Buses, Backpacks, Bathes, and Budapest

I feel like I'm leaving a piece of my heart in every city I explore

Széchenyi Thermal Bathes

With the euphoria of being in Europe at an all time high, my friends and I decided that our first free weekend was going to be spent in Budapest. What an adventure that was. We booked an overnight bus to save on lodging and to get as much time in Budapest as possible. Due to the fact that we were getting in so early, we decided it would be best if we only took bookbags as we would have to carry around our stuff for most of the trip.  We arrived in Budapest around 5 in the morning at a bus station with duct tape on the door to cover a hole. With minimal sense of direction, we set out to find civilization and our hostel. Luckily our intuition was right, and we chose the correct direction. After 3 miles we finally found a bakery that was open, and after breakfast, we found our hostel and did a little shopping then headed to Széchenyi Thermal Bath. My first thought upon walking out to the bath was, ‘“How beautiful is this place?”, and my second was, “Wow, I've never seen so many speedos in my whole life!". Despite the crowded bath and the ever-present PDA around us, this experience was one I highly recommend to others. We ended our night getting decked out in St. Patty's tattoos and gems and going Irish bar hoping because how else you you end St. Patrick's day?

Zach found a flag to naturally, we made
him take our pciture with it

The garden memorial at the Synagogue

Sunday, we started our day with mass at the beautiful St. Stephen's Basilica. We then went on a tour of the second largest synagogue in the world. It was a very interesting experience, and our tour guide did a wonderful job telling us the heartbreaking history. The garden was turned into a mass grave for all those who died there when the Jewish block was turned into a ghetto during World War II. Afterward, we went to Drum Cafe for a traditional Hungarian meal and a cranberry beer (it was amazing). By the time we left the restaurant, the sun was setting so we set off in search of the infamous chain bridge and the parliament building. After a few pit stops for souvenirs and chimney cakes filled with ice cream, we made it. The view was stunning. Looking at all of the incredible architecture lit up at night, it finally started to sink in that this is my life for the next 3 months; adventure, learning, and memories that I will cherish forever. I am truly blessed to be experiencing this amazing journey.

St. Stephen's Basilica

Although we wanted to stay longer and explore more of the city, back to the bus station we went (this time taking the subway) for our second overnight bus back to Olomouc. This time we had a 3 hour layover in Brno- in the middle of the night. Unlike the good old US of A, the McDonalds here are not 24/7 (bummer, I know), so we had quite literally nowhere to go. We sat in the train station for awhile and were entertained by a very peculiar pigeon (yes, we were clearly sleep deprived and delusional), and then wandered the freezing cold streets until it finally started to get light and McDonald’s opened with its food and WiFi. We made it back to our bus, and I finally got to my room at 9am Monday morning. Luckily class wasn't until 3 pm that day so I got a little sleep.

This trip helped me learn a few things about myself: 1. I can't sleep for more than an hour on a bus (Look out 20hr bus ride over spring break); 2. Trust my instincts because they aren't too shabby; and 3. Pack lighter! Your back will thank you for it later.

A cute sign we found exploring the city

Budapest was definitely worth the sleep deprivation, and I can't wait to go back one day and explore more of the beautiful city. Oh, and a little fun fact, while most people say 'Budapest' the locals call it 'BudapeSHt' because in the Hungarian language 'S' makes the 'SH sound' while 'SZ' together makes the 'S' sound. (The more you know!)


XO Sheyenne

Our view durring our 3 mile walk

The inside of the Synagogue

I love the food!

One of the memorials at the Synagogue

St. Stephen's Basilica at night

We love our life!

The Parliment building at night

Dinner at the Drum Cafe

Look Ma, I Made It (Daily Life)

I'm going to start by apologizing to all those who read this, much to my grandmother's dismay, grammar was never my thing and even after multiple checks, I may still have some mistakes. Also, this blog is my way of updating everyone back home about this wonderful adventure I have been blessed with, but it is also a requirement for one of my classes so I will have specific topics I need to cover. Now that my disclaimers are out there, we can get to the good stuff.

First Czech beer

Anyone who knows me knows that studying abroad has been a dream of mine for years, much to my parents' dismay. As I come up on the second week of being away from all thing familiar to me, I can say that so far this experience is everything and nothing like I expected it to be, but I am loving every second of it. I have definitely run into a few potholes like being fortunate enough to get the customs officer that had a scowl that made you question if you really knew your birth date, thinking you could master the Prague train station on your second day only to end up struggling all day and arriving at your destination 40 minutes after it closes, getting off a 4-hour bus ride to Olomouc only to find out that your shoebox of a dorm room didn't have wifi (your one source of communication to everyone back home), or waking up at 4am to your roommate telling you that a feral cat was in the room. Honestly, these stories are my favorites so far because they were the best learning experiences and I was fortunate to have an amazing group by my side going through it all with me. And hey, I'm now in the country where beer is cheaper than water so how bad can anything really be?

Our fury 4am visitor

I arrived in Prague on the 8th and luckily all my luggage did too (two of my fellow travelers were not so lucky), but once we all met up we took a shuttle to our hostel and our driver found it all too amusing as we attempted to say the few Czech phrases we knew. After a few days exploring the beautiful Prague (and drinking their pívo), we met up with the rest of the UNK group and headed to Olomouc, my new home for the next 3 months. In my short time in Olomouc, I have already fallen in love. Corny, I know but this city of 100,000 still has the small town feel that I love. The first three days here were filled with orientations and tours of the city, and a week later I am still in awe of the colorful and historic architecture that fills it with so much character and beauty. Being in Olomouc, I learned 3 things very fast: 1. its really easy to get all turned around in the city centers so pay attention, 2. when in doubt get on tram 2 and 7, and last but definitely not least 3. Globus is your best friend. For everyone back home Globus has EVERYTHING (except flashcards), and the first five days we were in Olomouc, I went to Globus every day.

Grabbing the essentials at Globus on our first night in Olomouc

On Thursday we finally started class, and I have never been so excited to go back to school because I was so ready to start learning Czech. Up until then when I was ordering food I would just pick an item at random (menus with pictures are my favorite). Well, let's just say when we left class we went straight to the pub because all hope of learning even a fraction of the Czech language was crushed. Don't worry class number 2 went way better, and all my hope in being able to order my food in Czech is restored.

Classic first day of school picture with my
new found friends

So much has happened in the last two weeks of my life that fitting it all into one blog post is impossible but over the course of the next 3 months, I will do my best to keep you all updated as I embark on hands down the craziest adventure of my life. Look ma, I made it!


XO,
Sheyenne

Just a small look into the beautiful city, Olomouc

Lunch with my friends during the first day of orientation

The view from our hostel in Prague

The look of determination at the
beginning of our train adventures

Nick, Paige, and I enjoying the beautiful nightlife of Olomouc

The beers from my first beer tasting at our
Prague hostel

My roommates and my new shoebox sized home

This little guy came right up to me while I
was taking a picture in front of this church 

My roommate Bre hanging out with my
at my new favorite café

The $10 a load laundry got the best of me
but I continue to smile through it