Greetings to everyone!
It has been a crazy 24 hours, filled with action-packed airport successes, sightseeing scores, and, most importantly, a dinner view that would take your breath away!
Once we landed in Budapest, we met our guides and loaded up the bus with our bags and bell equipment--the bell equipment making us the talk of Budapest, by the way. We headed into the "Pest" part of "Budapest" (fun fact: it's actually two parts of a city divided by a river and connected by a bridge). We were immediately charmed by the architecture of the apartments, synagogues, churches, opera halls.... you name it, we were impressed by it. After stopping off at a town square for some impressive-looking pictures, we headed over to a Hungarian Market for a full immersion experience. Some girls got Hungarian Hot Dogs (elongated, regular, American hotdogs), others got Hungarian pasta, but all in all we were satisfied with the experience and were glad to get some delicious native food into our stomachs. (As a traveler myself, I must commend the Hungarian Marketplace for being the quietest marketplace I've ever experienced! It helped with the jet lag.)
Finally, after freshening up at our hotel, we dined on an old steamer ship that was right on the water, overlooking the "Buda" part of the city on the beautiful blue Danube. When the sun set and the European skyline lit up, I think the enormity of the experience we were about to embark on hit us simultaneously. It was a perfect welcoming party.
Perhaps the best moment today, however, was unloading all 41 bags, plus about 20 bell bags from the bus onto the street to get them to the hotel. I've never seen such camaraderie amongst people as when we're trying to get out of a narrow Hungarian street with more than enough baggage. We're already beginning to bond, help each other out, and understand that we are all here together.
Considering I fell asleep at the dinner table tonight (thanks, jet lag), I am going to call it a night and get some well-deserved rest. Tomorrow, we are exploring the "House of Terror" (which explains the European history of some communist/fascist dictatorships) and the Castle District, but most importantly, it is our first performance tomorrow! I cannot wait!
I'll attach the picture from dinner below.
Wishing you my BudaBEST,
Erica
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