PRAGUE & BUDAPEST

On to my third trip of March. I know I mentioned it before but I will truly miss this freedom and spontaneity in my life. But I've learned that I love to just leisurely walk around cities, see the sights, try the food, meet the people, and just take it in. I like not having to rush any part of my day and just be in a happy place while exploring a new city and understanding how the present day culture shows the city's past history. This is especially relevant to my trip in Eastern Europe.

I was so excited to travel to Prague and Budapest as I was visiting a friend in each city and got to see and understand their abroad lives. I was also meeting up with Utter who would be my travel buddy for the trip. Before leaving on Thursday, I spent my week catching up with Copenhagen friends, completing readings, and went out tot DuPong on Wednesday. I also put down a deposit on where I am living in Houston this summer! But with a quick turnover from last weekend's trip, I was heading to the airport on Thursday morning to go to the Czech Republic.

Thursday, March 16th

I arrived at the Copenhagen airport with a few minutes before my flight and was able to grab a coffee from Joe and the Juice and read a few pages in "The Birth and Death of American Cities." It was actually really nice to just relax in the airport. I arrived in Prague a few hours later in the early in the afternoon and found my way on the metro to a coffee shop called CafeDu where I met Stef. I ended up getting this bread and a lemonade as it was so warm in Prague. It hit the spot. We then went to Stef's apartment (which was so nice with lots of space, sunlight, and beautiful dark wood trimmings) and waited for Utter to arrive. Once Utter arrived, we walked to the Old Town Square and went to the top of the Astronomical Clock to see a great view of Prague. We see the castle in the distance and the huge, fairytale like city below us. We then walked around Old Town and ended up going back to Stef's apartment thinking she had a phone call with a potential employer; however, Jacqueline ended up surprising Utter and I. We had no idea she was coming and the surprise was so much fun. After chilling and catching up, we went to Las Adelitas for a huge mexican dinner with margaritas. We got two pitchers of this really fresh mint margaritas, chips and guac, and Jac and I shared Molcajete (roast beef flank steak, chorizo, cheese, prickly pear caucus, and onions in a mortar). It was so much red meat but so good. We ended up going back to Stef's place to pregame with some G&Ts with ginger and lime, then went to Harley's Music Bar where we got drinks (think an Adios blue drink) then went to Roxy. The night was so much fun and we danced so much.

Friday, March 17th

We woke up and went straight to brunch at Cafe Savoy. This may be one of the fanciest brunches I have had since abroad- the food was so good. I ended up getting an omelette with cheese and a cappuccino and we shared waffles and there was a ton of bread and jam- so great. We then walked to the Lennon Wall, passing a huge park. We took a few photos then walked to St. Nicholas Church up to the Prague Castle. We walked into St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle and the inside was so beautiful with stained glass windows. The Castle was on a hill and there was a really great view of the city. We then walked across the Charles Bridge after hitting this really cool design area (my favorite store was The Chemistry Design Store). On the Charles Bridge, I saw the John of Nepomuk statue and we touched the plaque as it is supposed to be good look. On the other side of the bridge, we got Trdelník (I got soft serve vanilla ice cream, strawberries, and nutella- so good) at Stef's favorite place and then we walked to the Gallery of Art Prague where I saw an exhibition on how Andy Warhol adjust to America from his Cezchian background and a ton of Salvador Dali art (whole new appreciation). Afterwards we went to The Pub as it was St. Patty's Day and poured ourselves our own Pilsner Urquell from the tap. We met up with Stef's friends and their friends and ordered some chips at this place as well. We later left and went to get a Thai massage at this place that had shops set up throughout the city. We then went back to Stef's place to get ready before our dinner at Restaurace Kravin. I tried the beef goulash with homemade dumplings and red onions and it was so good- but at this point I was really feeling the red meat. We then went back to Stef's apartment to get ready to go out and went to this bar for a drink then went to Lucerna Music Bar for a 80s and 90s night. It was so much fun- and the music was great. We met a really nice Croatian guy in line, I saw Jake LaBine who I have not seen in forever, and danced the night away.

Saturday March 18th

We woke up a little later today as we were out pretty late on Friday. We went to this huge food truck festival on the Vltava River. We ate so much food- we shared a strawberry and nutella crepe, a strawberry and whipped cream waffle, fries with mayo and ketchup, and a bahn mi sandwich. All of it was delicious. We then walked to the other side of the river and went to a farmers market where I bought socks handknit by Czechian grandmothers, a couple of cookies, and some tulips for Stef to thank her for having us. We also had this delicious pesto bread sandwich that was so good. At this point, it was time to head back to Stef's apartment to go to the train to catch it to Budapest. Utter and I said bye to Stef and Jac at the train station and hopped on a train for 7 hours that took us through the Slovakian countryside to Budapest. The train actually went by so quickly and there was this beautiful rainbow for a part of it. Ali picked us up from the Budapest train station with a bottle of champagne and we headed to her apartment in the Jewish quarter. She had made us dinner, we met her roommates, and we watched the end of the basketball game- Wisco ended up beating Villanova in a game where we were supposed to lose. It was so fun to watch the game and celebrate our win in Budapest. We then pregamed at her apartment, I tried Palinka which was absolutely nasty, and left for a ruin bar called Szimpla Kert. I got a nice craft beer there and ended up smoking a hookah with Ali, Utter, and her Budapest friends. We ended the night at Olive Tree Hummus with some delicious pita, hummus, and vegetables- it was such good hummus.

Sunday, March 19th

We woke up, ate some breakfast at Ali's place, and then left for a day of exploring Budapest. We started first at the Szimpla Kert farmers market. We got to see the ruin bar during the day which was a totally different experience at night. It was so cool how all of the decorations were so random and made this previously bombed building look so beautiful and happy. This goes to show how you can tell Budapest is still recovering from its past history of communism and WW2. We then walked to the Dohany Street Synagogue, which is Europe's largest synagogue, then walked through the Inner City to see the Basilica (this was such a beautiful building) and then we rubbed the Fat Policeman Statue's tummy for good luck. We then crossed the Danube on the Szenchenyi Chain Bridge to go to the Buda Castle. We walked up this big hill and got to see a beautiful panorama of Budapest. We then walked to Fisherman's Bastion and saw Matyas Temple. This was a really beautiful stroll and we got another great view of the city. We also got a cinnamon Kurtoskalacs or Chimney Cake and enjoyed this while looking at the beautiful tile of the Temple. We then walked down the hill, and crossed the Danube again walking to the Parliament building passing the Shoes on the Danube Memorial. This memorial is dedicated to the Jews in Budapest who were killed right before the end of WW2. The Parliament is such a beautiful building and it was such a great day out that we just enjoyed ourselves by the Parliament. We then caught the metro to go to Szenchenyi Thermal Bath- the most famous baths in Budapest. Although it was touristy, it was so fun being able to bath in a traditional bath and hang out with Ali and Utter and just relax. There was also a synchronized swimming competition going on at the same time. We then went back home after this and got ready to go to Drum Cafe for dinner. All 3 of us ordered traditional Hungarian food. I got to try langosh, cheese and mushroom soup, baked cheese pancake with paprika, and hungarian noodles. It was such a heavy dinner but so delicious- however I could not imagine eating this every night. After dinner we went on a night cruise on the Danube and this was my favorite part of Budapest because it is absolutely beautiful at night as all of the important buildings are lit up. They make the most beautiful reflections on the Danube and we just got to chill for 2 hours, drink champagne, and take it all in. It's in these moments where I catch myrself and really appreciate my life. Afterwards, we went to Sweetheart for some v frothy milkshakes, then went to check out another ruin bar called Pont, and a ruin bar/restaurant called Mazel Tov. I tried a Hungarian wine called Petreny Big Band Bikaver wine- which was delicious. I think Hungary has a very low key but sophisticated wine culture. We then ended up heading home and going to bed.

Monday, March 20th

We woke up and went straight to hike up to see the Citadel. This was a really nice hike and once we reached the top, we saw the best view in all of Budapest. It was a great way to start the day, and we also ate a sour cherry and cottage cheese strudel at the top. Afterwards, we hit Central Market Hall to buy some postcards and other goodies, then walked to get some coffee and lunch back at Olive Tree for some hummus and pita. This was a pretty funny experience as it was classic Hungarian customer service- maybe some of the shittiest attention but all you can do is appreciate it. At this point, we went back to Ali's and I packed up my stuff and left for the airport.

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Although Prague and Budapest are both in Eastern Europe, and I could pick up that vibe (stinky men, not the best service, a little bit rougher around the edges) the cities are very different from each other. Prague was more of a fairytale type of place with really similiar architecture throughout the city. My favorite view was from the top of the astronomical clock looking over the city with the Prague Castle in the background. It was absolutely stunning. I mentioned this before but you could tell Budapest is still recovering from its past history- which was pretty cool. It's definitely larger and a little bit dirtier than Prague but I loved it so much- you could tell it was Bohemia especially inside the ruin bars. I would love to go back to Hungary and explore the wine region- I think it would be great as there's not too much attention drawn by it. It was also pretty cool being able to train through the Slovakian countryside. Just another great euro adventure!!