Solo Act 1

The air is full of excitement and anticipation… it’s the night I’m leaving to Budapest, Hungary. The crown jewel of Eastern Europe. I grip my passport tightly in my hand, pulling my coffee and cream colored trunk suitcase behind me. I arrive at the airport, look up at the board listing destinations everywhere from Cairo to Paris to Tokyo. I spot the gate number for Budapest and hurry along to board my flight to a destination full of mystery and romantic allure.

Day 1

It is about 6:30pm as I enter the city, wrapped in the golden light of sunset, I gaze around at the people closing up their shops and markets to go home for the evening, and what really catches my eye is the grand Eastern European architecture. Unlike most of Europe's architecture, the buildings in this Pest section of Budapest seem quite dark, yet mysterious and beautiful, the whole city looks like the backdrop of an opera.

At last, I turned down a small cobbled stone street and pulled up next to an apartment building. As I exit the cab, the first thing I notice is how happy everyone is. You can hear good friends chatting and laughing at a nearby pub, or a mother and her children returning home from the playground across the road. I swiftly check in and enter the old fashioned building. Hungary was under communist rule until the 1980s.

Stepping through the oak paneled doors is like a breath of time travel back to old soviet rule. The inside of the apartment complex is exquisite in architecture, yet it looks sad. I cannot put into words how it feels. You just know you are stepping back into the past.

The grand mosaic floors are cracked, the ancient fountain is dry, and the tall intricately decorated windows are boarded up to keep out the sun. There is a long grand spiral staircase which leads to the upper floors, but because I have some luggage, I decide to opt for the lift instead. The lift is tiny and looks like something from the 1800s. At first, I can’t figure out how to even open it until a little old man who only speaks Hungarian comes into the building, chuckles, and opens it for me, explaining the directions in wonderful Hungarian detail (even though I understand nothing) so I just smile and nod politely.

I eventually make it up to the apartment. There is a lovely twisted iron fence surrounding the complex, and a half dead garden in the courtyard below which reminds me of something out of a Pushkin novel. I fidget with the lock and open the door to my apartment.

As I step inside I am stunned. It is absolutely elaborately done, complete with a chandelier, a beautifully furnished bedroom, bathroom and a wash bin made of aged stone, finishing off with grand windows reaching to the ceiling, draped in velvet curtains. It is almost like a mini palace and incredibly affordable. The American dollar definitely stretches far in Eastern Europe.

After settling in, I decide to go for a walk to the market to get familiar with my surroundings and to pick up some dinner.

I first change out of my nasty airplane clothes, take a quick shower, and then head out to explore a little of the city after dark. I made my way to a little corner grocery store, where everything is labeled and packaged in Hungarian, so unless it is a loaf of bread, you really didn't know what you are buying, hence, it becomes a kind of a guessing game. I manage to find some cheese, pasta, fruits, and something I think is cereal and take it all back to my apartment to prepare my first luxury meal for the price of only a few dollars.

Once I am finished, I turn out the lights of my room, open the shutters to my window and peer out over the city lights. I then slip under the covers, falling asleep to the sound of people's laughter and the cool night breeze blowing across the room, dreaming of what surprises tomorrow will bring.

Day 2

I decide to wake up bright and early for my first morning in Budapest. As my alarm sounds at 6:30am, I somehow manage to roll out of bed (usually only the thought of a warm breakfast can get me out of bed) however, I am so excited to start my first full day. I have never been to Budapest, or even Eastern Europe before so I am going to be playing the part of quite a tourist here.

As a college student, I decide it will be more fun to save money and make my own sack lunches with goods I had bought from the Hungarian grocery store the night before. I decide to wear a dress as it is very hot and dresses are always a cute and comfortable style for Europe. I slip on my day bag, made sure I lock up and head out for my first day in Budapest.

I take out my map of the city and decide to walk to Castle Hill of the Buda side of Budapest. I see that it’s not too far of a walk and that I would get to cross the famous chain bridge. I pass by the opera house, I twist and turn down cobbled stone streets and corridors until I come to the beautiful Danube river. The way it sparkles in the sunlight is exquisite and the view on the other side is breathtaking. Like a kingdom out of a fairy tale comes the romantic and colorful city old Buda atop castle hill.

I then cross the bridge and go up a sort of trolley car that takes you straight up the mountain to castle hill. As soon as I reach the top, I quickly take off through the massive gates of Old Buda and stroll through the cracked cobblestone streets admiring the beauty of the gargoyles and all the beautiful dark architecture of the castle.

As I walk behind the castle I come to a garden with a stone ledge overlooking the beautiful mountains and forests of Hungary. I can see little colorful houses like fairy homes decorating the mountainside. The whole city is behind me and in front of me is only nature and peace. I sit down against a tree for a little while to take a break from walking and to take in the landscape. It is more that everything I have ever dreamed of.

I walk back to the pavilion and start my journey through the castle ruins. I am instantly transported back to medieval Hungary as I pass under the stone arbor to explore all the hidden crevices and gardens. I find an old horse stable and climb up the stone steps into the loft which feels as if it is about to crumble any minute but hey, it’s all part of the adventure. I go inside an old turret of the castle and find it smells musky and is full of cobwebs but I imagine the splendor this castle must have been decorated in so many hundreds of years ago.

I then decide to go to the little village. As I enter the village of Old Buda, all the buildings are pastel colored in yellow, blue, salmon pink, etc. It is the most magical village I have ever seen! Many shop owners are dressed in their traditional garb selling their dolls, gypsy instruments, knitted shirts, and so much more.

I then decide to stop for a bite to eat as my sack lunch didn’t last long with all the miles of walking I have been doing. I stop at a nearby cafe and eat some Hungarian stew with rice and a glass of very refreshing mint lemonade. After my meal, I walk over to a beautiful contoured structure called the fisherman’s bastion. It looks like a large white castle. It stretches over the mountain ledge overlooking the blue waters of the river. Straight across I can see the grand Hungarian Parliament which is probably the most famous building in Budapest.

Here, at the Fisherman’s Bastion, I buy a drawing of the streets of old Hungary. I also climb into the ledge looking out on the river and the rest of the bastion. I almost resemble a princess from an old novel. I then climb down the winding staircase under the bastion and come to an old large wooden castle door with a medieval iron door handle.

I then pass under a bridge down an ominous path into a little forest where I suddenly come to a lemonade stand where all of the tables are made out of old bicycles and where they serve the coldest and most delectable lemonade.

I then decide to visit Vajdahunyad castle (also known as Dracula’s castle). However, I am not about to walk there. It is on the far end of the Pest side of the city across the river. I come upon a richly decorated Hotel which must have been the hotel used in the movie “the grand Budapest hotel” and order a cab to be taken to the castle. As I enter the castle grounds, I see there is some sort of a large festival going on. Riding past me are giant carriages where you would drink beer and peddle yourselves around. They go horribly slow but look like an enormous amount of fun!

I see couples taking their boats out across the lake by the castle and little kids stuffing themselves full of cotton candy and ice cream. I weave my way through the crowds to this dark towering castle. I stroll by the lake outside the castle then cross over the moat into the quiet and lush courtyard.

After exploring the castle grounds, I come to a small spiral stairway that leads all the way up to the top of the turret. As I arrive at the top, I see the second tower of the castle against the Hungarian countryside and it was simply stunning.

After trekking back home and taking a short nap, I decide that evening, to go to a Gypsy restaurant called Kehli Vendeglo. Since I have no sense of direction, I carefully map out the route using my phone GPS while I have Wi-Fi and know exactly where I am going, or so I like to think. I write down my directions and then board the above ground trollies and notice we were getting rather far out of the center of town I hopped off at my stop and looked around.

I am apparently in a very unglamorous blue collar neighborhood with nothing on either side of me except dark allies. After nervously walking around in the dark I thankfully come across some Hungarians who speak English and point me in the direction of the restaurant and alas… I walk down a dark street for a few minutes until it seems as if I fell down the rabbit hole and landed in gypsy wonderland. I come out onto a beautifully lit pavilion with beautifully decorated Hungarian buildings and the scent of food and wonderful music fill the air.

I have a delicious dinner and I get a little tipsy from all the champagne and can’t stop laughing and even dancing along to the live gypsy music. I later take a taxi back to my apartment and cross over the chain bridge. It is all lit up and looks so gorgeous against the lights of the city and the velvet dark sky littered with stars. When I arrive back, I shower, slip into my pjs and go to bed fully satisfied with my first day in Europe.

Day 3

Today I get to sleep in a little bit and wake up at 8:00am versus at the crack of dawn. I pull back the covers and face a new day. I pick up my market basket and head to the Great Market Hall in the center of Budapest. It looks like a giant restored train station. The whole ceiling is iron and glass.

As I enter the building, I stroll around the first floor passing every food you can think of from mauled wine, to fresh fish, to a rainbowed assortment of fruits and vegetables. I climb up the stairs to the second floor and make quite a bit of purchases. Among these are a beautiful gold and white Russian doll, the kind that open up and there is a smaller one inside each time you open it.

After I leave the market, I decide to tour the famous Hungarian parliament. This building is the most photogenic in all of Budapest. I tour the great halls and corridors and my favorite part is getting to look at all the statues of the great kings of Hungary. Each one is beautifully crafted and dressed in the trappings of their day, wielding their swords and shields proudly displaying the crest of their families.

Next, I take the trolley to see the Great Synagogue. It is known as the biggest in all of Europe and even though I’m not Jewish, I thought it would be a magnificent sight to see. For anyone who visits, make sure you are covering your shoulders and legs out of respect for the establishment. Once in the synagogue, I admire the great architecture and speak with a tour guide to learn a lot about the many Jews in Hungary during the second World War.

Outside it begins to rain, so while waiting for the metro I decide to buy some mini chocolate croissants and these are the best pastries I have ever eaten! After eating 3 and then proceeding to opening my coke bottle and it fizzing all over the metro floor, I finally got a metro back to my apartment. Here, I decide to rest and cook some dinner.

Later, I change into my swimsuit and head down to the Széchenyi Thermal Bath with a cover-up of course! Please never walk around a foreign country in a bikini unless you want to be locked up as a crazy American tourist. Once I enter the baths I am taken aback by the beautiful yellow-gold palace.

The bath looks like a cross between a roman bath and middle eastern wonder. The waters are so warm and make my skin so soft.

As I swim around the mineral waters, I hear people of all nationalities talking and having fun together around me. The world seems perfect as I looked up into the night sky. This is my last night in Budapest and I am so happy that this was such a great and intriguing kickoff to my long European journey.