Being an author abroad definitely has its downfalls. For example, writing about events on campus is absolutely completely not an option unless you essentially have someone write about it for you. However, it also offers you the unique opportunity to write about experiences you may never have again. It’s also a great way to document your travels and share them with friends and family at home.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Budapest, Hungary as my first trip outside of Vienna, Austria. I started by taking a late bus to Budapest, which arrived at about 10:45pm. When we arrived to our Airbnb, we immediately threw down our things and went to go out. We ended up at a bar called Szimpla Kert, which was a ruin bar and rated one of the top 10 most fun bars in the world. I would have to say that the scenery was great and it was definitely unique with many different drinks, side bars, and even food bars.

The next morning, the group went out for breakfast quickly and then began our day looking at St. Stephen’s Basilica. I learned that the different between a basilica and a cathedral is that a basilica has a relic in it of the saint it’s named after. Inside was St. Stephen’s right hand, which while I understand the importance of, really freaked me out that they just casually had his hand. The inside of the church was a true testament to how important religion was to the Budapest at the time the basilica was created. The detailed and lavish inside was awe-inspiring.

We continued the afternoon by going to Castle Hill and hiking up to the top. The view of the city was amazing despite it raining. The city was full of colorful buildings, unlike anything you would ever see in the United States to an extent. We also viewed the parliament building from across the river. At one point a choir sang from the steps of parliament and you could still hear it across the river, which personally gave me chills.

Our afternoon finished with us going to a local farmer’s and flea market. It was filled with different foods and lots of fur goods. Although I did not purchase anything, walking around really gave me a better sense for the local, less touristy culture. We also stumbled upon a holocaust memorial, which was very powerful especially when we realized that we were in previous Nazi territory. Sometimes it seems as though our generation is pretty separated from World War 2, but nothing wakes you up as to how close to it you really are quite like seeing a memorial like the one we saw.

That night we went to Instant, which was the first club of the entire trip for me. It was a late night- however the only things I really noted about this particular club was that it had many floors which meant walking a lot of stairs. We also somehow met Kygo’s brother, which I can’t really say much more on as I’m confused how that happened too.

The next morning, despite being out late, we all woke up early and traveled to see the Parliament building up close and personal. The detail on the exterior was very similar to that of interior of the basilica. It was solely made out of stone with monuments and other detailed buildings surrounding it. We then proceeded to hike up to Fisherman’s Bastion, which was possibly the most beautiful detailed thing we had seen yet. The town surrounding it was also incredibly quaint. There were mosaics on the outside and if you looked through the archways, you could see the entire city once again. This day, it was sunny so the colors were much more vibrant and the view was even more breathtaking. We finished out the day doing some local shopping and eating at a local café.

My overall feeling of Budapest is that it is definitely an underrated city. It wasn’t an American tourist attraction, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth seeing. It gave great insight into Hungarian culture and the architecture was incredible. It would definitely be some place I would love to come back to, especially in the following summer months. Definitely a good first trip that I hope others have the ability to one day make as well.