Prague & Budapest: A Tale of Two Cities

Hi y’all! (Don’t think I can pull that off, but I need a little American slang after so many European languages). Get ready for one heck of a novel, cause I have loooots to talk about! 

Last week we finished our excursion with a visit to Prague. Oh, Prague. Beautiful city, it really is. Charming in every way, with little antique shops and coffee shops and churches with men who play their trumpet every hour. Darling. We spent Wednesday walking around Prague for a little while, and then heading out to an opera for the night. There were 5 girls in our “apartment,” which really should have been called “three rooms pushed together,” so you know all of us getting ready in front of one mirror was an interesting sight. And of course, I thought I’d be a little bored during the opera, so I cozied up to a bottle of wine before and four glasses of champagne during the intermissions. Hey, that’s why they offer it right? To make their performance more entertaining? Well, in any case, I was entertained plenty, even though it was all in Italian. Apparently, on account of my drunkenness, I missed the nudity in the second scene. I was obviously disappointed. After the opera we made our way back to the hotel with the intentions of going out. Everyone else might have gone out, but my bed looked way too comfortable and I passed out before midnight. 

The second day in Prague was more eventful. We had a tour around the city with a guide named Ladi. He was interesting and showed us famous parts of the city like the Charles Bridge and the castle that the head of state resides in. We even got the MOST beautiful view of the city at the top of a hill. After walking around in the cold weather, we all needed a break and thankfully we found a café where I tasted the best hot chocolate of my life. After our tour, we had a few hours of free time, and since the hotel had a gym…. Yep, you guess it. I went and worked out. Haven’t lifted weights in a month and let me tell you, I could barely move the next day. That night we had a “farewell dinner” at a traditional Czech restaurant and since our coordinator was buying, I got the most expensive thing on the menu: steak. It was d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s.! Pleased with dinner and ready for the night, we went back to the hotel and got ready for another night that I was DETERMINED to actually make it out for. Our group of about 15 people had gotten pretty far away from the hotel but without a particular destination, most of our group headed back to the hotel to go to the same bar they had been the night before. However, about 5 of us decided we’d already walked so far, we would just go to where we thought the clubs were and Czech it out (see what I did there?)  :) anyways, we finally made it to the five-story club we’d heard about, and spent the rest of the night dancing. The club was a blast and I was even approached by two guys who said they were police officers (super comforting) who asked me, “Would you like to have fun with two guys tonight?” “Umm… no thanks,” I replied, and walked off. Good to know that there are some wonderful police officers in Prague.
  

The next morning was kind of brutal since I slept for only a few hours, but we made it out of the hotel and I was ready to go to Budapest. The other nine people that were going to Budapest went by plane, but I have a Eurail pass so I took the train. Let me tell you what an adventure that was. I took the bus the wrong way in my attempt to get to the train station, but I quickly realized my mistake and got on the right one. So proud of myself for getting to the train station by myself, I got on the train and was ready to go. That is, until I had some problems in Slovakia. I didn’t even know the train was passing through Slovakia on our way to Hungary, and I had even asked one of the people at the train station if I would be okay using my Eurail pass. Yes, she said, no problem. Welp, that’s not what the guy on the train said. He checked my pass in Slovakia and told me that the Eurail is not valid in his country and that I’d have to pay $19 euro or get off the train. I told him I had absolutely no cash on me since I got rid of my Czech money and hadn’t gotten Hungarian money yet. I pleaded with him to let me stay on the train since the next one to Budapest would be hours away, and finally he took my address and let me stay on.

Once I got to Budapest, it was late and I was kind of freaked out about being by myself. This cab driver on the platform greeted me and helped me with my bag, took me to a bank so I could get money, and took me to the hostel that I told him to take me to. He totally ripped me off, I paid $30 for a cab ride that should have cost less than $10. Sweet. Whatever, I was just glad to be at the hostel. I dragged my 50+ pound bag up 5 flights of stairs (no elevators), only to find out that I was at the wrong Carpe Noctem. Oh really? Yes, really. Freaking out, I called five of my friends, and none answered their phones. The guys at the first hostel were really nice though – they gave me the address for the right hostel, called me a cab, and I was on my way. The next cab driver dropped me off on a street that didn’t look right and drove off. I was in front of a sex shop, among other random stores, with no signs of a hostel anywhere. All alone, with my five bags, in Budapest, at night, in the rain, I did what any girl would do – I started crying. Finally I saw an obscure sign that indicated I was at the right place. And at least this one had an elevator. I got to the top floor of a pretty rinky-dink building and was overwhelmed with relief when I found all my friends at this hostel. I put my bags down, caught my breath, ate the plate of food I was handed, and calmed down for a while. I did have to admit that the hostel we were staying at was pretty cool; it’s a party hostel so every night the people that work there take you out and show you a good time. They even give you a wristband with the address of the hostel and a key that goes around the wrist as well to “make everything as drunk-proof as possible.” Hey, works for me.

Then I was told we were all going to a pub-crawl and I had to be ready in 30 minutes. And just in case I thought 5 girls getting ready in front of one mirror was bad, try 10 people getting ready in front of one mirror. While it was nice that all 10 of us in the group were staying in the same room, getting ready was an interesting task. Finally relaxed and ready for a night out, some Belgian guys asked me if I would like to join them drinking. “HELL YES,” was my only reply. We drank a little and went out on the town. We visited multiple bars; I of course got a little tipsy (which I desperately needed after my day) and had a good first night out in Budapest.

 The next morning I woke up early, went for a run, had breakfast and showered all before anyone else had gotten out of bed. I felt productive. Then the 10 of us went out for a little exploring in the city. Budapest is actually two cities “Buda” and “Pest” and we were on the Pest side. We crossed the bridge to the more historical Buda side and had an adventure visiting different sites and taking lots of pictures. It was nice to finally be able to walk around a city without a tour guide and hearing “And this building here was built in the twelfth century…”

 Our second and last night in Budapest was definitely one to remember. We went to a rave in a bathhouse called “Cinetrip.” None of us even knew it was going on that weekend, but apparently we picked a good time to go because it’s a pretty big deal. Since us girls hadn’t brought bathing suits, we improvised with some leggings and bras and got ready for a wild night. I can just say that I’ve never seen anything so insane in my life. There were two major pools that were both dark; one was lit up by disco lights and was the kind of rave scene you would expect, and the other one was warmer, more relaxed with sensual music and a calm atmosphere. This bath was called the “Turkish bath” and since it was nice and warm, I spent most of the time in that one. There were also multiple bars and dance floors spread across the bathhouse – everything we needed to have a good time. Halfway into the night there was a belly-dancing show in the Turkish bath which was mesmerizing (yes, even though I’m a girl). At about one or so in the morning, a friend and I decided to take a cab and head back since we had gotten pretty tired. I made it back and passed out, and let me tell you, there was definitely no running the next morning.

The next day was really relaxed; we got food and mostly chilled and recuperated from the night before. I was a little bummed to pack up my things and head home since we had such a good time together, but I was also very excited to go back to Bonn. Being in Eastern Europe made me realize how thankful I am to be studying in Germany. It just feels like the States, at least more than any other place.

I made it to the train station alone, and this time with a more reasonable cab fare. I made a silent vow to never travel alone again. After some confusion and frustration, I found the train I was supposed to be on, and was relieved to be heading home. Switched trains in Austria and took a 10-hour night train home to Bonn. With the help of a few Tylenol p.m., I was able to sleep pretty decently on the train. I got back at about 9 in the morning, and had German class at 10:15. Another silent vow to never come home that late again.

And now, it’s back to reality here in Germany. I’m happy to be home but not so happy about a business test I have to take on Thursday. I guess it can’t always be parties and traveling. I’m currently in a theology class and I haven’t listened to a word the professor has spoken for the last hour and a half. Cheers to that? Alright.

Peace out loved ones, miss you all!