Rubles and Ramblings

Rubles and Ramblings

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Spring Break in B U D A P E S T

Well, it is finally time to write about my spring break in Budapest, Hungary.  Traveling with 5 of my closest friends here in St. Petersburg was such an amazing experience, I can honestly say I had the best week of my life.  We did so much during those 5 days, I don't even know where to begin! 

First off, the weather in Budapest was perfect.  65 degrees was about the average, I could finally walk around without a coat for the first time since coming abroad!  To embrace the sunny weather, we took a walk around the city to see some of the famous sites.  My favorite was Parliament, which happens to be the largest parliament building in all of Europe!

Selfie with Parliament!

Here are some more pictures from our walk along the beautiful Danube River!






Random Ronald Reagan statue

We also saw the Shoe Memorial.  This was a memorial for the lost lives of the Jews during World War II.  Hundreds of Jews in Budapest were walked down to the river, forced to remove their shoes, then shot into the river.

After our walk around the city, we returned to our hostel (shoutout to Carpe Noctem Vitae for having the best staff in the world!!!) to get ready for our night out.  Budapest is known for their ruin bars, which are old buildings around the city that have been converted into really cool bars.  That night we went to a place called Szimpla, which is actually ranked as the third best bar in the world!  Here's a picture of the outside.  


Katie & I and our life-changing sandwiches
The next day was spent relaxing in the hostel in preparation for our beer bike later in the evening, one of my favorite things we did in the city.  If you don't know what a beer bike is, just google "Budapest Beer Bike"....annnndd that's all I'm gonna say about that.  Also that day, I ate the best sandwich in the entire world at a small place called Bors!  I had a curry chicken sandwich covered in melty cheese with a delicious sauce wrapped in a warm homemade baguette.  It was so good that we had to go back again another day.

The most memorable thing I did in Budapest was definitely caving.  About 30 minutes outside the city is the largest cave in Hungary.  We got suited up in jumpsuits and headlights and prepared to go deep into the cave.  

Caving crew! 
Accurate depiction of how we felt in the cave
To say caving was intense is an understatement.  I crawled through tight spots and had to dive head first through tunnels.  The scariest part of the cave was going through a spot called "The Sandwich".  This was where I had to shimmy between 2 rocks in a space so tight, I'm surprised I fit...Let alone some of the guys who were with us!!  Caving is something I never have to do again, but I'm glad I can say I went caving in Budapest and have the bruises and cuts to prove it! Here are more pics from inside the cave!

Crawled through spaces 5x smaller than this 
New friends getting cozy with the rocks
After the crazy caving experience, the next morning my friends and I all pampered ourselves by going to the famous Budapest thermal baths (bathing suits were required, thank goodness).  There were 2 large outdoor baths that were heated like a hot tub.  The second we stepped in we never wanted to leave!  Eventually we went inside where they had smaller pools varying in temperature.  My favorite part was the sauna.  We opened the door and got hit with a wall of steam so thick, I couldn't see the people across from me.  It was definitely the most relaxing part of the trip and something I would love to do again.


That night was my favorite night in Budapest, the river cruise.  Everyone received a bottle of champagne upon arrival and had a blast dancing and cruising along the river.  The views were spectacular and something I will never forget.  So that was my spring break in a nutshell!  Happy Easter everyone from gloomy St. Petersburg!       
Cheers to the best spring break with the best people!
♡ Budapest, I will be back 

  

5 comments:

  1. Sounds like an awesome time. Didn't know they had caves in Budapest.

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    Replies
    1. I didn't know either! They said it was something we had to do though, so happy I did

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  2. Ali what an incredible spring break!!

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  3. Find the one that makes you feel comfort and ease and make your holiday a unique and memorable experience. Budapest rent

    ReplyDelete