Last weekend, a group of six girls and one guy (Brett from Canada) made the trek to Budapest for the weekend. Budapest, the largest city in Hungary as well as the capital of Hungary, exists as an important hub in central Europe. On Saturday traveled to both parts of the city (Buda and Pest) and truly made the most of a fabulous weekend. First thing on Saturday, we went to a Hungarian market (which kind of reminded me of a flea market in the United States) to check out some typical Hungarian dishes and buy some souvenirs. Next, we visited the Buda Castle, first constructed in 1265. We also visited the Heroes square and rode on the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in Europe. Also, that day we say about six different brides; it must have been an extremely popular day for a wedding! Sunday morning we got up and went to a catholic mass service at St. Steven's Cathedral, the largest cathedral in Hungary (although it was only built in 1905). This was an amazing experience, even if I couldn't understand the sermon (it was in Hungarian) and even if the potent aroma of incense almost put me to sleep. The powerful organ music was the best part of the service by far: I could merely stand in awe of the magnificent sound being produced from the lofty instrument. After the service, we walked along the Danube river and passed by a memorial for the victims who lost their lives during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. The iron shoes allowed for a unique- but incredibly powerful and effective- approach. I couldn't help but get a somewhat uneasy emotional reaction in the pit of my stomach. We then crossed the bridge and took a leisurely Sunday afternoon stroll around Margaret Island, a nice park for runners, walkers, bikers, readers, etc. Lastly, but not least, we went to a mall to do some shopping (at the request of pretty much everyone except me!)
It was extremely interesting to compare the two cities of Vienna and Budapest. Vienna is so much cleaner and even feels safer. However, if you were to ask the Polish girls (like for Justyna for example) they would say that they feel more comfortable in Budapest. I guess it really is all about the matter of opinion and the context of the individual situation.
Posts
