3 countries, 1 week

It's been an incredible week full of adventure, train rides, bad wifi, and good food. When I was sitting the plane, on my way back from Budapest, I realized that I was in three different countries in the past week (Germany, Vienna, and Hungary). It's crazy how easy that is over here in Europe.

Vienna
 Vienna was one of my favorite places I've visited. The rich history and the beautiful city made it such a great place to spend the week. I loved the food, the people, and the architecture. On my Vienna Day, a group of about 7 of us went to the Vienna Zoo, which is the oldest zoo in the world. The zoo had a great exhibit on Arctic animals and the arctic environment. My favorite animal, by far, were the polar bears. I had never gotten to see a polar bear up close, so I was ecstatic to see one. They also had  a great exhibit on penguins and sea lions. We also got to see a couple of panda bears, which was another new animal I have never seen in a zoo. They were very uneventful in the sense that they slept the whole time. Overall, the zoo was a great choice, even though it was a tad bit cold. After we left the zoo, we headed over to the palace, which was really pretty. I would have liked to see the inside but we didn't have time. On the bright side, the sunset provided for great pictures. I would have liked to see little more on the "My Vienna Day", but I was glad I made it over to the zoo.

Budapest
A quick note on Budapest. I was blown away at this city. I was not expecting myself to enjoy the weekend as much as I did. The food was so delicious, the people were interesting (different from western Europeans), and the architecture was amazing. I really enjoyed the walking tour we took around the city, where we learned a lot about the history of Hungary and the city. We also got to spend a few hours at one of the famous baths in the city. Talk about relaxing. It was the perfect end to a day full of walking and sightseeing. The currency difference was a doozy to understand (1 euro= around $270). Fun fact about Budapest (pronounced "Budapesht"), the roots of the Budapest people are the Mongolians. I am so glad I decided to go to Budapest last weekend. One of the highlights of my semester.