Vienna and Budapest
Last weekend I took one of my last trips I will be able to take here in Europe. I headed out on my own to Vienna and Budapest, armed with all the safety advice my father has been drilling into my head for years and my camera. On my train to Vienna, a very old man (who spoke with such a strong austrian accent that I only understood 10% of what he said) showed me his knife, almost as old as his aged hands. That day I met a group of girls at my youth hostel and could smell their Minnesota accents a mile away. Blondes. That night, I bought very cheap standing tickets to a 5 hour Wagner opera that was amazing. The next day involved 4 art museums followed by reading outside on these sea foam green modern art benches, and discovering the most beautiful line of a short story that I have ever read. A Gustav Klimt painting titled Death and Life was my favorite piece of art I saw in Vienna. In second place is a pink chair.
When I arrived in Hungary, I discovered that the Hungarian language sounds like a very pleasantly mumbled mix of English and German to me. I would often hear people speak Hungarian, and create their conversations using similar words in English. This made Hungary a world full of bizarre phrases such as, "my application jimmy jim," "ken ear," and "some egg hash care". I loved the soft language, the street signs that looked like amalgams, the woman with their short haircuts and gold jewelry, the men with their proud bellies, and how much I enjoyed burying myself deep in all of it.
My youth hostel was beautiful! It was set in a pretty apartment building with a courtyard, wicker furniture and potted plants all over the place. For some reason I was the only girl staying in the youth hostel that night. I felt like Snow White and my friends were the seven dwarfs! The guys were all so wonderful and invited me right away to come with them to the Frank Zappa cafe down the street where I ate fried sheep cheese. Then I took off to sightseeing around Budapest. I saw a ton of Pest from the trams and walked over a bridge to Buda. I walked through Buda for a while, climbed up to the castle and found the Hungarian National Art Museum which basically included the most beloved pieces of Hungarian art in all of Hungary. My favorite piece that day was called The Lark.
Then I wondered down the hill and found a street festival full of beer, cheap earrings and live music. I went back to the youth hostel, met up with my new friends, and headed out for the night. The evening was spent with two guys from very different parts of California (sarcastic Richard from LA vs. surfer Bret from San Diago) and two guys from very different parts of Spain (quiet Andreas and bartender Moses). We danced (cha-chaing with men from Spain is awesome!), met a bunch of students and just had a very wonderful night.
The next morning I woke up bright and early to get the last of my sightseeing in before my train ride home. I went to a thermal bath in a beautiful park and was completely relaxed, saw some amazing monuments around Budapest, and then headed home like I always have to do.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:
Here I am in front of a statue of Mozart in Vienna.
This is some beautiful palace courtyards in Vienna (with a funny elephant statue in the middle!)
Here are the great modern benches I was talking about in the Museum area.
This is the most impressive building in Budapest. I think it is a parliament of sorts.
Here is a view from the top of the castle. You can see the street fair on the bridge below.
Another picture from the other side of the castle.
You can see more pictures from my trips to Vienna and Budapest here.
My time here is Europe is winding down now. I will be flying back to NYC on the 26th and then home to Chicago on the 30th. I can't wait to see my parents! I have been away for a while now, and I am sure I won't even recognize Michael. My last trip will be to Paris for a few days before my flight home, which means I won't have a chance to post my pictures until I am sitting in my backyard in Chicago enjoying the wireless internet Dad installed in the house. I can't wait!
When I arrived in Hungary, I discovered that the Hungarian language sounds like a very pleasantly mumbled mix of English and German to me. I would often hear people speak Hungarian, and create their conversations using similar words in English. This made Hungary a world full of bizarre phrases such as, "my application jimmy jim," "ken ear," and "some egg hash care". I loved the soft language, the street signs that looked like amalgams, the woman with their short haircuts and gold jewelry, the men with their proud bellies, and how much I enjoyed burying myself deep in all of it.
My youth hostel was beautiful! It was set in a pretty apartment building with a courtyard, wicker furniture and potted plants all over the place. For some reason I was the only girl staying in the youth hostel that night. I felt like Snow White and my friends were the seven dwarfs! The guys were all so wonderful and invited me right away to come with them to the Frank Zappa cafe down the street where I ate fried sheep cheese. Then I took off to sightseeing around Budapest. I saw a ton of Pest from the trams and walked over a bridge to Buda. I walked through Buda for a while, climbed up to the castle and found the Hungarian National Art Museum which basically included the most beloved pieces of Hungarian art in all of Hungary. My favorite piece that day was called The Lark.
Then I wondered down the hill and found a street festival full of beer, cheap earrings and live music. I went back to the youth hostel, met up with my new friends, and headed out for the night. The evening was spent with two guys from very different parts of California (sarcastic Richard from LA vs. surfer Bret from San Diago) and two guys from very different parts of Spain (quiet Andreas and bartender Moses). We danced (cha-chaing with men from Spain is awesome!), met a bunch of students and just had a very wonderful night.
The next morning I woke up bright and early to get the last of my sightseeing in before my train ride home. I went to a thermal bath in a beautiful park and was completely relaxed, saw some amazing monuments around Budapest, and then headed home like I always have to do.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:
Here I am in front of a statue of Mozart in Vienna.
This is some beautiful palace courtyards in Vienna (with a funny elephant statue in the middle!)
Here are the great modern benches I was talking about in the Museum area.
This is the most impressive building in Budapest. I think it is a parliament of sorts.
Here is a view from the top of the castle. You can see the street fair on the bridge below.
Another picture from the other side of the castle.
You can see more pictures from my trips to Vienna and Budapest here.
My time here is Europe is winding down now. I will be flying back to NYC on the 26th and then home to Chicago on the 30th. I can't wait to see my parents! I have been away for a while now, and I am sure I won't even recognize Michael. My last trip will be to Paris for a few days before my flight home, which means I won't have a chance to post my pictures until I am sitting in my backyard in Chicago enjoying the wireless internet Dad installed in the house. I can't wait!
posted by Andrea at 10:48 PM
