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.