Day Four: Thursday, May 17
At the UN today, I was able to learn of the contributions of the Vienna division of the UN. Upon entering the first building, we were subjected to a security check. After we all passed, we were assigned a tour guide and received temporary badges. We toured the huge circular courtyard full of flags with a large fountain at the center, learning basic facts about the UN in general and specific responsibilities of the UN in Vienna. After this, we went inside to an upper floor containing glass boxes for viewing meetings. Luckily, there was one in progress at the time. We were able to don headsets and select English from a list of several options and listen to the speaker at the meeting. We then toured other areas, such as the IAEA, a central area in which food and general stores were located. Essentially, the UN has everything that employees need, except for a place to sleep. Our next stop was an area containing artifacts from space missions, such as a lunar sample, models of rovers, and a model of the international space station. The experience at the UN was worthwhile, and I'm glad to have learned of the responsibilities of the different branches of the UN, and how the organization allows nations to cooperate in solving issues worldwide.
After our tour of the UN, we boarded the OBB train to Budapest. The ride was relatively uneventful, with the only sights being farm fields for the majority of the trip. However, when we neared the city, aged brick buildings began to pop up that seemed to have an extensive history and personality to them. I thought these buildings were incredibly cool. After arrival, we exited the train into the Budapest-Keleti station. It was built in a unique style with high, arched ceilings and a large, reinforced glass window on the front. We then moved from the station into the heart of Pest to find our hotel.