Buda-ful

Wow, so busy last 24 hours. Last night I had a big dinner at the hostel with about 25 other backpackers. Then we went out to a karaoke bar. Everyone from the hostel, which included people from Norway, America, Australia, England, Prague and other places, kept saying "Cheers, Cheers, it's Melissa's birthday!" (They saw my birthday on my passport when I checked in)

So I am in Budapest, on my birthday, at a karaoke bar with a bunch of people I will probably never see again and I have never karaoked before. What do you think happened? That is right my friends, me and my lack of singing ability belted out "I will survive."

I was pretty proud of myself for getting up there too. And who knew that song was such a hit in Budapest? It came on and a bunch of Hugarian girls started screaming and ran up and helped me sing it. These were not girls from the hostel mind you, just random people in the bar. They also pulled me into a circle where we all threw our arms over each other's shoulders and went in a circle with synchronized kicking during the chorus (Like in some big wedding or something). It was one of the funniest expereinces of my life and it made for one hell of a birthday!

So the next day I took my rain jacket (it was a very "tut tut it looks like rain" kinda morning) and bag and headed to Buda. The city of Budapest is actually 2 cities, Buda and Pest and they are split up by the Danube river. My hostel is on the Pest side. So I walked to Buda. Along the way I stopped at St. Stephen's Basilica and the Opera house.

When I reached the Chain Bridge I just stopped in awe. The city is just breath-taking. There is a massive bridge that you walk across and you can see the Royal Palace, the Hungarian Parliment and Fisherman's Bastion. (All of which I went and explored). I took the funicular to the top of Castle Hill and proceeded to make my way around to all of the above listed places (except Parliment, which is on the Pest side, but I went there later in the day).

The views from the top were just amazing. Budapest very quickly became one of my favorite cities. It has the same things as many other cities, churches, parliment buildings, etc. but their buildings have a very unique look. Google Fisherman's Bastion to see what I mean.

I met a Canadian girl named Corrine and we checked out the Hungarian National Gallery and Royal Palace together. Then it started pouring down rain and I found this perfect little cafe and had the most delicious hot chocolate of my life. It was like they just melted a chocolate bar in a cup. The woman who ran the cafe were wonderfully kind and told me to make myself comfortable and stay as long as I liked to stay out of the rain. I curled up with a book in one of the huge arm chairs and relaxed.

I met two woman who were in the army and stationed in Germany who were also in the cafe. They were so gruff and funny. They chatted with me and were just shocked that I was traveling alone in Budapest. They said they would be too scared to ever travel alone. They are in the army! I thought that was so funny, but they were very nice.

So later in the day I explored a cool little park and Parliment and then got dinner. I tried a traditional Hungarian dish with steak tips and potatos. Hungarians apparently cook their meat until it resembles leather, but that's ok, it was cool to try something different. So that was my day. Anyone considering European travel must add Budapest to their itinerary. It is beautiful, the people are friendly, there is so much to do, it is just great!!!

Sorry this is so long everyone, but it was just a very full 24 hours! Tomorrow...the thermal baths and possibly a massage. I can't wait.

Also, thanks for the comments on these blogs guys. It's funny,I have never done a blog before, but when you write this stuff and no one comments you assume no one read it. So it is cool to see all of the comments and get e-mails about them.