Yes, I suck at blogging, but it's not just me being lazy. Let's just say my first night in Budapest was a little wild. A little too wild. Wild enough to put me in a funk that lasted a couple days that turned into about 10 days. Believe me these 10 days weren't bad, in fact they were an adventure.
And nothing would be an adventure without the friends I've made here. So first things first, the people. Mish is my roommate, my travel guide, and my pseudo-mother. She makes sure I do what needs to be done before I think of doing it and I know she will kick my butt this quarter. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if I get better grades this quarter than I did last quarter. Then there's Kate, her roommates, Jose and the boys, Mish's friend Joel, people from all across the country that we randomly meet in class, restaurants, and in bars that have made the beginning of this trip very memorable. Some of them were temporary roommates that I was sad to see leave, others I was happy to see go. They are new found friends that I never thought I would get along with. They are what's going to make this trip and I cannot wait to experience everything with them.
So after that first horrendous night, which we won't go into details about, we went to the Gellert Baths. The baths in Budapest are traditional Turkish baths that the people here visit for their medicinal waters. The Gellert Baths, which are the most expensive, are also said to be the most beautiful. Mosaic tiles, murals on the walls, lion head fountains. It's the equivalent of bathing in a gorgeous church or cathedral. Not to mention they were the most relaxing experience I had ever had. The steamroom was especially intense, but the ice bath afterward just wakes up your skin. Apparently the Finnish do the rotation of the thermal baths, steamroom, then the ice bath three times or more. We only had time for two rounds but I plan on going back around finals time for a destresser and I plan on doing all three rounds. Perhaps I'll even do them completely naked like most of Hungarians do. I think it's amazing that they are so completely comfortable with their bodies or at least that its so engraved in tradition that it's just normal. I'll think about it. It would be incredibly freeing to say the least.
A few days in Budapest and we were off to Vienna. We made the mistake of not packing the night before and having a really early bus ride so I packed terribly and Kate forgot her passport so we ended up running the streets of Budapest trying to hail a cab after running back. Looking back it was hilarious. The cab driver was insane, but it was an adrenaline rush. Vienna was more beautiful that Budapest. I know it's a tiny bit of blasphemy since I'm living here, but it was cleaner and everyone was dressed better. It was like watching a constant stream of models. On the way back we almost died. The back tire of our bus blew out and if the semi next to us hadn't been smart enough to slow down we would've smashed into it. I just remember hearing a loud pop, a drop, and holding onto my armrest for dear life. We survived though and after about 40 minutes a new bus arrived and drove us back. Overall a good side trip. Mish and I plan on going back again perhaps to Salzburg or to another place her mother suggested.
Back at home, Mish, Joel, and I made a few family dinners which were adorable, chilled in the cafes to get internet (Which we still don't have. Grrr!), and just had a good time. We all went on a bus tour that showed us all the tourist spots and since it was an excellent weather day it was very nice that we rode on the top level of the open bus. The Danube is the prettiest to me. It separates the flat Pest side and the hilly Buda side and with all its bridges at night the city lights up and it is breathtaking. I promise to show you soon. We take most of our pics on Mish's really nice SLR camera so she's setting up a photobucket so I can share it.
Things are finally settling down and we have started classes. It was a little overwhelming for me since it's an international school and I went in alone. I walked in and not only is it crowded, but five different languages are coming at me and none of them are English. Looking at the bright side though I like all my professors and I'm meeting a lot of new kids. So far so good and I think it's going to be an easy quarter. I mean out of four of my classes two don't have midterms. Plus one of the classes I signed up for was supposedly too easy for DePaul students to take, but I got permission to take it anyway. I'm pumped.
So anyway that's the past 10 days in a nutshell and I'll make sure to blog more often. Hopefully we head to Bratislava and Germany soon. Ttyl! Enjoy!
