Pest

WARNING: The keyboard is rather confusing so excuse our poor grammar.

Our first official day in Budapest (technically just Pest because we didnt cross the river) went a little differently than I think we were all expecting. Back in Amsterdam, we had a moment around a dinner table when we realized...we knew absolutely nothing about Budapest. The currency, the time zone, the history, the general atmosphere and landscape...NOTHING.

Kelsey tried to claim it might have camels and sand but we shot that one down with confidence. Val suggested a canal-filled landscape similar to Amsterdam but we all sort of doubted it.

In fact, Budapest is a really beautiful, urban city (with one large river separating Buda from Pest). The architecture is largely eclectic with emphasis on Art Nouveau (uh oh spelling), and a rich history of dictatorships and occupation. Speaking of which, we spent the early afternoon at the House of Terror which is a fantastic museum about both the Nazi and Soviet occupations of Hungary. It is located in the old headquarters for the Arrowcross (Hungarian Nazis) and the secret police comprable to the KGB in Hungary. There were literally torture chambers and prison cells in the basement. The museum was really well curated and they brought you through time (and terror) in a comprehensive yet fascinating way. If youre ever in Budapest and want to get depressed and informed, we highly recommend it.

Once we felt like we had a handle on the history, Lizzy led an impromtu walking tour with the help of Rick Stevens Guide Book of Budapest. We saw the Parlament Building, the Chain Bridge (which was the first bridge to connect Buda to Pest), and a fat ass church with St. Stephen above the altar instead of Jesus.

We are all bummed to leave on Friday but excited for several key things:

1. Our own beds
2. Various pets
3. Various family members
4. Various restaurants
5. NO MAP NAVIGATING
6. Our cars and driving
7. Not being ashamed of our nationality and our inability to speak any other language (ignorance is embarassing)
8. Our closets (though we wish we could just combine them all and still have access to the others clothes)

But, as the last post said, we are going to HATE not living together, eating every meal together, and strutting the streets linked at the elbows.

See you all very soon!

Maddie and Liz