For the rest of these posts, I'm just going to list the highlights. At this point in the trip I had visited 9 cities in 7 countries:
Edinburgh
Stratford-upon-Avon
London
Paris
Bruges
Amsterdam
Berlin
Warsaw
Krakow
Needless to say, I was bound to get sick at some point...
Budapest, Hungary. It's a city that is known for crazy nightlife, thermal baths galore, and where the goulash is actually a soup, not a stew. Unfortunately, that minor sore throat that sprung up decided to completely flare up and cause absolute misery. Budapest, for me, ended up being a rest city. Although I wouldn't let sickness get the best of me, I found myself extremely tired, unable to swallow any sort of liquid or food, and with awful headaches. I looked at my throat and what did I see? Swollen tonsils and white patches... Strep? Awful sore throat? Bacterial? Virus? I won't really ever know. All I do know is that I was miserable. Mom found that there was a clinic that was a 15 minute walk away from my hostel. On Saturday, I went on my own to talk with them, and hoped for the best that their English was adequate. I met the doctor, he looked at my throat, and said that my tonsils were definitely inflamed and that antibiotics were necessary. After a short 20 minute appointment, I brought my new prescriptions to the pharmacy and immediately started them. What kills me is that between the appointment and my antibiotics, I only spent $70. Here in the States, that easily (without insurance) would've been up to $150 altogether. Any way, that same night, I already felt so much better. Thank goodness for family (thanks Mom!) and for TripAdvisor. Long story short, I felt like brand new just in time for Oktoberfest the next week.
The journey in Budapest started off rocky. Our long and uncomfortable overnight bus from Krakow arrived around 6 am. We walked the 30 minutes to our hostel through the yucky rain and with my throat really starting to throb with pain. We couldn't officially check into our hostel room for a long time, so I passed out on the common room couch while Corinne figured out her finances and such. I woke up a couple hours later to be told that there was a mistake in our booking. A newbie at the hostel forgot to put in a reservation for 9 people, leaving us without a bed. Great. I'm sick and homeless. Luckily, the hostel had a sister hostel just right around the corner, and we were offered a free cab ride for their mistake. So off to the new hostel we went where we were greeted by Simon, the owner of the Tailor and White Hostel. Simon was a very over-the-top, energetic and enthusiastic individual, and little miserable me wasn't having it. But he was our host and I happily accepted the tea that he offered. I was actually happy that we ended up in that hostel. Simon ended up being extremely friendly, helpful, and just an all around great guy. The others in this tiny hostel were extremely friendly as well.
We decided to visit one of the baths while we visited Budapest. I mean, if we have to relax in some natural thermal springs in order to experience some of the culture, then I guess we have to suffer through it (hehe). We went to the largest bath in the city called the Szechenyi Baths. Budapest was founded on top of volcanic plates which results in natural thermal baths. Throughout the city and the country, baths are a popular hangout spot for locals to relax, meet with friends, and exercise. Between relaxing in the baths and the antibiotics, I was feeling on top of the world. The baths were magnificent; Simple as that. We visited an indoor pool, the sauna, and two outdoor pools. One of the outdoor pools had a sort of whirlpool that was fun to ride around in. There were a whole bunch of jets that helped relieve some stress mentally and physically. We were there for a good couple of hours, and we were thinking of maybe sticking around for the famous "Sparty" that was happening later that night. It's a party at the spa. So spa + party = SPARTY! It's a giant party in the outdoor pools with crazy lights, electronic dance music, and drinks. Other than not feeling well, it started storming outside so we decided to skip out on it. Looks like I'll just have to go back!
On our last full day in Budapest, we made our way to the park and simply walked around with no itinerary in mind. The entrance of the park is located by Hero's Square: a large area with a semi-circle of magnificent statues. What slightly bothered me was that as I walked along the semi-circle, it struck me that I know nothing of Hungarian history. These statues were dedicated to people for a reason, and unless Hungary affected the USA or western civilization in any way, eastern European history is rarely taught in schools. I understand that education frameworks need to pick and choose what to teach and that the history of the world is massive, but it would still be nice to know just a bit more. After we glanced at the statues, we ended up stumbling upon a festival that was quite lovely! They were selling Hungarian souvenirs as well as food that was grilled, stewed, or baked right there. Plenty of people were walking about and admiring the crafts, music, and food. The rest of the park, which surrounds a wonderful little castle, was serene and peaceful.
Budapest offered some beautiful sights and I know there was still a good amount to see. Although we didn't really get to participate in the nightlife, we enjoyed the company of our hostel and had some amazing food on our last night. Budapest was the perfect city to recuperate in, and I was definitely on my way to recovery and relief.