Following the conclusion of E3 study abroad, Alex, Daniel, Spencer, Jake, and I began our “studyless” abroad trip. We started in Venice, then went to Vienna, and now find ourselves leaving Budapest for Amsterdam. Budapest quickly became one of my favorite cities upon arrival! The differences in people, architecture, landscape, and culture between the Buda and Pest sides of the city was very interesting to see. Pest’s historic architecture combined with modern culture has created a city with surprises at every corner. As we approached the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, the first bridge connecting Buda and Pest over the Danube River, we were greeted by a mass of people of all ages and backgrounds sitting along the bridge enjoying the beautiful view. Once we reached the Buda side of the city, everything was different. The landscape was full of hills, mountains, and cliffs that look over
the flat terrain of Pest. We climbed to the top of Fisherman’s Bastion, where we had a vantage point of the entire city on both sides of the river.
Budapest truly is a college kids dream because everything, especially the food, is cheap! Walking through the city, I noticed the astonishing number of unique cafes and restaurants, only to be disrupted by the infrequent and unavoidable McDonald’s. We had to opportunity to try really unique food in between our doner meals. Doners in Budapest are just like any other doner you find in Europe, except they are only $2.50! The hard to pass up doner deal became nearly impossible in this city. I found myself struggling to resist the smells coming from the endless restaurants lining the streets. Though my time in Budapest has come to an end, I hope to someday return to this incredible city that stolen my heart and my stomach.