“American’s they are so dumb.”

I woke up far too early and was the first to be down in the lobby by 8:45 a.m. I had my usual breakfast and was ready to start the day. Today, the agenda has us touring the Budapest Parliament, the third largest parliament in the world. We caught a taxi to the tour agency, and then boarded a bus that took us on our adventure. Anna Maria, our tour guide, showed us a lot of the historical statues and buildings around the area. On our tour, we ended up meeting a couple from Florida. It was interesting to talk with other people from the States, knowing we were the minority.

Loading the bus for our Parliament tour.

Jess catching some Z's on the ride.

Anna Maria, our very informative tour guide for the afternoon.

The area was filled with quatrefoils and lion heads. I had to continuously stop to take pictures, not sure what I will do with them all now, but it is amazing to think how much more aware I am of the symbols and statues. Perhaps, I will send them into the Phi Mu national magazine, The Aglaia.

Lion guarding the front entrance of Parliament.

Quatrefoil grates in the sidewalk.

As we got closer to Parliament, we heard voices over a loud speaker followed by one bell ring.  We were given pamphlets, that we thought we would take back and translate; but that wasn’t necessary because we found out that this was an anti-abortion protest, and they were reading off the names of all the unborn children — right in front of the main entrance to the Parliament.  I was astounded by the participation and the courage that these protestors had.

Abortion protesters outside the front of Parliament.

When Anna Maria came back out with our tickets, she informed us that business was going down in Parliament, and we wouldn’t be able to take the full tour. We were offered a free boat tour for our troubles as compensation; we declined and took the revised, short version tour of Parliament. Outside was a large group of young children on a field trip, also going on the tour. I would guesstimate they were probably kindergarteners – loud and rambunctious. I don’t think I would have known what to do in such a building at that age. Honestly, back then; I imagine I would have been bored out of my mind; I was not into history as a kid.

Getting into Parliament was like going through security at the airports.  Thankfully, this time I didn’t get a body scan. I never thought I would get to see such an immaculate building so close and personal. On the tour, we were able to stand in the press box. We also saw golden cigar holders; these lined the halls and were used when smoking inside was acceptable. Oftentimes, men would use them if they wanted to step inside the hearing, and if the topics were interesting, the cigar would be burned up before they returned. I struggled hearing all the details because I couldn’t put my camera down. I was afraid I would miss something that could only be captured on camera. Thankfully, all sound is being downloaded on my computer, so I can go back to it.

Grand staircase in Parliament.

Flags of the different nations, only up for special occasions.

One of the many cigar holders in the halls of Parliament.

Sitting in a press box in Parliament.

Starving, and ready to shop, we headed to Vaci Street, a popular shopping street, which seemed to go on for miles; we only made it down the short half.  We had plans to be at the spa by 2 p.m. so we had limited time to eat and shop. We had lunch at McDonalds, or (one of my favorite words to hear them pronounce) “Mac” Donald’s. What would be only a double cheeseburger here, was rather large in Hungary. The burgers are much thicker than what I am used to. I am not sure I will ever get used to their portion sizes.

We dropped all of our new belongings, mostly scarves for myself, off at the hotel before making our way to the Gellert Hotel for the spa. I was looking into getting a stone massage, but the time it would take for three of us to get them didn’t fit into our schedule – so Kelsi and Anna went ahead.

Molly and I received pedicures, and I must say, I was very satisfied with the one I had. My pedicure took about an hour and was honestly the best pedicure ever; they are much more detail-oriented than those I am used to. The room was a little sketchy. It reminded me of a horror movie. It was antique-like – with two old dentist-looking chairs, two sinks that were in the floor, and a lot of open space. We were instructed to be quiet to help us relax, and I ended up falling asleep during the massage. Unlike American pedicures, Hungarians do not paint your toenails.

Some of the other women had some interesting stories about the massages they chose, making me thankful I didn’t go with the stone massage.

Here goes to my adventure... 🙂

Molly getting her pedicure, it is very important to be quiet and relax.

Sketch tubs to soak your feet in before and after your pedicure.

Sheryl, Molly and I decided to go to Central Market while the others finished their afternoon at the spa. We called the taxi and had the longest wait ever. Searching up and down hill, literally, to find the cab that was coming for us. Turns out we were at opposite entrances, and once Sheryl found them, they came to search for Molly and I, who went to their original location searching for them. It was a disaster, but makes for a great taxi story.

We got dropped off at the Central Market. The one thing that has changed about myself since being in Budapest, is that I love shopping. I don’t think it will last long once I am back home, but for now, I could shop all day, every day.

We thought that eating close to the hotel was a fabulous idea. Remember when I mentioned the pizza advertisement on Raday utca (Rod-aye oot-ka). Once again we notice these pizzas just sitting outside on tables at the Pink Cadillac. The appeal makes me crave it, every time! I am amazed that homeless men and women don’t grab them. Something interesting that I found out about people in Budapest is that they place food and drink in wrapped bags and place them in the sidewalk trashcans for the homeless. So to have a couple of whole pizza’s just on display was astounding that they never seemed to be taken.

So we went to the Pink Cadillac, and I got a spinach, garlic, and cheese pizza, which was absolutely amazing. I took forever to decide, for some reason I was completely distracted by everything.  Thankfully our server wasn’t too upset with me being so indecisive. He was absolutely precious, and although there was a slight language barrier at times, he taught us a phrase to describe things that we really like, “fenom,” which means “tastes good.”

Spinach, garlic, and cheese pizza – delicious!

Our adorable waiter, probably annoyed with how indecisive I was –and for the amount of pictures I was taking.

Group photo!

International Women’s Day is today, and in Hungary, it is tradition to give women a flower as a part of celebrating and appreciating women.  Sheryl mentioned to us many times that we would see women carrying flowers around, and to not be surprised if we went somewhere and received flowers. Well, we hadn’t seen many people with them, and the only one to receive a flower was Anna, for purchasing so many leggings! However, before we left, the waiter brought a vase with a flower for each of us, and I was still taken aback because of the gesture, even after Sheryl’s many stories about it.

Our flowers, a gift from the Pink Cadillac for National Women's Day!

Tonight was our girls night on the town. Getting a late start, like usual, we went to Julia’s for our “pre-gaming,” which consisted of wine, delicious treats, and “girl-talk.” We swapped stories about what Ball State is like for each of us, versus when Julia attended. Marta and Julia both offered some great advise in comparing the two cultures. Hearing the two of them interact was really interesting, especially getting both perspectives on the differences between American’s and Hungarians.

Wine and "girl talk before leaving for Szimpla Kert.

We walked from Julia’s apartment to a “ruin pub” called Szimpla Kert. I wish I could articulate the atmosphere and structure of this bar, but I am at lost for words. It’s one of the most amazing environments I have ever been in, and seriously, the most fascinating and exciting bar! Unique is a wonderful describing word, but it doesn’t do Szimpla justice.  It’s all stone and brick, and the floor is concrete, most of which is graffiti.  All of the furniture is recycled: old lawn chairs, bar stools, sofas, barrels, and even a bathtub.

Bathtub chair and barrel table at Szimpla Kert.

The bathroom was really interesting; the handle was an old telephone. The toilet paper hung on the wall, rather than being in individual stalls, so you had to guesstimate how much was needed. I never understood how to flush the toilet. Sometimes I would get it; other times I had to give up after minutes of trying. Apparently bathrooms and I don’t mesh well together overseas. We left the bathroom in much better condition when we left, by each adding to the graffiti by writing something about Ball State University, spring break, 2011.

BSU graffiti on the bathroom stalls.

Once we got settled in the bar, we started the night off with a shot of Palinka – probably the strongest shot I have ever had, without exaggerating. Julia and Marta didn’t stay out late, so we were on our own to make new friends. We met people from different countries and discussed differences in culture and language.  I thought it was really interesting to hear the opinions of others about Americans. These two French men kept referring to us as “dumb Americans.” I don’t think their meaning was derogatory to us. I think that it was a general statement about Americans. I can’t really say I disagree if all I ever knew were the stereotypes, like they did.  All in all, it was a great time hanging out with the whole group in the coolest bar I have ever been in.

Shot. Shot. Shot. Shot.

Well, lets see if we survive this night. Check back in tomorrow. Night world!!