Biosciences Bonn: BudaBEST || February 4, 2018

This weekend has been the best yet. On Saturday, we started off with Széchenyi thermal baths--basically just relaxing in a giant hot tub, although we can't forget about the sauna and ice bath combo because that was really great too. Afterward, I got the most delicious pork with potato dumplings ever at a really cute Hungarian restaurant (Highly recommend!! Except I don’t remember the name of it, oops.) and then we took a detour to see a mystery monument that we noticed was only a block away from us. It was not at all what I had in mind, but I'm really glad we decided to see it. Officially titled Memorial for the Victims of German Occupation, it was erected to depict the innocence of Hungary in the Second World War (Hungary symbolized by Archangel Gabriel under a threatening imperial eagle of Germany), but the real meaning to it is the response of the public. To protest the fake claims of the memorial itself, the public created their own version by surrounding it with a collection of photos and personal belongings of those who were persecuted in Hungary during WWII.

After that, we returned to the airbnb and took a little break before we set off for a long, breathtaking (don't sign me up for cardio) night of adventure. We started out by hiking up to the Liberty Statue, which not only was beautiful in and of itself, but also offered an expansive view of the city with the river extending as far as the eye could see to both sides. The climb was long and made especially hard by a "Wanna race?" (which of course I could not deny) as well as a really muddy, possibly dangerous detour to pose with some columns that served as a backdrop to a different statue (Bishop St. Gerard). No one fell, so I'd say it was worth it (although Kate's pants may disagree!) and I really hope to return in the future and experience the view during the day. After we walked back down (to the chorus of Budapest by George Ezra about 50 million times) we went to see Buda Castle. Since it was about 9pm at this point, it was pretty deserted and we got to explore the area and take pictures as freely as we wanted to. It was absolutely magnificent at night so I can only image it looking even more so in the sunlight. Next we walked back down and along the water a ways to the next bridge so that we could see the parliament building head on from across the river (STUNNING by the way). After a photo stop and a shaky crossover (the trams make the bridge vibrate!) to Pest, we saw the parliament building up close along with as a few interesting buildings nearby. One of which really caught my attention because it had metal balls attached to the outside and memorial busts along a corridor. I looked it up after returning home and it turns out that each ball was placed over a bullet hole made in the building during their revolution in 1956. We then headed to get food and I ended up having a really disappointing burger (I miss Five Guys!) before heading back to the airbnb for the night. Some kittens were exploded, imploded, and diffused before the night was over, but we were all pretty exhausted and went to bed soon after we got back.

The next morning I opted to stay at the airbnb for a couple of hours in the morning so that I could work on homework. It's kind of a bummer to need to get work done when there are so many fun, new things surrounding you, but I'm glad I took the time to do so because I still have plenty left to do. Once the others returned from their morning out, we all went to get brunch and honestly that was the best dining experience I've had in all of Europe so far. The waiter was super sweet and attentive and the food was delicious!! Next up was a daunting encounter with the equivalent of 4 flights of Heldenfels stairs (with our luggage!!!) and a tour through Hospital in the Rock, now a museum but previously an underground hospital and warfare shelter through WWII and the time of soviet reign in Hungary. After one last aerial view of Budapest as the sun set, we headed to the airport and I am currently on a flight to Düsseldorf. As much as I love Bonn and Germany, I wish I didn't have to return just yet. Budapest has been my favorite city so far and there is so much left that I wasn't able to see. I also am not looking forward to the homework and test that has been looming over me this last week and I know tonight will be a long night of trying to catch up.

Photo Dump: