After the UMass trip to the Black
Forest, I departed soon after to travel and take advantage of the two week
free period after Sprachkurse ends, and before real classes start. On April first I headed by train to Budapest,
Hungary with my friend Matt to meet some other Erasmus students at our
hostel. It was a twelve-hour train ride but
between naps, cards games, and some wine, it went by remarkably quickly.
A quick glimpse of the Alps from the train.
We got off the train at ten at night,
surprisingly refreshed and excited, and we made our way towards the station’s
money exchange to get our hands on some Hungarian Florins. We were intercepted by some locals who tried
to convince us that they could give us more HUFs for our Euro than the current
exchange rate would. It was a tough call
but we decided to stick with the certified currency exchange office. After receiving a few 10,000 and 20,000 HUF
notes we exited the train station feeling like millionaires with monopoly
money. No sooner had we walked to the
curb to hail a cab, than a group of teenagers approached us asking if we wanted
weed or cocaine. We politely declined
and slid into a taxi. The driver looked at
our hostel’s address. He nodded, turned
on the meter, revved the engine and dumped the clutch like a drag racing launch. He slammed into gears as
his radio played the kind of numbing minimalist techno I would only expect to
hear in a former Eastern Bloc country. As
we flew through ridiculously small traffic gaps at the most reckless of speeds
I legitimately thought, “Am I going to die tonight, without even reaching the
hostel?” I quickly erased the thought and placed my faith back in the driver
who I figured knew what he was doing since he was still alive. Finally we reached the hostel and gave the
cabby some cash. Matt and I looked
at each other, gave thanks that we made it and went inside to check in.
Is that Jesus?
We entered the Retox party hostel
and were greeted by a bearded guy named Crusty.
He gave us our keys and some information about the hostel, local sites,
events and the city in general. He also
showed us to our 14-person room and said that the hostel was leaving for a
pub-crawl in 20 minutes. Without
showering, we dropped off our gear and headed downstairs to the bar where we
met our fellow Erasmus friends for a night out.
The next day we decided to go spelunking
and explore the famous caves around Hungary.
I figured it was a great way to get over some slight claustrophobia and
hang out with some friends and meet people from the hostel. After a nice meal at a bistro restaurant, we
headed by bus to our destination and then donned some truly serious caving gear,
complete with thick jumpsuits and helmet lights. Despite almost getting stuck and being
terrified for twenty or so seconds, I managed to wiggle my way through all attempted
tunnels. Also, there was an experienced
guide with the group the whole time and all small holes were optional. There was always an easier, more open way to
get from one place to another, so even if tight spaces aren’t for you, the
caving trip is still definitely worth it during a Budapest visit.
Water break.
A fossilized monster from "Alien".
After spelunking, we went home, showered
and explored the famous ruin bars in the Pest side of the city. The ruin bars are old beat up buildings with
cheap drinks and great outdoor and rooftop areas. One of the most famous ones that we
frequented was Szimpla Kert, which had open courtyards with strings of lights,
exposed pipes and wires, and multiple rooms with different kinds of music. It may sound weird but with the proper
lighting, décor and greenery, it makes for a great experience, which you can’t
get many places else.
For me, the best part of Budapest was the
hundred-year-old, palace-like Széchenyi Baths.
The ornate buildings were beautiful and the outdoor thermal spring baths
were heavenly. I spent six hours there,
relaxing, meeting people from around the world, and just floating around. I hung out with some friends in the indoor
baths and sauna as well, but the best experience was definitely the heated
outdoor pools. By the end of my visit, I
figured I could happily spend every day of my life there, and turn out like the
chubby old local men, unhealthily tanned and playing chess over beers in the
water.
Enjoying the medicinal thermal-spring baths.
We returned from the baths way later than
planned and were told that the boat party along the Danube River was shipping
out soon. After a quick rinse in the
shower we managed to make it out with the hostel crew just in time. Upon boarding the boat we were each given a
bottle of champagne and then we wandered around the decks meeting travelers
from other hostels. It was a beautiful
night for a cruise and we got a spectacular view of the Parliament building,
all lit up. After the cruise a friend
and I went to meet up some people we met at the baths. We hung out at the ruin bars for the night
and had a grand old time.
Drive-by of the Parliament building.
Our last day was one of leisure and
relaxation. I played guitar and sang
outside with some fellow backpackers.
One of my fellow hostel mates got another face tattoo in the parlor
downstairs. We ate kebabs and fast
food. That night we went on a tame pub-crawl
with some hostel friends: a couple of Canadian hockey players playing
professionally in Belgium. We ended up
at a rooftop rave in which my innards were literally tossed around from the
ridiculous amounts of bass. Not nearly
inebriated enough for what was going down there, and having to catch a flight
in the morning, I ducked out and headed back to the hostel.
My next destination was Rome, Italy. I met with some Erasmus friends and we stayed
at another friend’s student apartment where we where generously hosted. Our first touristy destinations were the
ancient forum, and the Coliseum. Our
friends who were studying in Rome were able to act as tour guides for us, and they
gave some history about each site we were seeing. The Coliseum was pretty awesome. We chose not to pay to go through the previously
underground gladiators chambers, but just hanging out and admiring the enormity
of it was good enough.
The Forum
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
I wondered about
how epic it would be to play a sporting event in front of a crowd in the
Coliseum. As long as it didn’t involve
death, I figured I would easily pay to play some type of modern sporting
competition just to be able to say I competed in the Coliseum. This is of course, is made even more
hypothetical considering there currently is no floor above the previously
underground chambers. We then returned
home to shower and regroup.
First view of the Coliseum
Just outside the Coliseum
View of the arena
That night
we went to a club east of the Tiber River from where we were staying. The place was packed but as it happened,
there was an Erasmus party, which allowed for us to enjoy a separate room event
with a better atmosphere. That night, I
was navigating my way home with the help of a friend, when I realized just how
seedy parts of Rome could be. We passed
groups of people smoking and bumping music around burning trash cans at four in
the morning. I was intrigued because this
played out around all of these beautiful buildings and monuments, centuries old, which were just bombed out with tags and graffiti. Graffiti to me isn’t a big deal if it’d done
appropriately, and being in Germany has relaxed my attitude further, where its
even more accepted and often considered an art. However, the ancient arches and aging stone
buildings of Rome would normally be things I would think to be off limits. In the end though, if that’s all people know
and are surrounded by, I suppose if they’re going to tag something they don’t
have many options.
Our next day of sightseeing took us to
the Vatican, which I would say is definitely worth the visit. The amount of detail in such a large area is
mind-blowing. Every inch that isn’t a
decorative pillar, statue, or engraving is covered by detailed paintings of
biblical scenes.
We left, and decided to
walk most of the way back. The walk led
me to believe that pretty much everything in Rome is beautiful and old. Not just that but they have these amazing
trees everywhere that I’ve learned only really exist around the
Mediterranean. The tall thin
Mediterranean cypresses and the towering, umbrella-shaped stone pine trees are
everywhere within the city, and they compliment the old architecture for an
aesthetic that if I saw anywhere, I could only think of as Roman.
The Vatican
Mediterranean cypresses
A stone pine in front of some ruins
We spent that evening with our hosts
making merry with Italian pizza and wine.
We listened to music on their balcony and enjoyed the view of the Tiber
and city. Our hosts were all Americans,
one of who went to college with my friend and travelling companion Matt. We hung out for the rest of the night until
bed.
Kickin' it on the balcony
Our last day in Rome started with an attempted
to find food. We soon found
ourselves in a bit of a spot when we realized every place was closed as shopkeepers took
their siesta. We eventually found a
place and sat for an amazing Italian meal in a tiny restaurant, poking out of
an alley by the Tiber. We got homemade
meatballs, pasta, pig’s lard, cooled red wine and coffee. After our meal we went to view the Trevi
Fountain. The place was swarmed with
people so we took a few photos, each tossed in a coin with a wish, and left
shortly after. We wandered into a nearby
square populated with street various performers. There was piccolo and guitar duo, a
break-dancer, multiple starscape making spray painters, a magician and an
electric violinist. Eventually we had
our fill and went home for some Game of Thrones and a good night’s sleep before
our next flight.
Alley near where we ate lunch.
The Trevi Fountain
Our final spring break destination was sunny
Barcelona. Aside from a 2-hour delay, we
flew over without incident. We landed and
took a pricey cab ride to the Sahara hostel located in a square off of the
famous La Rambla street. After dropping
off our gear we got some food at a small Tapas place. My friends got cold burritos and I got deep
fried balls of mushed chicken and fish, also cold. My hunger allowed me to eat most of them but
none of us were pleased with our meal except for my friend Trevor who wolfed
down most of our leftovers. We checked out the beach but not for long
because the flight delay set us back a bit.
After a nice beachfront meal we went back to the hostel were we hung out
at the bar and shot pool until leaving for the clubs. The hostel gave us wristbands that allowed us
free entry to a beachside club called Opium.
Thank goodness for the wristbands because it was about a 12 Euro cover
charge. Also thank goodness we drank at
the hostel’s bar beforehand because I was charged 8 Euro for a Heineken, which
I nursed for the rest of the night.
Clubs in Barcelona are notoriously expensive and super pretentious. If you don’t have pants, a collared shirt,
and decent shoes, you probably aren’t going to get in. All of this said, the clubs are still
awesome. There’s good music, lots of
dancing, and the dressed up partygoers and fancy atmosphere make you feel like a
celebrity.
The boardwalk from La Rambla del Mar
The next day we decided to spend on the
beach. We crossed La Rambla del Mar
bridge to get some Asian food inside the super mall they had there. It was the only food in the mall that was
affordable but it was still delicious and we had a great view of the
harbor. We stopped at a convenience
store to get some sangria and snacks. I
picked out the cheesiest “España” beach towel I could find for 5 euro and we
staked out a spot in the sun. One thing
about Barcelona is everyone is trying to sell you something all of the
time. It was true in Rome as well, but
not to the same extent. It happens
everywhere, especially the beach. Tons
of people walk up and down the shore selling everything from tapestries and
massages to beer and mojitos. A group of
Americans next to us started buying beer and our area was soon swarmed by an
army of vendors. When it started to get
late we headed out for food and showers.
That evening we made some Australian friends shooting pool in the hostel
bar, and later went out for another outing to the beachside clubs.
For our last day in Barcelona we decided
to check out the Picasso museum, a museum of his artwork made from the old
building in which he used to live. As
students, we were able to get in for free which we had not planned on. The order of rooms followed Picasso’s growth
as a person and an artist. The first few
rooms were his realistic study drawings of people and landscapes as he was a
student. As the rooms went on, his
paintings became more abstract, and by the end of the tour, his old age was
really showing in some of the paintings.
My favorite painting was “Dona amb mantellina” but I wasn’t able to get a photo because photography wasn't really allowed in the museum.
Early Picasso - "First Communion"
Later Picasso - "Dwarf Dancer"
Following the museum we went to take a
gondola lift over the harbor, which was amazing. We got views of the whole city and
harbor. When we got to the hill on the
opposite side of the harbor we continued to trek up attempting to find the
highest point and best view of the city.
At the top of the hill was a park with a fountain, a restaurant, and an
awesome view of Barcelona.
The beach from the gondola lift.
View of the city and La Rambla del Mar
We planned on
relaxing on the restaurant deck but the prices were what you would expect for
having such a view of the city. Instead
we ate at a restaurant in the square where our hostel was. Our last night was another trip to the
beachside clubs, but we made it an early one because of our flight in the
morning. The next morning we took an
early flight and got into Frankfurt by 9am.
There was much sleep to be had back in Heidelberg after such an awesome
vacation. I returned with the intention of visiting at least one of those cities again, if not during my time abroad, then
definitely when I return to Europe.
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