As you may have read in
my last post I was planning on spending a weekend in Zagreb, Croatia. I was extremely nervous about traveling alone, so the night before...let's just say I didn't make the wisest decisions in preparation for my trip. The next morning I woke up at 7:59am, my bus left at 8. I was a bit disappointed and embarrassed and I knew if I stayed home I would be bitter about missing out on this new adventure. So I spent that morning looking for a new adventure. To make a long story short I ended up in Budapest, Hungary.
I stayed at a hostel three underground stops from the train station and less than a ten minute walk from the Chain Bridge. When I arrived I was still very nervous about being in this city alone and planned on staying in bed all night, luckily I was sharing a room with four awesome Australians who let me tag along as they explored the city.
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| The Chain Bridge |
Here's a (VERY) brief introduction to Budapest. The city is made up of two parts Buda and Pest. Buda is where the parliament is located and Pest is where you'll find the castle. We began that evening walking across the the Chain Bridge to the Buda side of Budapest and along the Danube River towards the Parliament. We were out at the perfect time, we were able to see the beautiful city in day light and as the sunset. It was truly flawless.
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| The Parliament Building |
On my second day in Hungary I traveled with one of the couples from my hostel to Eger, a beautiful town northwest of Budapest. Eger is home to the second largest church in Hungary, pictured below. Another one of Eger's main attractions is The Valley of Women. Here is where you will find dozens of families producing and selling wine. It's a beautiful area with many happily drunk people and a lot of delicious wine.
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| The Cathedral in Eger |
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| A view from the Castle of Eger |
On my final day in Hungary we went to one of the many thermal baths in the city. It was about a thirty minute walk from my hostel but it took us more like two hours to finally get there because there was so much to see between point a and point b. We walked down Andrassy Avenue which lead us to Hero's Square. We then found ourselves in the middle of the city park. There must have been something special happening that day because it was packed. There is so much to see in this park, I probably spent more time there than at the actual baths, but eventually we made it.
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| Szechenyi Baths in Budapest |
I think missing my bus to Zagreb was a blessing in disguise. I could have had an amazing time there as well but my weekend in Hungary was really unforgettable. Everything fell into place and and it was a great experience for my first time traveling alone. I met amazing people and I was lucky to find a hostel in the perfect location for a great price. I was able to learn a lot from the people that I met and I'll be able to use this information during my future travels. I'll talk about my new knowledge in a future post. Until then, safe travels to all of my fellow wanderers out there. Enjoy the ride!
