Budapest

Molly, Rachael, and I arrived in Budapest in the early evening and were greeted by a bustling Eastern European train station. The station had seen its better days and looked more like it was abandoned rather than one of the main stations in a large city. Outside the station the scene was not much better as there were many buildings that didn't look much better. Our first order of business was to find an ATM and get some Hungarian Florents since our Euros would no longer be accepted. After trying various banks whose ATMs were giving us error messages ranging from insufficient funds in account to insufficient funds in machine we finally found one that worked. With an exchange rate of around 300 Florents to 1 Dollar I guess we should have expected a 10,000 note but it was still surprising to see that many zeroes.

After collecting our party money we started off for our Hostel. Budapest has the oldest metro in continental Europe and judging from the scene above ground I was bracing myself for what might be below. To my relief the metro is actually very nice and easy to navigate. While I would say the facilities were typical of many other metros the service was definitely not. Instead of having electronic boxes to check your ticket there were actually 3 or 4 police officers checking the tickets. This system must cut down on people skipping the fair as it is definitely intimidating. From the metro it was just a short walk to the hostel. Along our route the streets were lined with stern looking concrete buildings and old shirtless men hanging out of their windows (a common sight in Budapest). The hostel on the other hand was really really nice! We had a private room with bath that was well maintained and tidy, unlike most of the street scene outside. With this thirty minute adventure our introduction to Budapest was complete and we could tell that everything was going to be a bit different in Budapest.



For dinner we headed out to the main street to find a nice place to eat. As we neared the center, the city began to look much more inviting. The street was lined with big trees and nice shops. All the cafes and restaurants were busy and I could see for the first time why Budapest is such a famous city. We stopped at a modern looking restaurant and got a table outside. For dinner we tried to sample the local fare. I got the traditional Hungarian Goulash, the girls both got fried bread stuffed with chicken and we all washed it down with Hungarian beers. The food was absolutely amazing and as filling as it sounds. We all left thoroughly satisfied and about to pop. We walked off our meal on the way to a bar that the receptionist at the hostel had recommended.

As we neared the bar the neighborhood began to look worse and worse. The streets were not full of people anymore and the nice shops and cafes were replaced by boarded up windows and dumpsters. When we finally came to the address conditions had not improved. There was just a small sign hanging over a dingy door with four guys hanging out in front. We all gave each other the same “What are we doing here?” look and then Molly said “If we walk in like we own the place everything will be fine.” This is exactly what we did and everything was better than fine. The place was enormous and full of the most eclectic collection of furniture, artwork, and lighting I have ever seen. The bar was actually a converted apartment building with most of the walls torn down so it was completely open to the patio in the center. There were large colorful sheets hanging above the patio where the seating ranged from an old car with a table in the middle to a bathtub. It was the perfect place to end the evening and it really encapsulated the feeling of Budapest, a city that is rough on the outside but will amaze you if you give it the chance.