Hungary

My trip to Hungry was December,2010. I have saved enough for the past couple of months from my scholarship. I decided to buy a Christmas gift for myself”A trip to Budapest”. Hungary is located in eastern Europe, that has the border with Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine,Croatia, Serbia. The capital city is Budapest. My destination was Budapest. Its has well known as one the beautiful and enjoyable city.

The nickname of Budapest is”Paris of Eastern”. Let’s see my journey. I traveled to Budapest from Hradec Kralove,Czech Republic. I took a VIP train one way, it cost about 60$, because I traveled at night, so this train has its own bed, bathroom, and was very comfortable. It was my first time that to travel by VIP train. Along the way to Budapest, only I see was white color that came from snow everywhere. Winter in Europe is always beautiful, except it is too cold.

I left Hradec Kralove at about 12 am and arrived to Budapest at about 8:30 am due to too much snow on the railway. When I first arrived, I felt very excited that I could be in this beautiful city. After check in to the hostel. It cost about 13$/night, and took a rest for a while. I went to explore the city center. Budapest is not so big, but if we want to see all the tourist place, then travel by subway. It is not so expensive.

I went to near river Danube to look around the Christmas market. People wear traditional cloth, selling Christmas gifts, souvenir, and foods. It was very cold, and I need to put on many layers, boot, hat.. to fight with the cold. A bought the typical Hungarian donut at the Christmas market. And the price was similar to Czech Republic also. After I finished eating, so I decided to walk to Chain bridge.

It was so beautiful view in the evening, but it was too cold that made me could not enjoy that moment very long. I have decided to return to my hostel. I made my own foods and drink at the hostel. I tried to not spend much on foods, and keep to have of big meal for the last day. However, the hostel was nice, I could make tea, cook noodle, and toast. I save myself for the last day of dinner in Budapest. I went to one nice restaurant and ate a nice foods and I was enjoy my dinner very much.

I finally return to my bed and took a little rest, and after plan a trip for tomorrow. In the morning, I went to the Chain bridge again and walk up to the Castle hill, it was the first castle in the thirteenth century. I walk up through every stair, and see the view of the beautiful Chain bridge and the river.

I spent sometime there and look around and bought the postcard. The area in front is quite big, I walked around and took some pictures. I decided to walk down and took the subway to see another place. Basilica church, and was built in 1851-1905, many people went there to pray. It was quiet and peaceful inside.

It is beautiful building too. I spent sometime walking again, then went to the subway to get to the city park, I wanted to visited the museum of fine art, but then it was close during I was visiting.

The Széchenyi Thermal bath, in the city park. is the medicinal bath in Europe, and it is the largest one. The water that supplied by thermal spring that has the temperature 74 and 77 degree Celsius. I was only visiting outside of it and the park. It was again everywhere covered by snow. The building looks pretty. Even it was cold but there were still people that came to this city park. I went the heroes square, it is one of the main square in Budapest. It was built in 1900, and has around by museum of fine art and the palace of art.

The area in front of the square is the landmark of Budapest. My day was mostly exploring by walking. The fisherman castle, it was built in 1890-1905. It has the large white area, I could see the view of Budapest and the parliament from the fishermen castle. My favorite place is Budapest is Chain bridge and fisherman castle. I love both of them very much. For my final last day, I went to the wine museum, at the wine testing. There were many different kind of Hungarian wine. It would be nice if I know how to drink wine, then I could have tried how it taste like.

I will tell you my unforgeable travel from Budapest to Czech Republic. First of all, I enjoyed my trip of Budapest very much. My train left Budapest at 4:00 pm and I supposed to arrived to Hradec Kralove at 10:30 pm. However the trip was so enjoyable, but I also was looking forward to my dormitory. In Pardubice station, and needed to transfer to another local train to Hradec Kralove. 20 minutes from Pardubice to Hradec Kralove. There were eight people that supposed to stop in Pardubice to transferred.

The train was crazy, it opened the door was about one minute and half for those eight people to get out of the train. There were olny four people that could get out , and the other four remain in the train include me. At first I was angry, I tried to talk to the train controller that we have four people kept in the train. The reply with czech language which I was hardly to understand all. Only I could guess was”Next station” On the train, it said”jsme tady pro Vás” means “We are here for you”.

It did not work for me, when I need people to help but there were no one to help, however the train kept moving, so there was no way to stop. and about 5 minutes later I could not stop laughing. 20 minutes later, I ended up at another staytion, Kolin. There were no train to come back to Pardubice, so I need to wait at the freezing station for 5 hours and 30minute to take it back. It should be about only 3 hours, but the train kept delay. In stead of arrived home at about 11:30 pm, I ended up arrived home at 6am next day. Traveling can be fun, but sometime I face some situations that I have to handle by myself. And at the same time I could learn new experiences from it.