other people, and decided to try to get into a club that my brother had recommended (Week End). We went two metro stops away to a high-rise building with scary bouncers outside. They looked us up and down but finally let us in. We went up to the 15^th floor where they were blasting house music. I usually only like dancing to Top 40s, but this was an incredible club experience. I just went with the music and felt like a true German, although they were dressed a lot cooler than us. A few floors up there was a huge rooftop terrace with lots of seating and blankets. I never did get a blanket, but everyone else looked nice and cozy. The sun rose ridiculously early there so it was already getting light out when we went to the roof before 4 am. It was such a wonderful night out and a great start to my stay in Berlin.

The next morning, we all slept in pretty late and had breakfast together. Then I went on a walking tour of the city for 4 hours. It was a great way to get a feel of the city and see most of the important sites. The sun was beating down on us so it was pretty exhausting but still interesting. After the tour, I went with some girls to see another site and then we had a long adventure getting back to the hostel. I met up with a friend from the night before and we had dinner at this Mexican/Indian restaurant across the street. My chicken tikka was yummy. Saturday night was Karaoke night in the bar downstairs, so we spent the night belting out popular songs.

I went off on my own on Sunday to see some new parts of the city. I hit a lot of street markets along the way. When I got to Potsdamer Platz, I was tired and boiling in the sun so I took a break to see Hangover 2. It was a great decision and very funny. I continued on to Topography of Terror, an open-air museum about persecution. It was a lot of reading but very cool. I eventually made it back to the hostel, got a Doner Kebab, and hung out with some new friends for the rest of the evening. I had a lovely chat over ice cream in a park with two great Australians until it was time for bed.

On Monday, I went on an “alternative” walking tour that showed the street art culture of Berlin. It was a great tour to go on because it pointed out places and things that I would never know to look for on my own. We saw cool alleyways with incredible street art and an artist community filled with metal sculptures. We ended at a beach bar near the East Side Gallery, a long stretch of the Berlin Wall covered in amazing murals. That was a very cool walk. Then I went to the Jewish Museum, which was huge but had some incredible and moving sections. I could have stayed there forever given enough Red Bull, but I was really tired and hungry. I made my way back to the hostel, had dinner, and took care of some travel plans. That evening, I spent the night chatting with lots of people in the bar downstairs. I hadn’t expected such a social night but it ended up being a blast. I didn’t stay out super late because it died down and I had my train to Prague this morning.

Berlin was one of the coolest cities I have ever seen. I can totally understand why people stay there for a long time. It has such a unique culture, unbelievable nightlife, and is really cheap. Yay! Now I’m off to Prague, which I’m sure will be equally as amazing.

Amsterdam

After a turbulent flight from Sevilla, I had a lovely few days in Amsterdam. It is such a unique and picturesque city. I got a little lost going to meet Nite from the airport, as I took the train in the wrong direction. Several people told me it was correct, but I was very doubtful, and it turned out that I was right. Eventually, I got on the correct train and met Nite in the train station. We had a nice time catching up and making plans for the next few days in her apartment. We were both super tired from the past few days in Sevilla so we made some dinner, watched The Kite Runner, and went to bed early.

On Wednesday, we had a leisurely morning and began with a stroll through a park. We ended at a concert hall where she works that has free lunchtime concerts. Unfortunately, this week’s concert was a very strange experimental orchestra that was far from pleasant to the ears. We continued walking towards the center and visited this adorable residential area surrounding a courtyard. I could definitely live there one day…if I make a ton of money. We had a soda overlooking one of the many beautiful canals. Nite left me in Dam Square and I walked around that area for a few hours. It was full of cute shops, chain stores, restaurants, and, of course, the infamous coffee shops. Don’t worry, I didn’t go in there although I found them fascinating. I found this really cute square where I sat for a while and watched everyone go by, mostly on bikes. It was really refreshing to see lots of blonde people after being in Spain for a while. I think Dutch people are adorable. Eventually, I made the very long walk back to Nite’s apartment where she was making me dinner. She treated me to a very Dutch dish of mashed potatoes with greens and meat and sausage on the side. Yum yum. It was very hearty. After dinner, we went back to the center to catch a canal cruise. It was very relaxing and I got to hear about and see all of the city. My new dream is to own a private boat and ride it around the canals. The boat tour was great, but the people in private boats seem to be having a grand time. The city is just lovely, especially all lit up at night.

We woke up earlier on Thursday to try to avoid a long line at the Anne Frank House. The line wasn’t bad at all, so we lucked out. The museum throughout the house was really well done and, of course, very sad. Although my living conditions in Spain weren’t incredible, I’m very grateful for my big room and the fact that I could move around during the day without fear of someone finding me. With the decibel at which Rebecca and I sang songs from Glee, we would have been captured immediately. As always, there were too many tourists in the house with us, but it was still very powerful. After that, we went to eat something I have been craving for a long time….bagels! What a delight! I was so glad the Dutch were on the same page with me about how good bagels are. After indulging, we walked for a while to the science museum that has an incredible sloped roof with a nice view of the city. It was heaven for children, with a waterfall along the steps and various life-size board games. Nite and I just enjoyed the sun and laughed at the adorable bleach blonde children. Then Nite went off to a meeting and I went to Museum Square, which is a big open field surrounded by great museums. It has the famous I amsterdam sign so I took a picture there and watched people climb all over the giant letters. It was pretty entertaining for a while, and then I went to the Van Gogh Museum. He was quite a talented guy, eh? It was a really good museum, mostly featuring his works. After getting cultured, I walked home again and spent a few hours planning some things for the rest of my trip. It was amazing having working fast internet again. I picked up some dinner at the grocery store and was quite productive. Nite came home later and we hung out for a bit before heading to the infamous Red Light District late at night. She biked there while I took the tram, but she left before we found out that my tram was not coming because a bridge was broken. Eventually, we met up and it was fine, and I got to use my Spanish while communicating with a Portuguese woman about the problem. I have distinct memories of visiting “curtain street” on my last trip to Amsterdam, but it seemed very different this time around. It was one of the saddest things and by far the most degrading thing I’ve ever seen. I feel terrible for these women who just stand behind windows “hoping” for customers. It made me nauseous and we were some of the few girls there, so we didn’t stay too long.

This morning, I packed up my stuff to move on to my next city – Berlin. I’m now on the plane and very excited to see this city. My family and everyone who goes there loves it, so I hope it has the same effect on me. Thanks to Nite for being such an amazing host and Amsterdam tour guide. I absolutely loved my trip there!

Adiós, Sevilla!

Me with my youngest class

I had a wonderful and bittersweet last week and particularly weekend in Sevilla. I had my last week of school where the kids bid me very nice farewells, and I took pictures with the classes. I will miss their enthusiasm to practice English and them giving me high fives while walking through the halls.

Yery with some snails

Night out!

On Friday night, I went to a very local tapas place with my gay Spanish friends. I tried caracoles (snails) for the first time. They were a little hard to get down at first because you can see the whole snail when you eat them, but they were really yummy. Later, I met up with my European friends to hang out by the river and go to a club. We tried to get into the opening of an open-air club but it was way too crowded so we ended up at the nearly empty Bandalai. As always, it was fun dancing, but the music was not amazing and I was exhausted after a week of work. Nevertheless, it was great catching up with my friends.

Paddleboating!

Saturday was lovely. Julie invited me to go paddleboating on the river, something I had been meaning to do all year. It was absolutely gorgeous and perfect weather. Then we shared a meal at a Chinese restaurant and got full off of only 3 euros. I’m going to miss the low food prices when I get back to America. I said goodbye to her, which was very sad, and went home to do some errands and start packing. That evening, I went over to my German friend Nora’s house for a girls’ night. It was very nice, but it stopped being a girls’ night when we got invited to a pool party in a pueblo. I was tired from the night before but decided to be adventurous, seeing as it was my last weekend in Spain. The party was okay in the beginning, and I got to speak a lot of Spanish, but then I had a terrible allergy attack and was stuck to tissues for the rest of the night and not feeling very social. Since we were far from Sevilla, I couldn’t get back on my own so I had to wait until 5 am for our ride.  It wasn’t quite the night I was hoping for when I decided to be spontaneous.

I slept pretty late on Sunday and did loads of packing. I had shipped a big suitcase home earlier in the week, so now I am traveling for two weeks with only a carry-on suitcase and a backpack. This is a big step for me, a notorious overpacker. In the evening, I went for a lovely stroll through the Alcázar for one last time. It was a beautiful as ever and made me really sad to be leaving Spain. Boston just doesn’t have anything like it. At night, I met up with some friends for the prettiest of evenings on the terrace of Hotel Doña Maria. It looks over the Cathedral, which is all lit up at night. We finally tried Agua de Sevilla, a delicious cocktail that I had somehow avoided this entire year but that was incredibly fitting for one of our last nights there. After nursing our drinks for a few hours, Rebecca and I strolled through Santa Cruz. This made me even more unsure as to why I was leaving.

View from the top of Las Cetas

On Monday, I packed some more before having my last tapas at Los Coloniales. We feasted on some of my favorite foods, including a lot of patatas bravas. Then I went over to the house where my European friends live and knocked on every door to say goodbye. It was hug after hug after hug, and I have no idea when I will see these people next. They have truly made my experience here a great one since I have met amazing people from all over the continent. After that depressing rendezvous, we got our final gelato in Sevilla and made our way back towards our apartment. We decided to go up Las Cetas, those weird structures near my house. It was beautiful from up there but very surreal. I’m shocked I wasn’t abducted by aliens or at least didn’t fall through the many holes. We eventually got home, at which point I was bombarded by calls from people coming to take my extra stuff. I’m very glad that almost everything I couldn’t take home found a good home in Sevilla. The chaos calmed down and we chilled on our terrace for a while before it was actually necessary to finish packing. At about midnight, my friend Paige called to say some American friends were in the Alameda, so I strolled over in my packing clothes to bid everyone goodbye. I hadn’t expected to get a chance to say bye to most of them, so I’m so glad I got the opportunity. It was wonderful catching up with some people and hearing their plans. Almost everyone was leaving Sevilla today, like me. When they kicked us out, I went home to get a few hours of sleep while the mosquitoes in my room ate me alive. Spain really needs window screens.

This morning, I said goodbye to Rebecca before her early flight to Barcelona. At least I know I will see her in a few weeks. I finished packing, took care of some errands, and lugged my stuff to the bus stop. Now I’m sitting in the airport, waiting for my flight to Amsterdam, where I will stay with my friend Nite who was studying in Sevilla last semester. I can’t wait to revisit this city of which I only have a vague memory. I’m not sure I’m mentally prepared for two weeks of intense traveling, but I’m super excited for the cities I’m visiting and will obviously enjoy my last days in Europe.

I love you, Sevilla! I can’t wait to come back and visit soon! This was one of the best years of my life and certainly the most exciting!

Lagos

This weekend was the perfect culmination to an incredible year. I took a trip with a group of 10 Americanos to Lagos, Portugal to celebrate the birthdays of two of my friends, Julie and Reegis. We all piled into a bus at 7:30 am on Friday morning and took the long trip to Lagos. When we got there, we wandered through the adorable and hilly town until we found our hostel. Our room wasn't ready so we went and got some lunch before heading to the beach. I had no idea what to expect from the beaches there except what I had seen in some pictures, but they were some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen in my life. They are surrounded by gorgeous rock formations and even have them sticking out of the water.  It literally looked other-worldly. We laid on the beach for a few hours and had the most wonderful time in the ocean. A group of 5 of us girls bonded instantly even though the only person I knew before the trip was Julie. We splashed around in the water laughing and being silly like I do with my friends from home. It was so refreshing. After the sun began to set, we stopped for pizza on the way home. We moved into our tiny room together, took a late siesta, and got ready for the night. Unfortunately, the night never materialized because we heard there was not much going on, but we found out the next day that we were just too early for the party. It ended up being good though because we actually had some energy to enjoy the next day.

We woke up for a yummy, family-style breakfast at the hostel on Saturday. We headed to a different beach for another incredible day. This beach was even better than the previous one and was what I consider to be the textbook definition of paradise. We laid out and swam a lot then took a little break for lunch overlooking the ocean. After lunch, we went out on a small motorboat for a grotto tour with a guy who spoke no English. Every time we turned a corner the views were more breathtaking than before. The girls were hilarious and we took countless pictures. The best part of the tour was when he let us jump off the boat and we swam in the middle of the water surrounded by rock formations. We could have been on another planet. Getting back into the boat was not as fun, as the only help you got was a little noose for your foot to hoist yourself up. It was a struggle. I have never laughed as much as I did while watching Nicole get into the boat - she is a tiny little girl but could not get in and was planked on the side of the boat with her legs flailing and the Portuguese man grabbing her butt to try to pull her in while she screamed. If only we had caught it on video... We were greeted upon our return by a hefty Portuguese man rocking a red speedo who chatted with us for a while. Later, he performed a balancing act on his boat. We swam and relaxed for a few more hours. On our way out, we met two guys from Spain. It made me realize how much I absolutely love Spain and practicing Spanish. Just one day away and I missed it...I'm not sure what going home will do to me. We had a nice dinner after the beach and then went back to get ready for the evening. We ended up going out to a few bars, and it was a lot of fun, but I didn't find the dancing atmosphere I was craving. Too bad. It was still a great night out!

After about 3 hours of sleep, we got up for breakfast again, packed up our stuff, and took everything to the beach. I had an amazing solo swim in perfectly calm and clear water. I seriously could have stayed there forever, if it wasn't for the bus home to Sevilla. The girls had a continuous debate on the way to the bus station as to whether we should stay another night, but we decided to go home in the end. The bus ride back was filled with a lot of necessary sleep. It was such a perfect weekend and Lagos is such a paradise. I would go back there in a heartbeat.

Now I have one more week in Sevilla, three more days of school, and countless goodbyes. Oh, and packing. I'm sure it will be a great last hoorah!