Weather

I know it seems boring and old to talk about the weather but whilst Moscow's had an unfeasibly cold March, we've enjoyed a super sunny March here in Budapest. The past 2 weeks have been glorious. Everyday it's wonderfully sunny and bright and I don't think I've seen a cloud in the sky for a while now! I regularly walk to school in only a t-shirt! I take a hoodie with me in case I have class late because it gets a little chillier in the evenings, but doesn't require anything other than a hoodie or a cardigan.

Bright blue sky as seen from my balcony!

The sun is brilliant because it's not violently strong which means I don't need to panic about wearing sun screen! Thus far I haven't got burnt and I spent all Sunday afternoon in the park with my friend. We went to work in the park because it was far too nice outside to sit cooped up indoors! Plus we wanted an ice-cream!

Enjoying an ice-cream in the park with Robyn!

St Patrick's Day in Budapest

On March 17th we celebrated St Patrick's Day here in Budapest. I know what you're thinking....celebrating an Irish day in a non Irish country, but a lot of big cities now get into the swing of St Patrick's celebrations. It's quite a lot of fun and Guinness is supposedly healthy so that's our excuse anyway. The sun's been shining in Buda for the past two weeks and it's even gone over 22º here!

The bar where all the action happened - music & dancing inside!

We went out on Saturday to the pre-organized St Patrick's Day parade. It started in the heart of the city near the Parliament and ended up at Deak Ferenc Ter where there was a party and lots of picnicking in the park. We strolled along soaking up not only the sun, but also the wonderful party atmosphere. Everyone was in a jolly mood, sipping various alcoholic beverages, yes I was enjoying a Guinness myself, and an ice-cream! There was plenty of green, with people decked out in green clothing, some even dressed up as leprechauns! There were stickers and balloons handed out, hats given free on the purchase of a pint of Guinness. All very lovely. 

We tied an empty Guinness can to some balloons and set it free!

When we arrived at Deak we met up with other Erasmus students and all settled into the park for the afternoon. We enjoyed some Irish music and Irish River Dancing inside the bar which was next to the park. Luckily I didn't get sunburnt but I was designated as the 'artist' for the day and was made to draw lucky clovers on the faces of many friends and some random Hungarians who saw me and liked my work! I failed to mention to most people that I was using permanent marker, just to see their reaction the next day! 

Robyn drawing a clover on my face!

It was a really fun day and I got plenty of stares walking home with clovers on my face clutching a bunch of orange, white and green balloons!

Enjoying the sunshine with my friends!

National Day!

Eagle of freedom on a statue at the National History Museum

Today is a national holiday here in Hungary - Nemzeti ünnep. It's in memory of the 1848 Revolution. Essentially it means that everything is shut down - even the supermarkets! Hence why we had to rush out at 8pm last night in a panic to buy food because we forgot the supermarkets would be shut today. Stressful. The public transport is working, but on a Sunday schedule which means it's slower. 

Liberty Bridge decked out in flags

The city is also decked out in flags. I think patriotism is definitely bigger on the continent than over on the island of freedom, le United Kingdom. They definitely put more effort into national holidays and decorating the city. I don't think I've ever seen this many flags or such a show of patriotism in the UK. EVER. There were a number of protests and demonstrations taking place all over the city and most especially at the Parliament. The President even gave a speech outside the parliament and there was a rock concert going on as we walked past. I couldn't imagine a rock concert being held on the steps of the Commons!! 

front entrance of parliament, decked in flags & with a casual rock concert!

The atmosphere seemed really jolly throughout the whole city, my friend and I just strolled from mine to the river, then up to the parliament and just soaked up the day. The sun was shining and it was pretty warm. Apparently tomorrow it's supposed to make it up to 20º but we'll wait and see on that one! I didn't bring any sunscreen with me so that could be interesting. There were lots of people strolling about wearing little flags on their person, carrying flags or placards. There was also a large police presence and a number of streets had been shut down, probably just so that the police could control the traffic and people more easily. Logical I guess. I didn't see any violence, which had been expected, but I guess I could have missed it or it might happen later today. Who knows! 

even the trams had little flags on them! cute!

Parents in Budapest

I was visited last weekend by my parents here in Budapest. They stayed on the historical side of the Duna river in Buda - I live in Pest. It's where all the cool kids live!

We had a 4 day whirlwind tour of Budapest and luckily the sun stayed for the entire time! The weather wasn't warm enough for shirts & shorts, but it was enjoyable, sunny and bright. It means I'm able to wear my tweed jacket now instead of wrapping up in my winter coat. 
My parents stayed in the fabulous Hotel Gellért which was ironically right opposite (with a river in the way) my university! A short 2 minute walk over the bridge and I was at their hotel. Their hotel was dwarfed by a hill, called Gellért hill and it's named after Gellért because he was some guy who was thrown off the hill to his death. I think it was politically motivated. I'm not sure of the specifics. Google will provide the interested with answers. 

The outside of the hotel Gellért

Their hotel also boasted the best and fanciest baths in all Budapest! We ventured down there on Sunday afternoon - which was family day and thus the baths were not separated into sexes, otherwise Daddy would have had to be on his own! We climbed to the top of the Gellért hill and visited the citadel, including the WWII bunker museum. We visited the House of Terror museum, a Hungarian museum set up to honor the victims of the Nazi & Soviet tragedies here in Hungary. It is quite horrific to realize that the poor Hungarian nation was taken over and dictated for over 50 years. These people have suffered horrendously and I would urge anyone interested to look into the suffering here. Budapest seems overlooked in the scale of things, but seeing as I live in the Jewish quarter now, it is scary to think that this would have been part of the Jewish ghetto. It was a truly humbling experience visiting this museum, but it was also fantastically well put together and made a big impact. 

Candles lit to honor the memory of those murdered between 1940-1991

We also toured the Castle district and the palace. Visited the St Stephen's Cathedral, the Parliament. All the big sights in Budapest we saw. We also tasted a lot of fantastic Hungarian wine and attempted to eat as much Hungarian food as possible. Though seeing as I live here now, I hungered for big steaks and non-Hungarian food!! We went for lunch/tea at Gerbeaud which is a famous cake maker here in Budapest. They had a wide selection of cakes, macaroons, lunch sandwiches, drinks and puddings. It was so hard to decide what to eat! I ended up having deliciously rich chocolate cake for dessert which was divine! The decor in the tearoom was spectacular and very plush. It was a great experience. We were positively gobsmacked by the choice of desserts that they had on offer. I think I'll be making return visits there! 

Cakes galore. 

I had a great weekend and it was a joy to treat my parents to the delights that Budapest has to offer. We did a lot of walking and sightseeing - my parents even mastered the public transport system! The glee on my mother's face when she was taking the tram was unmistakable! 

Once I said goodbye to my parents on Monday I came straight home and fell fast asleep at 5pm for at least 2 hours! I was absolutely exhausted from my weekend of sightseeing. Two weekends on the trot, whilst recovering from illness, doing extensive sightseeing have definitely worn me down! Safe to say I'm spending this weekend working, relaxing and recuperating!