The Spring Break of a Lifetime: Part 2 (Hungary, 2023)

After an 8-hour journey (supposed to be 7, but we’re not in Switzerland anymore and can’t expect perfect timeliness), we arrived in Budapest on Friday night. Naturally, our first stop was the McDonald’s at the train station. The Mickey D’s was surprisingly really nice (and we found out later that it’s one of the nicest McDonald’s in the world), and I got some unique menu items like a Honey Holly (a really yummy sandwich) and spicy McNuggets. After failing to figure out the public transport and taking a Bolt, we got to our Airbnb, which was a spacious and plant-filled apartment next to St Stephen’s Basilica. We watched Clueless (not sure how we decided on this) and fell asleep to Cher’s voice.

The next morning, we got up pretty late and barely got out the door in time for a Saturday brunch at Twentysix. This was a Mediterranean place with an absolutely amazing atmosphere: tons of plants, flowers, high ceilings, and natural light. Great service, beautiful plating, and incredible food that I still think about from time to time (highly HIGHLY recommend the chicken and squash dish). I was ready to go back to bed, but instead, we walked to the Danube River (the same one in Vienna and Bratislava!) to see the famous Shoes on the Danube Bank installation. There were tons of metal shoes put askew on the riverbank to commemorate the millions of Hungarian Jews who were killed in the Second World War. I remember hearing that most arrivals at Auschwitz were Hungarian, so it clicked that this country must have faced tremendous hardship during and after the war. Walking along the river, we then headed to the Hungarian Parliament building. It was so big and grand that we couldn’t figure out which side was the front, so we just circled the building. On the way, we visited a small underground (and free) exhibit on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the resultant massacre. I remember learning about this in AP World History, so it was very interesting to see the site of the event firsthand. I didn’t realize the magnitude and ferocity of the massacre, and it was a little scary to think about what happened in that square less than 70 years ago.

We tried to take a tour, but they were sold out (there was a weird system that meant they didn’t take reservations, but we never figured it out), so we took our L and Bolt’d to Buda Castle. The castle had gorgeous spires, flowers, and even had a small village attached to it, complete with restaurants and cafés. The view of the city and Parliament building was spectacular, but the top of the lookout, called Fisherman’s Bastion, cost 2€/person during the day. It’s free at night, so we made a pact to return at night. We stopped at a little café in the castle district before setting off for the Budapest History Museum. The museum was pretty cheap and provided lots of good insight into the rich history of the city and country. It was really cool to read about how various statues were 800+ years old and how recorded history in this region dates back a millennium, but a lot of it also felt like an info dump. We also got lost and ended up in a bunch of random rooms, and combined with our exhaustion, the museum turned into a labyrinth.

Finally, we found the exited and funicular’d down for the low low price of 8€ (for reference, twice the cost of the Bolt). We had high expectations, but, as it turns out, the funicular took about 1 minute and felt the exact same as the free Polybahn in Zürich. It was maybe worth 1-2€ to save the 10 flights of stairs down, but we’d been Tourist Trapped!

By this point, it was about 5:30PM, and some may argue it was too late for a nap. Incorrect! It is never too late for a nap! So, most of us (maybe all of us?) promptly fell asleep for an hour or 2. After being awoken approximately 10 hours too soon, it was time to get ready and grab dinner at Pad Thai Wok Bar. It was REALLY delicious and tasted like Thai food in the US. Also, it was super spicy, which is sometimes hard to find in Europe. It was here that we met up with Harsh, who was also trekking Eastern Europe at the time, albeit in a different order. Together, we set out for the Budapest Boat Party.

We got there early and there was a supposed pregame event, but we weren’t sure if it exists, so instead we chilled at a nearby bar until the doors opened at around 9:30 PM. Once everyone was onboard the yacht, we set off for a round trip on the Danube. The inside of the boat felt a lot like an American frat party, complete with 2000s pop hits and teenagers in hoodies serving warm drinks behind a tiny bar. The deck of the boat was much nicer and treated us to some amazing views of the golden-lit Parliament building against the backdrop of the city. We took lots of pictures, especially since we all dressed up (big shoutout to Josh who was rocking his “I love studying” hoodie from the ETH bookstore). Eventually, we got split up, and I made friends with these really nice people from France (but not Paris, they were adamant about that).

Around midnight, we arrived back at our starting point, we got reunited (except Harsh, who decided to head out), and hopped on a bus to the afterparty at Morrison’s 2. The bus was SUPER rocky and I remember holding onto the poles for dear life. Morrison 2 was pretty dull (maybe because it was early?) and also filled with a bunch of indoor smokers, so our group soon Bolt’d to Instant-Fogas Complex, another nightclub. This one had multiple floors and multiple rooms on each floor (each with a different music genre) with identical-looking bars and coat checks at every corner. Needless to say, I got L O S T but also had fun wandering around the complex. As the night grew on, we all coalesced into a room with a flying pig and stayed there until it was time to go. By the grace of god, I found my jacket, and we Bolt’d home and promptly fell asleep.

It’s no surprise that the next morning, we woke up EXTREMELY late. I’m talking 1 PM type of late. We somehow put ourselves together and end up at New York Café for a nice Sunday brunch. There was a huge line, but we paid a 5€ fee to skip the line and get a table (not sure why others didn’t do it, it seemed like a no-brainer). The ambiance was gorgeous and it was like sitting in an ornate palace made of gold. The prices reflected that, so we each got some ice cream sundaes (which were super delicious) and just soaked in the atmosphere. Once we left, we immediately looked for a proper lunch spot and found a pizza and pasta spot nearby called Etna Pasta Pizza To go. Despite appearances (small, served pasta in those Chinse to-go boxes), the food was mouth-wateringly good. I had the best penne arrabbiata of my entire life: spicy, garlicky, rich, and with al dente noodles. I wasn’t hungry at all, but I worked hard to make sure I finish at least 90% of the pasta because I had gold in my hand and I wasn’t letting it go to waste.

Since Bolt’ing was cheaper than public transport, we hopped in one towards Vajdahunyad Castle to try to burn off some of that pasta and ice cream. This castle was beautiful in a completely different way: it felt like a beautiful park, with some castle spires providing a beautiful interruption to the flowering plants and trees. It was truly relaxing, complete with a hot air balloon in the background. As we strolled around the castle grounds and surrounding greenspace, we ended up exploring the Szechenyi Thermal Bath. Logistically, it didn’t make sense to go into the bathhouse (plus, what is a bathhouse besides a lukewarm public path). Instead, we soaked in (pun intended) the murals and sculptures in the lobby and left to walk around Holnemvolt Park (Once Upon a Time Park). Again, we didn’t go inside since it was part of the zoo and cost money, but we explored the outside before walking to the nearby Heroes Square.

This famous monument consists of sculptures adorning huge pillars to honor the Seven chieftains of the Magyars and other Hungarian national leaders. The pillars towered over everything in sight, and it was even visible from the river the previous night!

It was time to head back, but we had a couple options. The girls opted to take the subway system, but Josh and I were feeling extra adventurous today and decided to bike back. To use the bikes, we had to download this half-functional app on Hungarian cellular data, but after finally downloading, creating an account, and figuring out the app, we hopped on. The bike back was a quick 10-minute relaxing ride through the city, all in dedicated bike lanes. And by relaxing, I mean getting yelled at by a pedestrian and honked at by a driver (to be honest, both were justified though). We made it to St. Stephan’s Basilica, but it had already closed and we met up with the girls at the nearby California Coffee Company. It was just before sunset and the golden sunbeams illuminated the Basilica in brilliant oranges and yellows. It was a sight to behold and I can still see it clearly in my mind.

We grabbed some macarons at the famous Chez Dodo and got 1 of every single flavor, including some unique but delicious ones like strawberry basil (3 of us were splitting it, so we took a 1/3 bite out of each macron to make sure we all get a sample). Remembering our promise to return to Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion, we bolted and Bolt’d there to catch the end of the sunset and the beginning of dusk. Seeing the Parliament Building transform from being sunlit in orange to a dull yellow to being brightly lit by its lights was amazing to see. As a side note, these overlooks were PACKED with tourists.

For dinner, we were recommended Taj Mahal for Indian food, and it was a pretty easy sell to convince the non-Indians in the group. The food was delicious, especially the kofta and the spicy bhel. Being in Budapest, we had to check out one of their world-renowned Ruin Bars, so that’s exactly what we did. These Ruin bars take abandoned buildings, revamp them while keeping the rundown, grunge aesthetic, and turn them into a bar or a nightclub. Once again, the girls Bolt’d, and Josh and I used the bikes. Since we spent 20 minutes figuring out the app, may as well get another use out of it! We biked to Szimpla Kert (costing us <1$), the city’s first Ruin bar. The bar was gorgeous, complete with walls that were falling apart but also adorned with lots of greenery and neon lights.

We entered one of the many side rooms and got some Hungarian wine (also quite famous). I thought it was crazy smart and also a little funny how some developer probably saw a decrepit building and thought, “We could make this into an aesthetic and save $2M on renovations!” After strolling around and running into some of Tashya’s UT friends, we walked home through the Jewish quarter.

The next morning, we packed up our things, said goodbye to our spacious and leafy AirBnb, and Bolt’d to Kelenfoeld (another train station). This station ended up being much smaller than the one we arrived at, Nyugati, and we struggled to find a luggage storage spot. After a fruitless search at both the station and the nearby mall (which was closed), we decided to take the L and lugged all our belongings onto a train to Central Market Hall. As fate would have it, the Hall was also closed! Everyone was growing frustrated, so we decided to split up for lunch and reunite before it was time to leave. After a weekend of Thai, Indian, and Italian food, I really wanted to have some traditional Hungarian cuisine. So, I waited in line at For Sale Pub, but the line moved approximately 2 inches in 20 minutes. Realizing I was growing hungrier by the second, I decided to split off and visit a nearby restaurant, Paprika Jancsi, to get my long-awaited Chicken Paprikash. Unfortunately, as with most Eastern European dishes, it was good but nothing to write home about (although, I guess I’m writing home as we speak). Afterward, I wandered around until I hit the river and then strolled back while on a little phone date with Valeria (remember her from Andermatt?). To get some local currency, I tried to use an ATM but it had some obscene fees, so instead I asked a local gift shop for some change, and to my surprise, the lady was incredibly helpful. She gave me 1 of each denomination and was excited to have some Hungarian representation in my coin collection.

We soon gathered at this boba shop (yes, I did get some boba), and we all headed to Kelenfoeld. Before I knew it, we had departed for Zagreb and our weekend in Budapest came to a close.

Takeaways

• Budapest is a metropolitan city that reminded me of New York: diverse and delicious food, a heavy emphasis on nightlife, and grand architecture, but also a little dirty and hectic
• Buda Castle and the Parliament Building offer some of the best views of the city (and of each other!), especially at sunset and at night
• If you’re missing American frat parties (or want a taste of one), check out Budapest Boat Party! It’ll make you feel right at home
• The nightlife is truly one-of-a-kind, from labyrinthian nightclubs to bars in abandoned buildings that they’ve re-branded to be cool and edgy

Rose-Bud-Thorn

Rose (what went well): I’m going to have 2 roses! The food was absolutely AMAZING, from Twentysix to Pad Thai Wok Bar to Etna Pasta Pizza To go to Taj Mahal. Second, the lit-up architecture was beautiful, from the Parliament Building to biking along the golden St. Stephan’s Basilica
Bud (what was good but could be improved on): The nightlife was fun, but it would have been more fun with a bigger group and when we were less tired from exploring. I’ve found that with a full day of travel, going out at night is very hard to pull off successfully.
Thorn (what did not go well): Because of our tiredness from Prague and especially from the Boat Party night, we slept in a lot and missed prime times to check out some touristy spots without lines (e.g. touring the Parliament building, for which you need to be there early). Sleeping ended up being a good investment since we still had a week left of our trip.