Eastern Eurotrip

Buddhas in Budapest

We started our trip by flying into Bratislava, Slovakia. The city was a nice surprise. My friend Joey and I were exploring the city the evening we got there and talking about how we both love trying local foods but had no idea what type of food was Slovakian. Five minutes later we stumble upon a Slovakian Food Festival in a castle. What can I say, we’re lucky. It turns out Slovakian cuisine involves a lot of pickled things, beets, sausages, and beer.

My favorite part of Slovakia: The exchange rate.

watermelon sculptor in Slovakia

street performer in Bratislava

climbing trees in Slovakia

From Bratislava we went to Budapest, Hungary. Joey has a friend he worked with at a camp who is Hungarian, so we immediately met up with Zeno. He took us on tours around Budapest, we ate at a Hungarian buffet restaurant, and met some of his Hungarian coworkers and friends. Our friend Jen also joined us.

The second day in Hungary Zeno took us to his hometown, Egar, Hungary, to meet his family. We arrived at about 8pm, the sun had set and it was raining. When we entered the house, his parents were playing peppy Hungarian pop music, all the lights were off, and Zeno’s mom was jumping up and down chanting “Welcome America!” On the dining table there was an American flag and sparklers on either side. We all barely had time to process any of this when a tray full of glasses of champagne was being thrust at us. Then they gave Jen and I bottles of wine from the region as gifts and Joey a homemade bottle of plum liquor from the region. They most adorable hosts I have ever had, which says something.

Our welcome into Hungary

At dinner they went on and on about how much they love America and Americans. Their view of the United States was the most idealistic I have ever encountered. In my opinion, they are overlooking a few things but it is still so wonderful to hear from people that they love your country and feel welcome when they visit. Zeno’s Dad told us about how he remembers exactly where he was when he learned the twin towers were hit and how he cried. The only time I heard them even imply something negative about the states was when he explained that he could tell how 9/11 had affected Americans, because he’s felt less welcome while visiting since. Still, the entire conversation at dinner was basically them picking a different aspect of America then raving for about 10 minutes about how Americans do that things the best way that thing could be done. It was interesting.

After dinner, Zeno, Jen, Joey, and I went to a Hungarian bath, basically a giant outdoor, natural hot tub. As you could imagine, it was a really fun Hungarian experience. We got back at about 2:30am to find that Zeno’s mom had made us traditional Hungarian pancakes to have as a second dinner in the middle of the night. This was after the dinner we had had that night, a three-course meal with dessert. I have never eaten as much in 24 hours as I did in Hungary.

We woke up to find a full breakfast laid out for us by Zeno’s mom. At one point I had mentioned offhandedly that I like honey, so surrounding my plate were four different jars of honey.

Overall my view of Hungary is that it is a place where I met some of the most thoughtful people, ate the most food, and was offered the most alcohol.

Budapest

also, Budapest

This is what we did with out free time in Hungary,
imitated statues.

American dance party in Budapest

Joey and Zeno

From Budapest, we took a train to Vienna, Austria.  We only had a day in Vienna and my priorities were laid out. Vienna was the home of artist Gustav Klimt, who is one of my favorite artists. I learned from a Canadian man in our hostel that there were actually two Klimt museums in the city: one which houses his most famous work The Kiss and a few other famous pieces and another that houses everything else. This made the plan simple, we all (my friends, me, and Canadian man) would go to the museum with The Kiss together, then I would separate from the group and go to the other museum for the rest of the day.

The plan started out perfectly. The Kiss was the most beautiful piece of art I have ever seen in person as were the other pieces I saw by him such as Judith wit h the Head of Holofernes. I was so energized and excited to see the other museum. I hoped on a tram and quickly got across town and in front of the other museum only to discover a huge sign that read, “Closed on Tuesdays”. It was Tuesday, my only day in Vienna. I am still very upset about this.

This was an area with a lot of art museums, so I tried to be optimistic at this point and walked into the ticket center. All the other exhibits were moving exhibits and the man behind the counter had no recommendations so I chose one at random. The museum I ended up going to was a modern art museum full of “art” by some Eastern European artists. To make a long story short, the art became increasingly disturbing and I wound up leaving before seeing it all because I thought I was going to throw up. Everything about that experience disturbed me, the fact that these people displaying serial-killer tendencies somehow have an art exhibit and the fact that the people around me, who had I seen them on the street would have seemed like professional, normal people, were actually taking this “art” seriously.

My friends and I went out that night to a bar recommended by our hostel as a place that was guaranteed to always be full and fun, even on a Tuesday. This led us on a long search through the city past the unsavory, druggie, night-dwellers of the city and graffiti clad streets to an empty bar called “Flex” where we ordered from a rude bartender more interested in texting than making drinks.

Overall opinion of Vienna: Umm, it was a cultural experience?

Graffiti time, Vienna

Moments before seeing The Kiss

Vienna: Joey, Canadian friend, and Jen

From Vienna we took a train to Prague where we met up and stayed with some of Joey’s college friends. Prague had been described to me as “a Disney World for adults” and the place with “the largest amount of the most beautiful buildings all crammed into one small space”. This is a lot of hype to live up to, but Prague somehow did exactly that.

We spent our time in Prague seeing the sights, Old Town Square, the Dancing House, and the Lennon Wall, to name a few. The cuisine in Prague was delicious and varied. We had bagels (!!!), Thai food, more sausages, and fried cheese sandwiches. The nightlife was fun and the city was absolutely gorgeous.

My very favorite part of Prague, and actually the entire trip, was a rowboat on the Vltava River at sunset. In general the most beautiful views I have ever seen of cities have come from looking down on a city from the highest point, but this was the first time that I felt like I was seeing the most beautiful view from below, in the middle of a river.

My life becoming complete in Bohemia Bagel

Prague, The Lennon Wall 

The Dancing House, Prague

Happyland!

More beer and sausages! 

Rowboat in Prague