It Began in Budapest

I recently purchased a book on my trip to San Francisco called The Finno-Ugrian Vampire by Noemi Szecsi, translated into English from Hungarian. The cover makes it look like some kind of vampire Sex in the City, but I promise it's not. Anyway, it's set in Budapest, with the main character living near City Park, and it got me reminiscing about my time in one of my favorite cities ever.

Castle Hill in Buda

In March of 2011, I traveled alone for the first time, and it all started in Budapest. After a week of driving around England with my uncle, I flew in from London-Luton Airport and, upon arrival, shut myself in a bathroom stall and hyperventilated into the pages of my Lonely Planet book. Eventually, I made it onto a bus into the city and found my hostel without issue. I had rapidly come down with a cold that all the gummy vitamins in Boots couldn't alleviate, so after a walk to Margaret Island and a stroll around a grocery store, I went to sleep at the unthinkable hour of eight. Yes, PM.

There must have been some magic in those gummies, or I'd cured myself with the might of my willpower, because the next day I woke up mostly better and ready for a free walking tour, traditional cafeteria food, getting caught in a sudden downpour, and an obscenely long afternoon nap. That nap was very important, though, because it was St. Patrick's Day, and I was about to learn how to party backpacker-style. So, cheaply. But that works out when you're a lonely sad girl because FREE DRINKS. Though most free drinks come from weird older Italian men.  

I ended up going back to Budapest two months and eleven countries later. Being back where I started my solo traveling adventure, I was able to clearly see how much I had changed how much more confident I was as a traveler. Also, I got to go to Szechenyi Baths, which I hadn't done the first time, if you can believe it. It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. One of the reasons why I hadn't gone in the first place was that I was too insecure to wear a bathing suit, but by the time I returned I was like, "YOLO!" I'm jokingly saying yolo here, people, but also not really. (Funny thing my boyfriend says: "You only yolo once.")

Budapest Highlights:

The aforementioned Szechenyi Baths features pools and saunas with different temperatures, an outdoor bath with a fountain, and pools with currents. The bathhouse is located in the City Park, in the pretty yellow building. Visits to the baths are considered a part of healthcare for Hungarians, and I think the rest of the world should follow their lead in that respect.

One of my favorite things about visiting a new place is going to markets. The Great Market Hall is pretty touristy, with its many little bags of paprika that come with a tiny wooden shovel, but there's lots of fresh produce and Hungarian food, plus mulled wine in the winter. Also a plus in the winter: it's indoors.

Another of my favorite things to do is go to cemeteries, and Kerepesi Cemetery, near Keleti train station, is a real treat. It's big, it's quiet, it has lots of old, overgrown headstones as well as more manicured areas around a few interesting memorials. 

Budapest is also a great city for nightlife and is famous for ruin pubs--bars in run-down spots, like a courtyard, for example. Szimpla is one of the most popular. I got tangled in a plastic sheet while trying to go outside (???).