Weekend 1 (August 30th – September 1st):
For the first weekend, I went to Budapest, Hungary. I went with a group of other girls including: Natalie Luu, Katie Bokulic, Malina, Jessica, Grace, Shiv, Katie O’Day, Bethany, and Anna Deutsch.
We decided we would take a bus there and fly back. The bus we booked departed at 13:00, but we would have our final exam until 12:00. We decided we would rush, but that we would be able to do it. After our exam ended, with our backpacks on our back, we ran to the bus station. It was a little hard to find the bus stop especially with such a large group. Everyone had different ideas of where the bus stop would be. Once we found the bus stop, we were told we had around 25 minutes before boarding the bus. We all split up to get food and go to the bathroom. Natalie Luu and I decided to get Burger King. The cashier spoke English, so he felt no reservation with poking fun at me while I order my double cheeseburger and wanted to order lettuce. It was interesting to me to see his reaction to me trying to order lettuce for my burger. In America, lettuce typically comes on burgers without even asking. After I finished my burger, I realized I was still hungry and we had a 6 hour bus ride approaching. I went back up to the Burger King counter to order another double cheeseburger. This time I also ordered 9 chicken nuggets to bring with me on the bus, in case I got hungry. My friendly cashier again found humor that I wanted not only another cheeseburger, but one with lettuce again! During my second order, he must’ve felt comfortable with me, because he started sharing his background. In the United States, I don’t think twice about this occurrence. However, I have not had a lot of people in Prague discuss personal details with me on first acquaintance. Some of what he discussed with me was inappropriate and involved his friends’ drug habits, but I just carried the conversation while waiting for my large amount of Burger King. Before boarding the bus, I decided to go to the bathroom. It was the first pay bathroom I had used. I very clearly stood out, because I had to fuss with finding my coins and look closely at each coin to figure out what coin to use. Everyone waiting behind me seemed patient enough which I appreciated. While using the bathroom, I was very perplexed by the bathroom attendant. She went in the stall before I used it, and then once I was done she went back in. She was not cleaning the bathrooms, so I could not figure out what she was doing.
We boarded the bus and took our seats. I enjoyed just looking around at the other travelers on the bus. In my head, I created stories for each traveler. While on the bus, the attendant came around to offer drinks, Czech newspapers, and headphones. I’ve never ridden a cross country bus in America. However, this bus experience seemed a lot more customer focused than I was expecting. Even when our bus got delayed, which added time to our trip, the attendant was very gracious with answering all of my questions.
Upon arrival, we realized that Uber’s were not available. In addition, we had not thought to research transportation options from the bus station to our AirBnB. We tried to research how to use the tram that was next to the bus depot. However, you had to purchase tickets and there was nowhere nearby to get tickets. I was confused by this, because when I’ve traveled before it is typically relatively easy to find ticket. We started walking to the nearby metro stop, because we believed that would have tickets to buy for the metro. Once we got closer to the metro, we were able to call a Bolt. Bolt is similar to uber, but only available in Europe. Bolt seems to be one step ahead of Uber, because Bolts are also taxis. It allows for the taxi industry to not become as isolate as it has it the United States. We all called Bolts and headed towards the AirBnB. I loved getting to look out the window as we drove. I used google translate to try and communicate with our driver, but he giggled every time I said something. It was worth a shot! Once we got to our AirBnB, we realized that the location was perfect! We were right above a very popular area of Pest. We went and settled into our AirBnB. The apartment had air conditioning. I cannot express my gratitude for that air conditioning. It was the first time in a little over a week I had been in real air conditioning. I 100% had taken air conditioning for granted in America! My love for the air conditioning in the apartment continued to grow as the next day was over 90*. Most people decided they wanted to just get dinner and go to bed, because we arrived late. However, Katie, Natalie, and I decided we wanted to take advantage of every second! We got ready and headed out!
Our first mission was to get out some local currency and find food. I was a little uncomfortable and taken aback at the fact that everyone there stared at us. In America, it’s seen as rude or creepy to stare. I don’t think any of these people meant their staring in this way, but instead they were just curious about us. When going out to explore, we realized that St. Stephen’s Basilica was right next to our AirBnB. This church was massive – I couldn’t believe how lucky we were to get to stay so close. We continued on our way, but every food place looked like it was a nice sit down restaurant and we didn’t want to wait. We found an ATM and recognized the name, so decided we would use it. However, there was a man babysitting the ATM it seemed, so we decided that was a little odd. We instead grabbed a bite of pizza for dinner. It was cheap and fast, but slightly underwhelming. It was no Benny’s!! Next, we continued down to find an ATM attached to a bank and used it. We also helped some other tourists use the ATM. With money and food, it was time to continue exploring. We wanted to go to a ruin bar, and had heard a lot about one called Szimple. It was a 17 minute walk from us, so off we went! On our way we stopped at different places along the way. My favorite place we stopped was a food truck looking alley. It was very nice, and looked permanently there with gift shops and bathrooms as well. We had lots of fun speaking with the bartender and laughing at his jokes. After we continued on to the ruin bar, it was lenient getting in. Some people were ID’d and some were not, which is not the case in America. We explored the ruin bar, met some Netherlands soccer players, and then headed back to the AirBnB.
The next morning, the majority of the group decided to wake up at 7 A.M. to go to the baths. However, Natalie and I decided we wanted to go to the baths at night so we wouldn’t that morning. I had been using Pinterest to research what to do in Budapest. With the help of different articles, we planned our day and headed out. We went to the Jewish Quarter and ate at Mazel Tov. Mosel Tov was worth all of the hype that I had read online about the restaurant. It was also a ruin bar, so it was nice to experience another ruin bar. I was very impressed by their juice. They were making freshly squeezed juice with no additives. I had never been able to watch this before at a restaurant OR have such fresh juice at a restaurant. They also were growing some of the fruit for their juices right there. The service was more attentive than I had experienced in Prague. Our waitress checked on us multiple times. The restaurant also had huge fans and well shaded, so Natalie and I were almost even cold!! A first!! After breakfast, we wanted to go to the Parliament. Natalie mapped it, because I had forgotten to charge my phone. I was about a 30 minute walk, but we didn’t mind. We stopped and took pictures, shopped at markets, saw murals, watched locals play street soccer, and talked. When we arrived at the Parliament, we were shocked. We couldn’t even figure out what building it was. There was no security and no one was observing it. This very different from the United States, and that’s when we realized we had gone to the Parliament Museum #tourist #fail. When checking maps, it turned out we had gone in the opposite direction as well. We decided we would figure out how to use Public Transportation to get to the Parliament.
We asked locals where to buy tickets, and used our HUF to buy it. The locals were overall out of their way helpful and spoke more English than I expected. It took about 20 more minutes, but we arrived at the real Parliament. This made more sense, because Parliament was beautiful. There was plenty or security and tourists as well. We bought postcards in the gift shop and explored both sides! We walked along the river behind Parliament to the Chain Bridge, and passed the shoe memorial as well. There was a large plaque explaining the meaning. However, the plaque (to our surprise) was in English. We do not know why, but it was helpful to us. The chain bridge was windy and long, but remarkable that it was the first connection between Buda and Pest. The Chain Bridge also had been destroyed previously by the Nazi’s, but it was apparently rebuilt very quickly. When we were across the Chain Bridge, we realized that was the base of the Budapest castle. So many individuals tried to sell us different methods to get to the top of Budapest Castle. It felt like I was in Central Park, NYC! We continued on and went to the Market of Budapest. It was another 20 minute walk, and we realized as we went that it would close 15 minutes after we got there. We pushed on regardless.
The market was not as interesting as we expected. There was lots of meat, trinkets, and white traditional clothing for sale. We were okay not being able to spend more time there. However, we were famished at this point. The food was all traditional Hungarian food. The large pieces of meat and bread with toppings looked delicious, but it seemed too heavy and hot for the moment. We found a small gift store and split a large water. It was incredible. Afterwards, we took a bolt back to the AirBnB. Still hungry, we stopped for food underneath the apartment at a pasta place. They let us sit at a table facing the street, so Natalie and I were lucky enough to people watch. We both quite enjoyed our pasta, but most likely enjoyed the people watching more. There was another table with an angry patron calling every waiter over. We asked one of them what was happening. He said that she wanted to split the check between everyone, but it was ridiculous because of how small the check was. He also admitted they were just lazy and didn’t want to. I was humored, but also shocked. We always split checks for what each person pays for. Natalie and I quickly agreed we would pay together in HUFs as well. After, we went to the apartment to rest. We had walked over 8 miles! Soon, the other girls arrived back as well. We all napped and FaceTimed friends for a little bit. Next, we went to dinner at a Hummus Place. Natalie and I didn’t particularly love it, but the others really did. They did let us split the check which was lucky. We were a little confused observing the other patrons of the restaurant. No one else seemed to be as worried about pickpocketing and protecting their bags as much as we did.
After dinner, the others got ready to go to the ruin bars. Natalie and I had bought tickets to go to a rave at the famous baths. We decided that because it would only be two of us we should bolt back and forth. When we got there, we could not stop smiling. Everyone was talking and dancing in the lines to get inside. We quickly put our stuff in the lockers, changed, and went out to the baths. It was a once in a lifetime experience. This historic, famous location filled with young people dancing to electronic music. We became friends and met so many people from all over. Everyone was so much more willing to meet us then we had previously experienced in Budapest or Prague. We met people from London, Switzerland, Hungary, etc. When we went down to go to the restroom, I ran into family friend’s family friend’s. It was such a small world moment, because I had never even met them, but we were so excited to see each other. We all hung out for a little while. They were studying abroad as well, but in Vienna. We had a blast in the water and meeting new friends, but soon it was time to leave. We ordered another Bolt and went back to the apartment. We got food in the area near us. In line for a sandwich, I began speaking with the guy next to me. It turned out he was there for his friend’s bachelor party. The guy they were celebrating was from Nashville too and a country music singer I liked! Another small world moment! Natalie and I got our food and then headed back to the apartment for bed.
Sunday morning, we woke up and had to clean up the AirBnB to check out. It didn’t take long with so many of us. However with the large group, we decided to split up for food. We had too large of a party to be seated anywhere. Myself and five others grouped together and headed towards a breakfast place called Cirkus. A girl I knew from Virginia Tech and graduated messaged me on Instagram to tell me about it. She said they had the best eggs Benedict, and she was right! The food was delicious and probably my favorite meal thus far. It clearly was used to tourists visiting, because they were more friendly towards some of our customs. They let me alter some of my meal, which I was grateful for.
After breakfast, Natalie and I split off to go to the Budapest castle and Fisherman’s bastillon. We took the street bus. It was relatively easy to figure out through google maps. While waiting at the bus stop, we went inside a Ritz Carlton for air conditioning and the restrooms. The lobby was quiet and empty. Typically, I’m used to seeing a hussle bussle in lobbies, but this was not the case. Once on the bus, we giggled at the other tourists trying to ask the bus driver questions. The entire bus was filled with tourists because it was going to fisherman’s bastillion. Once we arrived, Natalie and I were not pleased to see the stairs we had to walk up. However, the stairs were well worth the view at the top. We were stunned. We had no idea what the fisherman’s bastillion was prior, but we heard it was a must visit. It was decently crowded, but we still took pictures and got some ice cream to accompany the view. We went inside Starbucks to grab a water at the top. It was clearly a touristy area, because it was 5 times the amount I had spent on water anywhere else. We rested in the air conditioning and I called my parents. Afterwards, we went to the Budapest castle which was a quick walk away. The castle was not what we were expecting. It was much smaller and less security than expecting. Our favorite part was looking st the guards on horses though. We saw part of the changing of the guards, but were more amused by the tourists reaction to it. Everyone was sprinting to watch the changing and take pictures. We walked to the bottom of the hill to figure out our next steps. We tried to take the boat public transportation, but it would take too long and it was time to go to the airport! We decided to take on one more adventure and try the public bus to the airport. It was a longer walk than expected, but it ended up working out well. There were lots of people expressing PDA at the transportation stop. That is a constant theme throughout Europe so far. I don’t really understand it.
The airport security seemed a lot less thorough than the United States. No one even checked my passport at any point. We got food once through security. Once again, I got Burger King. The cashier got upset with me and told me that next time I order I need to request a “single double cheeseburger.” He said that’s how I say I only want the cheeseburger and not the meal. He was very frustrated with me that I didn’t order it like that. I didn’t fully understand it, but I didn’t question it and just said sorry. We went to our gate once it was announced. It is uneasy not knowing your gate until right before your flight. I don’t understand why they announce the gates so late. Once we were at our gate, which was on the tarmac, our flight became delayed so we had to go back to the airport. We waited for updates in the airport, but we did not have access to our gate. We tried to follow the screens as best we could. We went back to the gate when they called us. After lining all of us up, I ended up being the first one released. I led everyone to the flight. It was hysterical. However, I also didn’t know we were supposed to show our boarding pass once on the flight. I just started walking to my seat, and the flight attendant became quickly flustered! Overall, the flight went off normal and we made it back safely. It was a great first weekend!
Weekend 2:
For the second weekend, we decided to venture to Barcelona. Again, there was a large group going, but we split up the group. I was extremely excited for the weekend, because two of my best friends from Virginia Tech were going to meet us in Barcelona as well. They are studying abroad in Lugano, Switzerland. We left Friday morning from Prague, and we took a bolt to the airport. Our flight was delayed, as per usual, because of the strikes in the Barcelona airport. However, they kept telling us it had to do with the changing of the food on our airplane. I have experience more flight delays in Europe than in America. It might be bad luck, but when the flights are delayed everyone is much more relaxed as opposed to the United States.
Once we finally landed in Barcelona, we decided to try our luck with the public transportation getting to our hostel. We purchased a 48 hour public transportation ticket, which ended up becoming extremely valuable. Once we got to our hostel, we were instantly impressed and excited. This was going to be my first hostel experience. I was completely shocked and blown away by all the fun events they had going on. They also had more amenities than I was expecting. Finally, I was most pleased by the safety. I felt very safe with the front desk security and all of the restricted areas you had to go through to get to your room. When we checked in, we chatted for a long time with the check-in person. He gave us recommendations for paella and tapas, which are a must in Spain. We went to our rooms to game plan for the rest of the day. We decided we would try out tapas and shopping for the afternoon. We went to the tapas place recommend to us. The tapas were absolutely incredible. The service was a little awkward because we had two different waiters asking us the same question. The restaurant dynamic is the United States is more hands on and polished than I’ve experienced this semester. In addition, we ordered one tapa with steak on it. The steak was the most rare I have ever eaten. It was extremely delicious, but took a moment of courage for me to take a bite. After eating our wonderful tapas, we went to Zara. Zara started in Spain, so we had heard how the Zara in Barcelona was the best and the cheapest. After spending too much money, we went back to the hostel to get ready for the evening. While walking in between these three destinations, we saw a multitude of homeless people, which isn’t abnormal. However, the homeless people in Barcelona were a lot more in your face. After getting ready, we went down to the hostel bar. The hostel bar was jam-packed with other people our age minling. I enjoyed meeting other people from all around the world in Barcelona just to explore. After leaving the hostel bar, we tried to meet up with the other group in Barcelona. However, it ended up going poorly. We put in two different locations, which led us to the wrong side of town. When trying to figure out how to connect with them, the ride share app would not work. We were standing outside of a restaurant trying to figure out our next steps. The owner of the restaurant came out and said he knew we were Americans and lost. He ended up being helpful and giving us directions. However, it did make me nervous how obvious our lostness was to this stranger. We decided to just take the bus back at this point. It was extremely late and we were all frustrated. When we got on the bus, the bus driver was aggressive toward us and we believed he scammed us. When we got back to the hostel, the Lugano people had arrived. I burst into tears when I saw Tara and Maddie. I had been feeling homesick, and seeing Tara (who I lived with last year) just made me feel so at home. We all just went a grabbed pizza and discussed our experience thus far with study abroad.
Saturday morning, we woke up early to explore all of Barcelona. We started by grabbing a quick bite and heading to Park Guell. We had to walk up so many stairs to reach Park Guel. Once at the top, we realized there was an escalator – oh well! We didn’t have tickets, but I still felt like I saw what I wanted to see. A decent amount of the exhibits were under construction, so if we did have tickets we wouldn’t have been able to see that much. After Park Guel, we rushed to Sagrada Familia for our tour. We ran into someone making paella on the street and got to speak with them as well. It was interesting hearing about the traditional paella making. Once at Sagrada Familia, we met up with our tour guide and made our way through security and inside. My breath was taken away. I had never seen such a large building with so much intricate detail. I was very thankful we took the guided tour as well, because he was able to share with us details that I wouldn’t have picked up on. Sagrada Familia is a must see during everyone’s life I believe. It was crazy to me that it was still being built and wouldn’t be done until 2026.
After Sagrada Familia, we went and tried paella. Paella is worth the hype. It is not just rice and meat. If you go to the right location, there is so much flavor. We went and explored the official Barca store afterwards. I was with Tracey at this point, and she had not been to Zara. We stopped back in Zara. When in Zara, I ended up running into a girl from my hometown who I had gone to school with from 3rd grade to 12th grade. She goes to Wake Forest and is studying abroad in Barcelona!
When we left Zara, we met up with others at the Market on Las Ramblas street. The market was clearly a prime spot for pickpockets, so we were extra careful. I loved trying all of the authentic dishes. My favorite item was the fresh pomegranate though. It wasn’t too busy, because we went towards the end of the day. Quickly, I rushed back to the hostel and met up with my friends in the hostel. We went to go watch the sunset at the bunkers. It was an adventure getting to the bunkers, because we followed someone else. The someone we followed got off at the wrong stop, so we ended up having to walk a long distance to find the bunkers. The bunkers made everything worth it. Easily, the prettiest thing I’ve seen thus far. We checked our watches, and realized we had the perfect amount of time to get across town to the fountain show. The fountain show was clearly a tourist event, but it was still very enjoyable. I liked getting to look at the street vendors selling knock-off purses. I didn’t buy anything, but their goods were very intriguing. They seemed so sneaky when they were in the metro with their goods. They had their products wrapped up in sheets, and then all ran up at the same time. I am assuming they were trying to get the best locations.
Some of the people we were with at the fountain show hadn’t tried paella yet, so we went to find paella. Paella is best at lunch, but they still wanted the chance to try it. We went to a tapa and paella restaurant. One dish which was the ham croquettes were delectable. However, I didn’t think anything else was that good at the restaurant. It very clearly took advantage of their tourist location, but we fell for it so I can’t complain. After tapas and paella, it was time to get ready to go out for the evening. Again, we started our night at the hostel bar. We met more people Saturday night, but mostly Australians crazy enough! Europe has so much more culture! We met up with everyone at one place Saturday night. As we were in line waiting to go in, I ran into another friend of mine. She goes to SMU, but we went to camp together growing up. It is crazy how much of a small world it is.
Sunday morning, we went to Brunch and Cake for breakfast. Brunch and Cake lived up to the raving reviews. Everyone who knew I was going to Barcelona told me I had to go. I got a chicken nacho sandwich, and it hit the spot! It was plated so pretty, but tasted even better than it looked. We had to run back to our hostel after brunch for the 11 am check out. We had a few hours before needing to head to the airport, so we went to the beach. We had our backpack with us, so we just explored and looked around.
At the airport, we were worried about the strikes. However, there was no delay with security at all. However, our flight ended getting delayed 6+ hours. The delay included boarding once and then having to be deplaned. During the delay, I facetimed my family which was nice to be able to catch up about our weekends. We finally made it back to Prague around 2 am. It was a good moment to really learn about how you handle crisis moments though. Katie and I made the most of the situation and explored the airport non-stop laughing!
Emma's Study Abroad Adventures 