Budapest Bound!

After a long journey and much anticipation, our adventure in Budapest has finally begun. Most of our group arrived on Saturday, and spent most of the day adjusting and getting settled in. After a relaxing morning, we headed out for a tour of the city. We were all very excited to experience Hungary's rich and sometimes devastating history firsthand. We started at Matthias Church, the Gothic-style church named after King Corvinus Matthias. Surrounding the church were all sorts of amazing statues and structures, including the Fisherman's Bastion and a statue of Saint Stephen I, Hungary's first and most popular king. There were some absolutely gorgeous views from the terraces of Matthias Church. It looked down upon the Danube river, Paliament and the expansive view of the Pest side of the city. For those of you who don't know, Budapest was split into two different cities, with the west-bank of the Danube named Buda and the east-bank named Pest. These two sides were unified in 1873, but people still refer to them as "the Buda side" and "the Pest side". 

Saint Stephen I

Matthias Church

GT group in front of the Holy Trinity Column

View of Parliament

After we finished up on the Buda side, we jumped on a bus headed toward the Pest side. We started in the Jewish Quarters, learning how severely Hungary was impacted by the Holocaust. It was obvious how much emotion there was behind our Hungarian tour guides voice, but she was so hopeful and proud of where her country has come from and where it is going, which is starting to seem like a common theme among Hungarians. 

Next, we continued to Heroes' Square, where the Millennium Memorial stands along with statues of the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary. It was a really exciting experience to be surrounded by so much history. 

Millennium Memorial

Heroes' Square

After hours of walking around the city, we were definitely in need of a short break. We stopped at this pleasant little cafe to get off of our feet for a few minutes, and more importantly, to get dessert. After our delicious break, we walked around downtown a little longer, then made our way back to our new home for the next six weeks. If our first day is any indication of how the rest of the trip will go, then we a surely in for the trip of a lifetime! 

The group with the "Statue of Anonymous"

Everyone at the cafe

Opera House

More posts to come soon! Enjoy!

Posted By: Jordan