As a side trip, we went to Budapest, Hungary. This city was on our must-see list, even though it is quite a large distance away from where my father lives. This is because my great-grandma was from Budapest.
Unfortunately, I never got to meet my great-grandma (who is also my namesake!), but I have heard many stories about her. My father was incredibly close with her, and so he enjoys sharing his memories of her. I grew up hearing a lot about her and her journey from Budapest to the United States, and so, as you will see, this journey 'connected a lot of the dots' for me, and what I heard about her.
Day One
On Thursday, we woke up quite early to begin our journey to Budapest. We were on the road at around 730AM and did not arrive in Budapest until around 9PM. I didn't realize how long the ride would be from looking at the map. Needless to say, driving the length of Austria in a snowstorm added a chunk of time to our ETA.
We also stopped at a few places, which increased our travel time. These stops allowed us to grab snacks and stretch our legs, which was greatly appreciated, and much needed.
We had the opportunity to stop in Salzburg, Austria, where the Sound of Music was filmed. The stop was only about forty-five minutes long, but we ate yummy hot dogs and saw one of the locations from the movie where the children and Maria danced! I must say that although I haven't seen the musical a million times, I am a huge fan because my entire life people have made references to the "How do you solve a problem like Maria" song to me. I must say, I have heard that joke so many times that it gets less and less hilarious each time someone says it. Here are some pictures from Salzburg!
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| The place where Maria danced with the children in The Sound of Music! |
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| The delicious Austrian hot dog we ate! |
We arrived in Budapest at nighttime, and finished the day with some food, and then headed to our Airbnb for a lovely snooze. Fun Fact: the Airbnb we rented was on the same street as the apartment where my great-grandma lived as a young girl. I thought that was pretty neat. Every time we walked down the street, I would try to picture what life might've been like for her when she was living in Budapest.
Day Two
On the second day of our trip to Budapest, we woke up late after a great night's sleep. Around 10AM we were ready to hit the city to meet with my father's Hungarian friend, Judy.
We went to a traditional Hungarian restaurant, and I ate an absolutely delicious meal. I ate chicken paprikash and mashed potatoes. It may seem like an odd pairing, but it was great. Hungary is known for their paprika, and so I felt it was necessary that I tried a dish with it, and I am glad I did.
We spent the meal conversing with my father's friend about her life and what she knew about my relative's life in Budapest. Judy was a friend of my grandpa's Hungarian cousin, and so it was interesting to hear her stories of her. It constantly boggled my mind that I was in the place my family had lived. It was hard to convince myself that this was true because it just seemed so different - the language, the buildings, the food, etc.
We spent the rest of the day exploring Budapest. We saw a beautiful church that rested right above the city. We spent time enjoying and observing it. It had incredible architecture with intricate details. As you can imagine, this church is a great tourist attraction because of its beauty.
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| The outside of the Church. |
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| Look at the detail on the ceiling! |
Later, Judy treated us at a cute cafe. Each of us enjoyed a delicious piece of cake and hot chocolate. The cake was so beautiful and fancy that I didn't want to eat it. It was just far too pretty - but I did of course!
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| YUM YUM YUM! |
We headed back to our district of the city after viewing it from above. There was a beautiful sunset. Honestly, when I was looking down at the city, and even viewing the picture now, I just can't believe how pretty Budapest is. It is truly a gorgeous city, with so much culture. The country is nestled between other countries that speak different languages and have prominent cultures. To me, this makes it a bit shocking that Hungary can maintain such great differences from those around them. Hungarian is a language that sounds nothing like German, French, and Italian. Not that those languages sound similar, but they at least have some similarities in the combinations of letters the words are comprised of. Additionally, the culture is very unique. The foods they eat are far different from the foods of the other European countries I have visited near it. For example, we found that a yummy Hungarian special is none other than, pig's feet! Furthermore, it is impressive how they maintain their uniqueness, and it makes visiting all the more special.
We finished the day by picking up the Hungarian classic - doner kebabs - for dinner. They were absolutely delicious! It consists of meat, a variety of veggies, and a delicious dressing, all wrapped together in pita bread. SO good!
We ate our doner kebabs while we went through a shoebox filled with old photos that belonged to my grandfather's Hungarian cousin. My father's friend Judy had saved them after my grandpa's cousin passed away. It was such a unique experience to be able to go through her photos and take a glimpse into her life. We also found a few adorable photos of my grandpa's family that were given to her, although she never met them. We smiled as we saw my grandpa as a young boy. To see these photos made our experience in Budapest all the more surreal, as I kept thinking about how different my life might've been had my great-grandmother never left Hungary.
Day Three
We began this day at a decent hour, with great excitement. This was the day we were going to visit Budapest's market! My excitement was inspired by what my father had said about it, in addition to my love for Barcelona's market. I was in absolute awe of Barcelona's market when I visited there, so I had high hopes for this one.
We met with Judy and ventured towards the incredibly large marketplace. As we reached the corner the market was on, we saw many Hungarians chatting and walking in and out with loaves of bread, and other foods, in hand. This was a clear sign to me that it was going to be busy, and that we were visiting a good spot.
We enjoyed the market for quite a long time. I believe we were there from about 1045AM - 2PM. There was just so much to see! My cousins and I completed a lot of our gift shopping there, and we also ate some delicious food.
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| Just a small part of the market. |
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| There was so many yummy and fresh foods. |
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| Traditional Hungarian clothing. My parents got a dress like this for me when I was a baby. |
I got this yummy doughboy-like treat. They normally fill them with meat and other foods, but I was craving Nutella and strawberries. It was so delicious.
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| I can't explain how yummy this was! |
We ended the day walking around the city for the last time, as we would be leaving the next day. We said goodbye to Judy, and headed to the traditional Hungarian restaurant we did the previous day. I ate chicken paprikash once again, and the rest of my family enjoyed goulash. We laughed, smiled, and joked about how our European had gone so far.
We went home and prepared to leave our Airbnb the next day as we would travel for almost the entire day, to Germany.
I had a great time visiting Hungary. I feel so grateful I not only got to explore the culture of Hungary, but I got to experience a glimpse of what my family's life was like when they lived there. It was a great blessing to learn more about my family's history through my father and Judy. Judy was a great tour guide. She was so nice to take us around the area and be our (much needed) translator. It meant a lot to me and it is something that I feel like I will cherish forever.
If you get the chance to visit Budapest, you definitely should. I recommend staying in an Airbnb, as you will probably get the best look at the culture by staying in a flat owned by Hungarians. I sure did!
Thank you so much for following along!
Until Next Time,
MM
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