Adventures in Budapest: Buda Hills and Szentendre Excursions

I just realized it's been awhile since my last post. This one may be longer..with more photos. :) I've been busy going to the Hungarian crash course! We go to class from 9am until 4pm (with breaks) every day. I'm learning a lot, but it's hard to learn so much vocab so quickly. I'm enjoying the course overall, though. We have great teachers!

Last weekend, I went on a hike in the Buda hills with other students in the BSM and AIT programs. It was set up through the language school. On our way to the meeting point at a metro stop in Buda, my roommates and I got a little turned around. We ended up being about 15 minutes late, so the group had left without us. Luckily, a few other students had also missed the group's departure. We called our tour guide using a pay phone, and she told us to go run to get on the 20 bus...but didn't tell us where to get off! We remembered that we were going to go see the Children's Railway, so we ended up getting off at that stop, and found the rest of the group shortly after, thankfully. We went to a lookout point where we could see a wonderful view of Budapest. The Children's Railway came next on our itinerary. It is a railway that is mostly run by the Pioneers (similar to Boy Scouts in the U.S.), and is a remnant of Hungary's socialist past. After taking the train, we hiked a bit to go see the Elizabeth lookout tower. It is larger than it looks, with interesting spiral staircases that take you higher and higher. The very top level has a breathtaking view! Next, we hiked back down and took the chair lift down to the campsite where we were served delicious Hungarian goulash for dinner, and palacsinta for dessert. I could take the chair lift every day. It was so relaxing!

Yesterday, my roommate Irene and I met our friend Ross near his host family's home in Újpest ("New Pest", which is north of where we live). There was a festival going on, so we walked around and looked at the booths, people dancing/modeling (for some sort of beauty contest?), and kids playing games. The sight of the semi-crowded street reminded me a little of the Minnesota State Fair, so it made me feel at home a bit. Later that night, we got together with some other friends in Pest and had a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" party. Who knew I would watch my first episode in Hungary??

Today there was another excursion through the language school, this time to Szentendre (north of Budapest). We got to the meeting point early this time! Szentendre is called the city of painters. Every Sunday during the summer, they have a fair with arts and crafts sellers and food vendors. It was fun walking the streets, and it turned out to be a beautiful day. We took a bus to the open air museum, which has historical buildings and people to describe how life was back in the 18th century. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to see even half of the museum. It was still fun, though. There were a lot of adorable cats! We also got to listen to a few musicians play Hungarian music, and a guy taught us a few traditional Hungarian folk dance moves! Everyone got really into it and participated, so it was a blast!! After the museum, we got to walk around down town Szentendre more. A few friends and I ate lángos (fried dough) with sour cream and cheese on top for lunch. We then watched two guys do some impressive juggling, and went to a small museum with miniature art. It was amazing! Each piece had to be viewed with a microscope. I don't understand how you can create something so tiny! To get home, we got to take a boat on the Danube. The weather was perfect, and it felt great to sit down after walking all day.

For now, it's time to rest! More adventures later! :)