Dearest Readers,
This past weekend I traveled to Budapest, Hungary! I could write a thousand blogs and never quite manage to capture the experience, but one will have to do for now. I traveled with my roomate and it was by far the easiest but longest travel day I have had for a while. There is no airport in Galway so we took a three hour bus to Dublin to then take our flight to Budapest. Even though they reside in the same country a mere three hours apart, Galway and Dublin were incredibly different. Galway is small, it has this very unique and cozy atmosphere that continues everywhere you go whether it be a cathedral, pub, or just strolling through the streets. Dublin is bustling and alive, it is truly a city that lives up to it’s reputation. We were only there for a few hours before our flight, but I was already exhausted by the sheer size of Dublin. 
I don’t think we slept more than 4 to 5 hours a night the whole weekend we were in Budapest. We stayed at the Vitae Hostel (I was told this meant the Hostel of Life) and I met such a vivacious assortment of people from all around the world. I had never stayed in a hostel before and it felt akin to summer camp in all the most important ways. We slept on bunk beds and had communal showers and kitchen area. I loved it honestly!
On day one we explored the city and I was absolutely blown away by the architecture and the history that was present everywhere you went. Everyone spoke English, and the best pizza I have ever had in my life was on amost every corner you could turn. Thin, crispy, cheezy, I think about that pizza everyday. Sadly I didn’t get any pictures of it! But I did get plenty of shots of gorgeous architecture.
The second day we were in Budapest was by far my favorite, since we visited the two sides of Budapest. I didn’t know this before we traveled there but Budapest’s name comes from the fact that the city has a Pest district (pronounced ‘pesht’) and a Buda district. On this day we first visited a replica of Draculas’s castle in the Pest district. I was blown away by this castle. It was not only immense, but also so charming. There were multiple stands with mulled wine, and chimney cakes lining the castle and the streets. The air smelled like Christmas time with notes of orange, apple, cinnamon, and fresh baked bread. We the visited the Square of Heros which was dozens of statues of heros both real and mythical. There were Hungarian political heroes as well as Greek and Roman.
After a brief lunch we made our way to the Buda district to see the caste. I can confidently say that I never want to see another stair in my life. We climbed stairs for close to 15 minute before we finally reached the castle. The view of the city took my breath away. You could see the ferris wheel at Dracula’s Castle, the Parliament building, even the other side of the city entirely just from how high we were in comparison.
Overall, Budapest was one of the most unique experiences I have ever had. I’m in awe that I was able to go for under 100 USD, and explore such a culturally rich and beautiful city. I loved it, and I can’t wait to have more adventures on this journey of mine.
Until next time!
Abigael LaBuhn