Fourth Week in Barcelona + Budapest
Monday, Feb 10
We left the Holiday Inn and headed to the airport bright and early. Surprisingly, all the airport staff were very efficient and before we knew it we were back home in Barcelona.
Natalie, Isabel and I after walking (OUTSIDE) on the exterior jetway, then waiting to enter the plane.
All of our bosses were understanding so I did a bit of computer work and then took the rest of the day to get organized. I did laundry, unpacked, took a much needed shower, made lunch and even took a siesta.
Being a Monday, Cece, Jojo and I continued our tradition of Monday Sunsets and went to 360, which is at the top of Las Arenas Mall in Plaça Espanya. We walked around the rooftop to get views from every angle and eventually chose to get some cava sangria and tapas at Abrassame. I ordered pan con tomate and a fried eggplant dish - it was delicious!
We wrapped up the night by going to La Mercadona to grab our weekly groceries. Last week, The Bachelor has a second episode so Natalie, Jojo and I watched the second part before we watched the next episode tomorrow night.
Tuesday, Feb 11
My apartment took the metro UB’s Mundet campus where we had a Catalan class. This was a super difficult and interesting lecture as she was teaching us Catalan in Spanish - basically I was learning my third language in my second language. My head hurt after that class, but I felt half-decent and knew I would be slightly more confident when locals spoke to me in Catalan. We took the metro home where I made a simple bowl for lunch and took a siesta. I did some of my homework for class tomorrow before dinner.
My lunch: teriyaki tofu, kale, cucumber, carrots + hummus.
For dinner, I met up with one of high school friends, Kate, who was also studying in Barcelona. We had played lacrosse together and kept in touch over the years. We went to Taquerías Tamarindo because she suggested Mexican food and it was good last week. we met there and caught up on life, travels and everything else.
After dinner, the boys came over for Bachelor Tuesday and we all debated who we thought would win and get sent home.
Wednesday, Feb 12
Today I took over the Mizzou Journalism Abroad Instagram account. I started the day out with a beach run and tried to get the sunrise, but I was way too early and I had to return to make it to the metro in time for class!
In my first class of the day, we discussed the relationship between music and politics which I found super interesting as I had never heard of this relationship. Between classes, we hung out in the common area, talking and finishing homework. In the next class, we learned about sex work in Spain. After that, I made a bowl and took a nap. Our apartment’s wifi has many issues so there were many delays while I was trying to post updates to the MUJA instagram story. I then facetimed my mom on what they should pack when they visited and made a veggie fried rice for dinner.
After dinner, Jojo, Lanie, Cece and I decided to go out since it was Wednesday. We headed to D9 where they cut a deck of cards in half and gave girls one and boys the other. When you found your match, you got a free shot! It was a cute little icebreaker game since it was almost Valentine’s Day. We met up with many other people in our program - Jack, Jack, Quinn (the only three boys in our program), Lucy, Lexi, Fatima, Jane and Renae. Here we all pregamed together before going to different clubs.
After D9, Lanie, Jojo, the boys and I walked to Razzmatazz (the club that had been hyped up the most). It was basically a massive concert hall/venue type of thing but it had multiple floors and rooms. It was amazing. We all had a good time before heading home a little later than we should have (sorry mom). This was definitely the most fun night out so far into the program!
Thursday, Feb 13
Despite the night before, Lucy and I made it to our internship on time and did our usual work - taking photos, planning posts, tracking analytics, etc.
After work, Natalie wanted to shop at Zara so I decided that I would join. Jojo got off work later so I met up with her at Pull + Bear. I was a very smart shopper and didn’t get anything at either store!
When we returned home, Cece and Isabel had bought a bunch of chocolates, candies and fruits so we had a little Galentine’s dinner hang out. Before going to sleep, I showered and packed for the weekend in Budapest - I would be leaving right from work tomorrow.
Friday, Feb 14
After our day was done at the internship, I hopped in a cab (that I had ordered the night before) and made my way to the airport. Cece was on the same flight as me so I waited for her before going through security. There was the cutest little Spanish girl in front of me who kept talking about how we were flying and going to heaven (in Spanish) the whole flight. Her awe when she looked out the windows was truly too cute.
To save money, we had a layover in the Munich airport and that was the cleanest airport I had ever seen. The bathrooms had a ton of different sustainable aspects that I nerded out over! We stopped to grab a beer and (hopefully) a pretzel at Hans in Glück. We got beers but nowhere had pretzels so we settled on some homemade bread with this guac-like avocado spread.
After arriving in Budapest, we got our money exchanged (I felt like a millionaire) and put an order for a taxi in at the window. I am so thankful they had that man at the window who spoke I-don’t-know-how-many languages and gave us our reciept with the cab number and license plate. Hungarian is different than any language I know and some of the signs looked truly hilarious. Cece and I then waited at a massive, heavy-looking door that we believed led to our hostel. After a few minutes, Jojo and Isabel (who arrived earlier in the day) appeared and showed us our very secure accommodation at Friends Hostel.
Saturday, Feb 15
We woke up early, got out bathing suits on and downloaded the Bolt app (similar to Uber). After calling a Bolt, we were on our way to the Szechenyi thermal baths. Cece, Isabel and I decided to get 20-minute massages and I rented a towel. This all was tracked on a wristband they gave you to wear.
A view of about half of the outdoor bath. Isabel and I enjoying the steam.
Jojo and I in the baths. A mirror selfie as I waited to be escorted to the massage area.
My masseuse was Peter and he delivered; I requested a deeper massage with cream and he got into the muscles perfectly. He also was extremely professional, despite knowing very little English. 10/10 recommend. After the massages, we found Jojo again and explored some more. There are indoor baths and saunas that seem to go on forever. After all of that, we took a Bolt back to the hostel to get ready for a full day of exploring.
A little photoshoot before we headed back to the hostel.
We started at the Fisherman’s Bastion and the church near it. There was a busker performing Ed Sheeran which just added to the magic of the landscape and architecture. We were all hungry for lunch after walking a lot, so we settled on HB Lounge Bar - a more fancier place with a view over the Daube River. They had a menu of the day so I got all three courses (some bread thing with goat cheese, a green pasta dish, and a brownie) with raspberry lemonade.
With full stomachs, we made our way to the Budapest Castle and Royal Palace. As we were walking between the two landmarks, Jojo, Cece and I saw the guards mounting at the Shandord Palace so we stopped to watch. We met back up with Isabel at the Royal Palace.
We then decided to trek up Gellert Hill to watch the sunset. (The hill is actually named after a martyred saint!) We found a vendor selling langos, so naturally we got one topped with Nutella. I needed something warm to drink, spotted some mulled wine and bought it. The rest of the girls followed suit. We then walked around to the Citadella where there are massive statues and killer views. We watched the sun go down and then grabbed some chimney stacks on the way back down.
We had some time to spare before our nighttime river boat tour, so we relaxed and got some rosé in a Marriot lobby. After a bit, we headed to the Legenda dock for our boat tour where we learned so many fun facts and strange stories.
Jojo and I in the bathroom at the Marriot. The Parliament building lit up at night.
After Bolting back to the hostel, we decided to go somewhere close for dinner and found Incognito - which was not our first choice, but some of the girls I was traveling with were picky. I saw the Lover’s Dream drink on the menu and knew I had to get it. They did not have a ton of meatless options, so I opted for a salmon dish.
After eating, we walked to Szimpla Kert, one of the most-famous ruin bars. I ran into another Mizzou friend and we talked for a bit. This place seems to go on forever and I could very easily get lost in it. not everyone I was with was feeling it, so we decided to head out - none of us even wanted to order a drink as the decor and maze-like design alone made us woozy.
Taken from the first floor, looking up. Taken from the second floor, looking up.
Cece and Isabel headed home, but Jojo and I cannot turn down an opportunity to explore. We ended up at Story Budapest. We thought this was another ruin bar, but boy were we wrong! they were charging cover but we had all these large HUF bills to spend before we left so we figured why not: we paid and walked inside. Keep in mind that we were still in our same clothes from the day. Think: jeans, sweater, scarf, etc. The other girls in here had on body-con dresses, skirts, bodysuits and full-faces of makeup. They all looked great. The music was bumping and the DJ booth was raised. We had unknowingly stepped into the newest, hottest club in Budapest.
A sign in the club and another Jojo and I found on our walk back to the hostel.
However, we danced like crazy (and sang the American songs super loud), having the most care-free night ever. Some boys came up to us and starting talking us (surprisingly) and we just laughed at the comedy of this whole situation - why were they talking to US?! We didn’t stay too late as we still had a full day tomorrow, so we circled back to the hostel.
Sunday, Feb 16
We woke up early and had breakfast at the New York Cafe - we had learned about its history on the river boat tour and wanted to see it for ourselves. I ordered the Italian breakfast with hot chocolate.
We then headed to Terror Háza, a museum showing all the ways the Nazis wreaked havoc on the city. It was compelling, somber and thought-provoking. I would definitely recommend it to get a great history lesson and a bit of a reality check - it will definitely give some perspective on life.
After the, we Bolted to the Parliament building and walked its perimeter, snapping photos and trying to decipher who each statue was. Some symbols and people were discussed on our river boat tour the night before, so we tried to piece it all together.
Jojo and Isabel had to catch their flight home, so Cece and I set out to explore. We stumbled upon the German Occupation Memorial and I am very happy that we did. There were people explaining their personal issues with it, as well as many other mementos and stories placed in front of the sculpture.
Continuing on, we located St. Stephen’s Basilica, Sinagoga Grande de Budapest and Gettó Guylás. Before heading to the airport, we had to get Falafel Bar. We split a falafel salad and a falafel pita and it was the perfect amount for the two of us (and sooo cheap).
Some things we saw along the way and our falafel pita.
Both of our flights operated fine and I worked on some of these travel blogs. We metroed home from the airport just to try it. It wasn’t too complicated, but it took a while. Once I got home, I unpacked and got ready for work the next day.
A few more photos from the trip that I couldn’t fit in anywhere else (: