Buda and Pest=Budapest! Land of Souvenirs!

So, Budapest is an absolute joy! It has a lot of quirky charm and even more quirky souvenirs- right up my alley. We arrived in Budapest yesterday around 2 pm, dropped our bags off at the hotel, and went right out to Buda. We took the trains and then ANOTHER funicular to the top of Buda where we took cheesy model photos and I bought souvenirs- a cupcake shaped piggy bank, a secret box (I feel like Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory), paprika, and more. It was SO hot up there so we went back to cool off and drop souvenirs off before heading out again.

On our second jaunt, we found McDaniel College- a teeny building in Pest on a rougher side of the town. It had “McDaniel College” etched in stone with a gate around it. So thankful for the opportunity to see the building and even more thankful I decided not to study abroad here alone without Petey. J

We ended up at Octagon Square, a nicer shopping district with a TGI Friday’s. My belly, homesick for American food, had some Jack Daniels chicken strips while Petey indulged in a steak. Nothing like American food to cure homesickness.

We wandered back to our hotel and I was overjoyed with people watching. PDA is all too common here and I can’t stop gaping. To sleep we went so that we could rise with enough time for free hotel breakfast.

So, breakfast at the hotel provides us with THE BEST CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS I HAVE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE! The croissants here are sooooooooooooooooooooooooo soft. Mmmmm. 

After breakfast, we set out for the “Terrorhoza” or the House of Terror Museum. This Museum was the actual headquarters of the Hungarian Nazi Party as well as communist organizations AVO and AVH. It was so frightening to go through this museum. The museum artfully and somberly commemorates these events in Hungarian history. It was sickening, especially, to see the cellar where the torture and executions took place.

After this tour, we needed a little adventure to boost our moods so we found the “Great Market Hall.” AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Tacky Souvenirs! Jaimie, this hall is like the giant flea market in Daytona Beach and I loved every second of it. We bought a wooden, hand-carved mini chess set here as well as some other wooden handcrafted pieces. All shopping puts me in a good mood so this was a delightful way to spend an hour.

This afternoon, we wandered over to Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Monument, dedicated to 14 famous Hungarian leaders. Beautiful photo opportunity, as seen below.

We walked through the rest of the park this afternoon, being lazy and taking photos. A little photo journey is captured for you below. Gabe, take note that Auntie Kate and Uncle Pete found a balloon man for you and took pictures of all the balloons!

Now we rest in the hotel, before we go on an evening stroll by the Parliament building, home of the biggest Parliament in Europe, for the last cheesy photos of Vacation 2012.

Love to all,

Kate and Peter