Marjorie Claire's Emerald Isle Blog: Budapest- Night 1

Welcome to Budapest!

As I mentioned before, I was pretty nervous about getting to Budapest. When we got there I soon realized it was the least touristy place we had visited. No worries because Brittany and I were determined to lead everyone safely to the hostel. We knew which subway line to take but we first had to get money and subway tickets. When we found the ATM (or Bankomat) and tried to do the Hungarian exchange rate in our heads (it’s about 200 HUFs to 1 US dollar), taking out 1,000 forints. I have to say, exchange rates have made me a pro at mental math. We tried buying a subway ticket but it was harder than you would think until a Hungarian boy about our age asked if we needed help. He told us how to get the ticket and when we went to the counter downstairs and asked the lady if she spoke English she just held her fingers an inch apart to show she only spoke a little. If I wasn't out of my comfort zone already I was now.

We got our tickets, got on the subway that seemed to be older than that ones we were accustomed to riding, and got off at the Opera stop. We trekked along the streets of Budapest and I carried Stacy’s bag because she was feeling sick. I was super nervous about finding the Unity Hostel because a lot of the street names were similar and foreign but we found it without a problem. We opened the door and the stairway up to the third floor smelled like decomposing bodies. The paint was peeling off the walls and like looked like a crime scene. We even spotted some bloody handprints on the walls. If I had not been with five other girls I would have probably run away crying and spraying my mace at anything that moved (I actually couldn't bring my mace to Europe. It's against the law in Dublin and I would never get it past airport security.) At this point I was ready to cry but instead took the nervous laughter approach (I was the one who booked it). We got to the door of the hostel and I was hoping that it was going to be better than the stairwell, after all I had researched it and knew that I would never have booked a hostel that was also on CSI: Budapest. We opened the door and it was the biggest relief. The place was so warm and cozy and maybe the best place we stayed while on Spring Break. After we got to the room I remarked that I was afraid the Wolf Pack would eat me alive and Stevie said, “Honey, the Wolf Pack doesn’t eat its own.”

Loved the Unity Hostel!

Stacy was still feeling under the weather so the six of us (we had gained Diana) headed out in search of food and came across a restaurant called Bohemia. This was probably my favorite dinner throughout the whole trip, not because of the food, but because we were all relaxed and enjoying each other’s company. I had the Hungarian pork, which was served with plenty of paprika and potatoes. A bachelor party sat next to us and the bachelor was dressed up as a duck. Naturally we took a picture with him.