Pesto, Pesto and more Pesto

Vernazza

Monterosso al mare

Now onto the first weekend in June... I went to Cinque Terre, Italy with Alexa and Maria.  We rented a small apartment with the perfect location in the town called Monterosso.  The five towns are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.  In October this part of Italy experienced extreme flooding and mudslides and 2 of the towns were still recovering from the damages.  We could see houses where half of it was gone and literally the house had just been left with coats and bags hanging by the door.  Also due to damage on the hiking trails between each city, the only trails that were open were from Monterosso to Vernazza and from Manarola to Riomaggiore.  The others were still unsafe to go on.  The hike from Monterosso to Vernazza is quite strenuous and mountainous but with that being said I couldn't have felt more at home.  I quickly found myself wishing that Millie was there and we were just taking one of our normal hikes outdoors.  But I really enjoyed myself and the time I spent here with the other girls.

Manarola

 

Riomaggiore

The hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola is called the Lover's Walk.  It is a lot shorter than the other and is characterized with spray paintings from lovers and locks left from lovers that come and throw the key in the ocean.  The towns were all amazing but my top two favorites were Riomaggiore and Manarola.  Manarola had an amazing restaurant selection and was very beautiful at night.  Even though we couldn't hike to all the cities they still had trains and buses that go frequently to each city so we were able to see all of them.  This region is also famous for it's wine and pesto.  The pesto I had here was the most amazing pesto I have ever tasted... EVER.  To give you an idea between the three of us for the weekend we had: pesto lasagna, pesto ravioli, pesto gnocchi, pesto with trofie noodles and just plain pesto!  I felt like I was floating in pesto by the time I left but it was worth it.  We were also told before we went that the seafood was really good so I splurged a little and got some swordfish and it was delicious.  And what Italy trip isn't complete with some gelatto?  No trip.  So I indulged in Nutella gelatto, coconut gelatto, raspberry gelatto.... it just keeps coming.  Needless to say I can't live in Italy because I would weigh a million pounds.

In Monterosso

Typical... on the Lover's Walk

with my lovers

Lover's walk

in Manarola

in front of Cinque Terre map

If you ever get the chance to go to Italy make sure that this is a stop on your list because it is well worth it, even if you aren't into hiking.  The cities literally hang off cliffs overlooking the water and are all painted very bright and fun colors. It was hard for me to choose which photos to add so make sure you got to the picasa timeline and look at all of them.  A little negative part of our trip was our flight home... womp womp.  It was delayed and I almost missed the soccer game between legends of Real Madrid vs. legends of Manchester United... but I didn't.  Melissa and I met there and even though I was little stressed and rushed it was a great way to end my weekend.  If you can't tell... I'm in love with Europe, especially Madrid.

At Santiago Bernabeu

Since the first weekend of June I have literally been indulging in everything I can in Madrid.  Mom don't kill me but wahhhh I want to come back for another year!!  I couldn't be more in love with Madrid right now.  Today was the first day that one of my friends left for good and it was definitely hard... I miss you Nicki (in my Spanish English accent)  I leave on Wednesday to do a lot more traveling and then I will be home soon.  Who is excited??  Even though I hate to be leaving I'm already making a list of all my favorite things and what I have to do as soon as I arrive!!! See y'all soon!!!

Mallorca= Giant Bachelor Party

Magaluf, Mallorca

All the girls

I know it has been a while and I'm really late in posting this but I have been really busy trying to thoroughly enjoy my time in Madrid since it is slowly dwindling.  Anyways here's my quote to start with... another one of my favorites!

 "You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.  What you'll discover will be wonderful.  What you'll discover is yourself." - Alan Alda

Let's be honest... Hickory, NC (I know it's not much) is definitely my city of comfort and I'm going to just go out there and say I went into the wilderness of my intuition by coming to Madrid..... it was worth it!  I have discovered things about myself and others in my life that were well worth discovering.

Maria, Melissa & I

My View

On to Mallorca.  Don't get me wrong the island of Mallorca is beautiful and the main city Palma is stunning (well worth a visit) but we stayed in nearby Magaluf (aka #1 bachelor and bachelorette party location for all people from the United Kingdom) the beaches were beautiful and we had a great time but it literally felt like we couldn't walk anywhere without a huge group of guys acting like vultures.  I know... it sounds flattering but not when it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend with 7 girls.  But sometimes you just have to roll with the punches and milk it for what it's worth.  During the day we stayed away from our conveniently located hotel filled with large bachelor parties and spent the whole time relaxing on the beach with tropical drinks in our hands (at least the first day)  Needless to say I did get my relaxation and work on my tan for the short weekend I was there.

Magaluf was a lot of fun and I think everyone there  was wanting to have a lot more crazy partying fun than we were so we attempted to keep to ourselves but that didn't really work well.  It was a great trip to learn more about me and the wonderful group of girls that I went with.  I do miss my friends back home but it will definitely be hard to be returning and not seeing some of these girls everyday.  We have our own little "family" here which has been a necessity at times. 

Laura, Me,  Melissa, Alexa & Maria

I could get used to this

We spent our last day before heading back to the airport in the main town of Palma and it was amazing.  There were little stalls set up everywhere selling all kinds of goodies.  The city was kinda shut down since it was a Sunday but it was still nice to see and enjoy.  It was very small in comparison to Madrid but I thought it was beautiful.  Apparently Palma is a playground for the rich which you could definitely see with all the yachts sitting in the harbor.  It had a little Barcelona feel with Las Ramblas but still unique in it's own way.  Mallorca is famous for its pearls so of course we looked around for pearls and did a little sightseeing in the old town.  After this trip the following weekend I went to Italy with Maria and Alexa

The City with an Identity Crisis

View of the Bridge and statue from the Castle

Next stop... Lisbon, Portugal!  This city is great... now I understand why it is one of my brother's favorite cities in Europe!  I do think that it has an identity crisis though.  It has a bridge that is identical to the Golden Gate Bridge, it is a very hilly city, it has cable cars, and an exact replica of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio.  When I first arrived I didn't know where I was because all of these important monuments.  Again the weather was perfect even though it was supposed to rain the whole time.  It is a very tropical city with millions of palm trees and it is the only European capital located so close to the beach!  I was only here for 2 full days so I was a busy little bee trying to see everything.  I think that 3 full days would have been better but you gotta take what you can get right?

daddy?

My first full day I woke up later than usual but I was gone the whole day exploring the city.  I started my day in a nice park... it gave my local park, Retiro, a run for it's money but I still prefer my park!  I stumbled upon a church while waiting for the cable car so I went inside and explored a little bit.  I took a cable car ride from the Bairro Alto down to the Alfama district.   Here I visited the Castelo de Sao Jorge (Saint George Castle) which was well worth the 4 euros I spent.  It is one of the higher points in the city and it overlooks the center and out over the ocean.  You get a great view of the 25th of April bridge (Golden Gate Bridge) and the Christ the Redeemer statue (actually what it is called) and a view of the Vasco de Gama bridge which is the longest bridge in Europe.  The castle also had some beautiful peacocks which would actually let you get pretty close to them.  Outside of the castle I found my next car... daddy?  Then I walked over to the Baixa district and saw the Santa Justa elevator.  Sadly I didn't ride to the top, instead I walked the stairs.  After here I stopped in a plaza and enjoyed a pasteis de nata (an egg yolk custard little pie) and some big fluffy pastry filled with nutella and topped with powdered sugar (i can't remember the name). Yummm!! Afterwards I visited the Sao Roque church which is one of the most boring churches I have ever seen from the outside but pretty much plated in gold on every square inch on the inside.  It was free and breathtaking. 

View of Lisbon from the Castle window

Day 2 started a little further away at the Belem district which is right on the water.  I visited the Jeronimos Monastery which was very pretty on the outside and had some great stained glass windows.  After this I walked over to the Discoveries Monument which was built in memory of Henry the Navigator but as you can see from my photos that there are a lot of people on the monument which include famous explorers such as Vasco de Gama and Magellan.  I climbed the 267 steps to the top which also provided some great views, especially of the monastery and the soccer stadium in Lisbon.  From here I walked along the water front to the Belem Tower and also climbed to the top.  It was built as a fortress to guard the entrance of the harbor.  From here I hopped on a bus and rode over to the very large aqueduct which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and not nearly as impressive as the aqueduct of Segovia.   From here I took a bus to the Solar do Vinho Porto (the Port Wine House) where I did a wine tasting.  Forewarning port wine has a very high alcohol content.  I planned on tasting 4 different ones which quickly turned into 2.  They have everything from reds, aged reds, rose, and whites.  I only tried a 10 year red and a white and I preferred the white.  I must say that I am partial to white wines in general though.  From here I went to the other side of Lisbon and saw the Oceanarium.  I didn't go in but everyone told me I should have.  Apparently it has five tanks: a circular in the  middle and then four surrounding this with four distinct habitats with native species.  Apparently this is one of the first places to have an environment like this.  And apparently the way it is designed makes it look like it is one big tank.  Sounded pretty cool and kinda disappointed that I didn't go.  Then I walked along the water to the Vasco de Gama tower and the Vasco de Gama bridge.  The bridge did look very long but it was kinda boring.  Nothing special.

Discoveries Monument

Belem Tower

This finished up my time in Lisbon.  As you can see I was very busy and running around the whole city.  It was a very beautiful city and I got very lucky with weather.  Most of the buildings are covered in decorated tile and reminded me a lot of Andalusian style.  But it was really pretty and made the city a little bit more aesthetically pleasing.  It is a big party town so if you don't like parties or noise be cautious of where you stay when you go.  If you do like partying they have some great dock bars (thanks to some information from my brother) that are a lot of fun.  I love the beach and palm trees but I think I am a mountain girl at heart.  I'm in Madrid for a little bit and then it's travel travel travel.  I bought my plane ticket today... wouldn't you like to know when I'm coming home... too bad!!! Maybe next time!

Chocolate, Cheese, and Heartache

"On the road again"... I feel like is the soundtrack that should always be on repeat on my ipod because I feel like all I do is travel.  Trust me I actually do work!  Here's my quote for this post... one of my all time favorites! 

"Not all those who wander are lost" -J.R.R. Tolkien

To start with I had another 10 day vacation!  So Melissa and I decided to head to Switzerland!  Which is one of the reasons why I chose this quote.. because I didn't feel lost at all.  I felt right at home in Switzerland.  The people are so warm and welcoming and the country was absolutely beautiful.  We flew into Geneva and then hopped on the train and headed to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn and then over to Zurich. We were expecting horrible weather the whole trip and believe it or not the weather was great.

Geneva

We flew Swiss Air to Geneva which was great.  We got a meal, free alcohol, and free chocolate on a 2 hour flight.  Well worth it.  We spent a day in Geneva, which I must say was plenty.  Switzerland itself is a tiny country so they cities aren't that big so there isn't a lot to see.  We walked around the Old Town and then made our way down to Lake Geneva.  It was disappointing that the day we were there it was too windy for the fountain, that shoots out of the lake, to be on.  Other than that the view is breathtaking.  Completely surrounded by mountains and the water is almost crystal clear.  The mountain tops still had snow on them and everything else was a very lush green! It was actually a very peaceful relaxing day.  The only other thing we did besides this was go and see the United Nations building which was actually pretty cool!  On a different note Melissa and I arrived late on Saturday and all the supermarkets were closed and they are also closed on Sunday (which is pretty much the case anywhere in Europe) so on Sunday our mission was to find a small market that was open to buy food (everything is bloody expensive in Switzerland).  In a desperate grumble from our bellies we quickly stopped in McDonalds (thinking it would be quick and cheap-- which we needed in our search for a market) and I ordered a cheeseburger, fries, and a water and it cost me 12.90 Swiss Francs. For those of you that don't know that is roughly 14 USD.  I almost had a heart attack... How could something that cost me less than 5 USD cost me 14 here.. it wasn't a happy moment for me!

Where the Matterhorn should be :(

On Monday we woke up early and hopped on the train to Zermatt.  We had to switch in Visp and take a special Matterhorn train line up.  The ride was stunning.  We got to ride along the lake with the mountains in the background and even see the Matterhorn from the backside.  As soon as we arrived in Zermatt, whichever forces were working against were now in full force.  Immediately snow/rain clouds came in and completely shadow the Matterhorn.  So we pretty much went for nothing because we didn't even get to see the Matterhorn. Booo... it's pretty much the bane of my existence right now.  Althought that sucked Zermatt is such a sweet town.  No cars and completely overtaken by people to come hike, ski, snowboard, mountain climb, etc.  Definitely on my bucket list to go back.  We slowly got back on the train and made our way to Zurich.  I must say it was a very quite train ride for Melissa and I because we were so disappointed in not seeing the Matterhorn.

View from the tower in Uetliberg

But... Zurich was a sweet surprise.  I would move here in a heartbeat... if it didn't cost me 14 USD for a McDonald's meal that is.  The girl we were staying with lived a little outside of Zurich in a very quaint town that had hiking trails and overlooked Lake Zurich.  The weather was perfect and you have a perfect view of the mountains!  We arrived late so we got to bed and woke up early for a full day in Zurich.  The girl we were staying with was amazing and had some great advice for places to go.  She took us to Uetliberg which completely overlooks the city.  There is a tower you can climb and it was absolutely breath taking.  Her sister actually had her wedding reception at a venue here and I must say that the view was totally worth it.  Destination wedding anyone?  Then we walked around the Old Town of Zurich and hopped on a train/ bus and went to a castle on the outskirts of Zurich.  The scenery was well worth it.  Seeing all the hikers definitely gave me a little heartache and made me wish I was back in Boone.  Made me reminisce and made me realize how much I miss everyone I got to share some of the best days of my life with.  I can't wait to see y'all soon! 

Now on to the chocolate and cheese.... TOTALLY worth it.  They have cheese in Switzerland that can only be produced in Switzerland because it has pretty much been trademarked to that country.  That's how serious they are about their cheese.  I love cheese and I love chocolate and I must say they didn't disappoint.  I might have gained back all of my weight just from eating chocolate and cheese! 

Interlaken

Melissa and I parted ways in Zurich because she had to go back to Madrid and work.  I had a late flight out of Geneva so I spent the day traveling some more across Switzerland.  I stopped in Lucerne, Interlaken, and Burgdorf.  If you are an adrenaline junkie/ love extreme sports then Interlaken is where you need to go.  Also I have never seen as many beautiful flowers like I did in Interlaken.  Sorry Biltmore House but the town of Interlaken puts you to shame (hurts me to say that since it's one of my favorite places) They also have a Hooters in case some of you guys need some more persuading.  Lucerne is a little bit bigger than Interlaken and has quite a bit to see believe it or not.  They have a dying lion statue in memory of Swiss troops who were killed in the French Revolution.  It is carved into the side of a rock formation and is actually really cool to see in person but I must forewarn that tourist specifically Asian were out in full force when I was there and it was really hard to get a good picture.  I went in the middle of the day so maybe if you ever get the chance to go you should visit in the morning. I think it would be more peaceful and enjoyable.  Burgdorf is a tiny town but has some great views.  As soon as I stepped off the train it smelled like the country so I felt right at home.  It's a very laid back town with not much to see.  From Switzerland I kept traveling but you will have to wait to find out where. 

 If you ever get the chance to travel make sure that Switzerland is on the top of your list (and make sure you have a lot of money saved up).  If I come back to Europe I will definitely spend some more time here.  Some of the small towns I went through reminded me of Boone which made it really hard to not hop on a plane and come home then.  Don't get me wrong... I'm having the time of my life and this is the chance of a lifetime but my jitters to come home are really starting to set it.  Not too much longer!  Until next time...

Snowy Easter!

Auschwitz

... Krakow, Poland.  The last stop on my trip before I would head back to Madrid.  Here I am again traveling alone and I think I should first say Poland looks pretty sketch.  I kept to myself so I wouldn't have to find out but needless to say 3 guys were arrested off the train I was on to Krakow.  Not a great first impression.  In it's defense it is a beautiful place.  I arrived late at night and the girl who I was staying with was waiting on me at the train station.  We went to her place where she had cooked me some traditional Polish food.  It was vegetarian and as much as I like meat this was actually really good. 

The gate

Easter Blizzard in Krakow

Easter Market

I woke up early on Easter Sunday and took a short train ride to Auschwitz.  Even though it was closed for the holiday I still wanted to see it and wouldn't be able to go on Monday with what time my flight was leaving.  As soon as I stepped off the train it is just an eerily quite town.  I saw a lot of people but it was just absolutely silent.  When I made it to the gate of Auschwitz I I saw a security guard opening the gate, so I thought here's my chance.  So I took it and thought what's the worst that could happen.  I walked up to him and asked first if he spoke English and when he did I sweetly responded with I know you're not supposed to do this blah blah blah but could you let me in just to see the main gate.  He looked at me and said well I will  have to go with you and I said okay about as quick as he could finish his sentence.  After I said okay I really started to process what was going to happen.  I was going to go into Auschwitz with some Polish man alone and he was going to lock the gate behind us... definitely not the smartest thing I've done but it worked.  I saw the gate, quickly snapped my photos and left.  Although I didn't get to see hardly any of Auschwitz I and none of Auschwitz II it was still intense just being there.  All this means is that I have to make another trip back to get to see everything.  I finally made it back to the train station and after they cancelled 2 trains I finally got on a train bound for Krakow.  Side note: At this point I still do not have any Polish Zloty I only have my debit card and euros.  There was no one at the ticket window so I had to buy my ticket on the train which they don't accept euros or cards so I didn't really know what I was going to do.  Luckily some older man bought my ticket... yeah buddy!  Kinda sketch but he was very nice. 

Wawel Castle

The Park around Old Town

Now that I am back in Krakow it is pretty much a blizzard.  I went to the Main Market Square in Old Town where they had a Easter Market set up.  First off the Old Town is in the center of Krakow and it is completely surrounded by a park.  It was very beautiful and very interesting because I haven't seen a city set up like this before.  I walked just to the edge of the Old Town and saw Wawel Castle and Cathedral and then went back to get out of the cold.  Later on I met up with 2 close friends and we enjoyed some mulled wine in the square.  Interesting thing I tried: we went to a bar called Cheers (has to be good right)  where they had peanut vodka... sounds horrible... best vodka I have ever tasted.  My time in Krakow was short and of all the places I visited I hope that I get to go back and visit it and Auschwitz again.  By the end I couldn't have been more excited to get back to Madrid and sleep for hours! 

Next stop... U.S.A.  See you 6 days.... Mindy I can't believe you are getting married... can't wait to celebrate with everyone!! Until then!

I walked into a Disney Fairytale!

Charles Bridge

... I arrived in Prague! Here I was staying with a nice guy who just returned from India.  I lucked out because he was having friends over and he cooked us all traditional Indian food.  Yumm!!  The first day I attempted to go see things but it was raining cats and dogs so that didn't happen.  I woke up early the second day ready to go only to be welcomed by crappy weather again.  It wasn't exactly raining but it was cloudy and looked foggy as you can see in my pictures.

Statue outside of Kafka museum

Astronomical Clock

First I walked across the Charles Bridge (random fact: Kanye West filmed his music video Diamonds from Sierra Leone in Prague and part of it is on this bridge) from the Lesser Quarter (Mala Strana) to the Old Town Square.  Of course here they have multiple churches and a really neat Astronomical clock.  Also there was a nice Easter market here. The story has it that the architect of the clock had his eyes poked out by the Prague Councillors so that he wouldn't be able to reproduce his work.  Harsh!  Then I walked down to the Estates Theater where Mozart made his premiere with Don Giovanni.  Then I visited Wenceslas Square which is named after Saint Wenceslas (you know the guy from the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas... he was actually just a Saint). 

Municipal House Hall

Then I walked down to the Powder Tower and the Municipal House Hall.  Here is where part of XXX (with Vin Diesel... the part where he is eating lunch with the female spy and then gets shot at from another building across the street) was filmed.  I continued by going to the oldest functioning synagogue in Europe (Old-New Synagogue) and the Kafka Museum.  Since I had to study Kafka in college I really enjoyed the museum but most people go to see the statue in front of the museum.  It is of 2 men using the bathroom.  Their hips swivel and other areas also move to make it seem even more realistic.  Quite strange but yet funny at the same time.  Before it got dark I walked over to see the John Lennon Wall.  It was first painted by young Czechs who wanted to express their opinions which also included the portrait of John Lennon and many Beatles's lyrics.  The day after it was painted authorities painted over it.  Young people came back and painted it again and authorities did the same.  This went on for some time until authorities gave up and now the portrait of John Lennon is long lost under layers and layers of graffiti.  After this I went to Prague castle.

View from the Prague Castle

John Lennon Wall

Peacock at Wallenstein Palace

According to Guinness Book of World Records this is the largest castle in the World.  It was pretty extensive and is well preserved despite many fires.  It is high on a hill so it had some very spectacular views and I would be lying if I didn't immediately think of what it would have been like to be a real princess as soon as I walked in the Castle.  What can I say Disney movies gave me false hopes as a child.  Something really cool inside the Castle was that they painted the family lineage on the walls and ceilings.  Outside of the church at Prague castle I got to catch a glimpse of a Czech rap music video being filmed... quite funny.  Before I went back I walked past Wallenstein Palace and the gardens, which is the Parliament building.  The gardens are beautiful and I even got to catch a glimpse at some regular and white peacocks.  I must say I was quite excited. 

Met some great people in Prague but unfortunately the weather was crap so hopefully at some point I will get to return and see it in a better light.  Then I left Prague only to have to travel almost 10 hours to make it to...

I Fell in Love.... with Budapest

At Gellert Hill

So when I think of a vacation I'm not going to lie Budapest definitely wouldn't have made it to the top 15 of places I wanted to go if I was living in the U.S.A.  But I had heard so many good things about it I figured heck why not give it a try.  Glad I did... truly underrated and one of my favorite places so far... with spectacular views I might add.  Also surprisingly not as sketch as I was expecting. 

View from Gellert Hill

In Budapest I had my best couchsurfing experience.  She was Hungarian and absolutely amazing.  Coincidentally her room mate just happened to be my flight attendant from Brussels South to Budapest.  As soon as I arrived she had a bottle of wine waiting on me and took me for a short walk on the Buda side.  I guess I should explain that Budapest is split in two the Buda side (which is hilly) and the Pest side (which is flat).  It is separated by the Danube River.  She lived on the Buda side so it was a short walk to Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion, Gellert Hill where we stopped and watched the sunset and drank the wine.  What a perfect way to start my time in Budapest.  Being as passionate about wine as I am I must say that Hungary has the best wine I have drank so far.  Sorry Spain and Italy but there is a new favorite.  She cooked me a traditional Hungarian dinner which consisted of sausage, potatoes, cheese and sour cream (they LOVE sour cream in Hungary... apparently they didn't think that we had it in the U.S.A. either).  It was delicious.  She also bought me these traditional candies.  It's like a chocolate bar filled with flavored cream and it has to be refrigerated.  You can see the wrapper on the photostream She bought me two and they have a chance on the wrapper to win more.  I won an additional 3 to the 2 that she bought.  My favorite flavor I think was Black Cherry but I can't read Hungarian so I'm not really sure if that was the flavor.  I'm just guessing from the picture on the wrapper.  Surprisingly almost everything in Hungary is bi-lingual between English and Spanish, especially public transportation which was very helpful. 

The Danube/ Hungarian Parliament from the Margaret Bridge

The next morning I explored some on my own and started with a walk to Margaret Island.  This is an island located in the Danube between Buda and Pest.  It has a large park and great running trails.  Very peaceful and reminded me a lot of Retiro but less crowded.  Then I went to the City Park to see the Vajdahunyad Castle, Hero's Square, and Szechenyi Bath.  I also went to the Budapest Central Synagogue, the Great Market Hall (which had the largest package of salami I had ever seen in my life... it literally went from the floor to the ceiling) that is filled with souvenirs and food and then walked down to the Hungarian Parliament and St. Stephen's Basilica.  I went back where I was greeted with Chicken Paprika (they also LOVE to use Paprika in pretty much everything) which was even better than the first night.  Afterwards she took me to some touristy bars.  They are called the ruin pubs. In a travel magazine one of these pubs is supposed to be ranked the 3rd best bar in the world.  That's a lot to live up to.  It was actually pretty cool.  The story behind the ruin pubs are they were abandoned tenement buildings that were transformed into bars.  They decorated the bars with the left over furniture and knick-knacks that were left behind.  It's very dark and quite eccentric.  The whole building is used for the bar.  They have an open courtyard and they use the different apartments which they turned into bar rooms.  So if you ever find yourself in Budapest you have to check these out.

Outside of the Szecenyi bath

Inside of the bath

My last day in Budapest I was going to meet up with some friends of a friend.  I woke up to a full spread of a Hungarian breakfast and pastries.  Girl after my own heart.  Then I met up with these new friends and we decided we were going to go to the Szechenyi bath.  I don't think we planned on staying there the whole day but we did.  It was extremely relaxing and warm enough for me to sit outside in the outdoor pool all day!  We also spent some time in the mineral baths and saunas.  I'm pretty sure I almost feel asleep at one point.  Afterwards we met at a square and had dinner.  Mine consisted of Hungarian Sausage with Rosemary Potatoes.  Delicious!  When I got back they had an airplane bottle of palinka waiting for me.  This is specific to Hungary and is very strong.  Not the most delicious thing I have ever tasted.  Since it was my last night they decided to take me out again and we went to a different ruin bar.


The next morning I had to leave by 5:30 to make it to my 6:30 bus.  Hopped on the bus and 6 1/2 hours later....