Day Six: Saturday, May 19

Today I explored the Buda side of Budapest with Logan and Victoria, covering over 10 miles on foot. We explored castles, churches, and shops, in addition to seeing statues, monuments, and other landmarks. We crossed the Szechenyi bridge, and were able to see the monument to Jews consisting of shoes along the riverbank. We ate fantastic Hungarian goulash, and were able to see a multitude of Hungarian foods in outdoor stands. Today we packed as much activity into the last bit of time we had remaining in Budapest before having to board our train. Overall, the feel of Buda was very different than that of Pest. The buildings were nicer, it was more clean, smoking was less prevalent, and the types of people wandering the streets were of different ethnicities than in Pest. Also, the concentration of tourists was much greater than in Pest. The feel of Buda was more similar to that of Vienna, although the Hungarian culture was definitely still present. Touring this area was interesting, because we were able to experience a mix of outdoors and indoors, in addition to a mix of terrain that was uphill, downhill, and flat. These aspects are not present in the terrain of Vienna. Of all the experiences I had in Budapest, the bath house was my favorite. I had never been in a place like that, and the time spent with new friends was great. Once we returned to Vienna from Budapest, I had dinner with Logan and Victoria in our host family’s neighborhood and settled in for a quiet night.