Budapest, Hungary

Friday, October 12 - Saturday, October 13, 2012


On Thursday evening, October 11,  my traveling group and I embarked on a sixteen hour train journey from Capolago to Budapest. After a memorable trip on a night train, preceded by an hour we spent by the water in Zurich, we arrived in Budapest around 11:00 Friday morning.

Maverick Youth Hostel

Budapest is a city divided by the Danube River, with Buda falling on the West bank and Pest on the East side. With the exception of our walking tour, we spent our time in Pest; however, my liking of Buda far exceeded my liking of Pest. After departing the train, we headed for the ATM. Budapest currency yielded the most astounding of currency exchange rates at 1 US Dollar matching 222 Hungarian Florints. We used the currency to pay for the best hostel we have stayed at to date: the Maverick Youth Hostel.

The view of Buda from Pest

Found my favorite part about fall in Pest!

Once we settled in to our tree house style rooms, we headed in the direction of the river. Our first glimpse of Buda, bridges, and the surrounding old architecture was well worth the long wait of a sixteen hour train ride. Standing near the Chain Bridge, we noted a nearby building which though we didn't know what it was, prompted us to start snapping our cameras. Then off to our stop, we realized that our intended destination, the Great Hall Market, was what we had been taking pictures of in minutes prior. Standing since 1896, Budapest's largest market offered fish to fashion. The market was the first that we have visited with two floors and consequently the market where we spent the most time to date. I was quickly able to note things indigenous to Budapest such as paprika and hidden key boxes. I also spotted my favorite symbol of Autumn: pumpkins. However, every pumpkin price listed was listed not as the sale price of a pumpkin, but instead was called Halloween.

The Great Hall Market

The largest market yet!

By the time Friday night rolled around, I was more than thrilled to be able to meet up with other Tech friends from another study abroad program based in Italy. Michael Donovan and Matt Thomas introduced us to members of their program, swapped stories with us, and joined us on a pub crawl. Each of the four bars we went to were known as "ruin bars" meaning that they were previously old buildings now converted into bars. The artistic funk and uniqueness of each bar proved this true as I noted different architectural aspects. At the fourth bar, the best surprise of all was waiting for me... Lizzie! Though I knew she was coming to Budapest, I didn't think I would see her until the following day. After a great but brief reunion, I headed back to the hostel with Dave and Ali. Our method of transportation back to the hostel demonstrated just how touristy we were as Ali, Dave, and I were easily duped into taking a taxi which ripped us off.


We decided to try out our first free tour on Saturday morning. Our tour guide, Andrew, was energetic and full of trivia. Did you know that Hollywood producers tend to choose Hungarian as the language of aliens in movies? In fact, the way Yoda speaks is modeled off the Hungarian language. "Backwards talk," like Yoda, and sentence structure such as English speakers are used to are considered equivalent in the Hungarian language; for example, saying, "Sausage I eat," or "I eat sausage," is the same. Hungarian is an agglutinative language: small meanings form large words. The language has 44 letters in it. This could help to contribute to the reason why the language has a word which would be equivalent to a full sentence in English that took Andrew approximately five seconds to say. The word, "megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért," means something like "for your continued behavior as if you could not be desecrated.” If this seems complicated to you, you're not alone. The Hungarian language is ranked in the top five hardest languages to learn. However, the two most important words to know on our trip, "hello" was coincidently translated to what sounds like "see ya" and "goodbye" to "alo." He joked that when we walk into shops, uninterested shopkeepers may great us with "alo," in hopes of us leaving.

Matthias Church

As we stood listening to Andrew by the river running through Hungary's coastal, he noted a statue that is known as Szabadsag Szobor or Statue of Liberty. The statue was built after World War II, in 1947, to memorialize Hungarian freedom. However, Hungary is only a more recent post-Communist country. Moreover, the older generation struggles with more modern thought like ours and Andrew's generation. Following our observing of the Danube and its surrounding landscape, we walked across the Chain Bridge, up a lot of steps, and arrived in the Buda Castle District. The views from this point were beautiful. In our time in the castle district, we saw Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church and the Royal Palace and Buda Castle, both UNESCO World Heritage sites. Unfortunately, we were unable to go into any of these sites. Matthias Church's exterior was so pretty and colorful. Though known as the name of a Hungarian king, the church is officially titled The Church of Our Lady.

The Chain Bridge

Budapest was equally as beautiful in the daytime as it was at night. Determined to burn the candle at both ends before boarding our sixteen hour train at 6:00 Sunday morning, Lizzie met up with us at our hostel and we headed out to what was voted the number one bar in the world by Lonely Planet
The bar, was an old Ukrainian ship docked on the Buda side of the river. We enjoyed different bar locations throughout the ship where we were able to socialize and for a second night in a row, try a different fruit flavor of the traditional Hungarian alcohol, Pálinka. A very strong liquor, it dates back 500 years to when it was used more as a digestive medicine. As the club started to fill up, DJ A.Skillz took the stage near the large dance floor and we began imitating some of the many European style dance moves. The environment was so much fun that we lost track of time until we decided it was time to leave at 3:00. And then came the best trip to Doner Kebab of the trip... I didn't know it was possible. Kacey, Ali, and I thought it would be easier to just keep staying awake since we had to leave for the train station at 5:00 so in turn we were rewarded for our stamina by our discovery of arguable the best hummus EVER! However my favorable opinion of this particular dip most likely had something to do with the fact that I've been deprived of my favorite snack since August. We then made it back to the hostel and attempted to stay awake. The plan worked well until I heard everyone else's alarms going off and then I promptly fell asleep for half an hour until someone woke me up and told me we were leaving... so much for avoiding the brutal wakeup call.

Budapest!

Venice, Italy

Friday, October 5 – Sunday, October 7, 2012

Venice: the city of bridges, masks, glass, lace, canals, gondolas, vaporetti, beautiful sunsets and… tourists? Considered one of the most Romantic cities, arriving in Venice was truly a treat rewarding a long school week; however, I instantly understood why as of late, Venice has been characterized by the thousands of tourists that visit each day. Nonetheless, Venice was neither dim nor dull and completely beautiful. Our first action upon arriving was to buy a three-day water taxi, or vaporetto, pass. These taxis would serve as our means of communication as we toured “the sinking city.” Our hostel was right on the water and I was happy to enjoy an amazing sunset and the company of friends. Taking the night easy, we went to Margarita Square and found some great zucchini pizza. This meal would serve as my go-to meal for the weekend as we put good eats on the back-burner and instead chose exploring.

St. Mark's Square

Like always, we forced ourselves to roll out of bed early on Saturday morning. We went to the Piazza San Marco, or St. Mark’s Square, first. This island is the most visited and most popular of the 118 islands that comprise Venice. We decided to return to this bustling plaza on Sunday and in turn went to the island of Murano. This island, known as the glass island, well lived up to its reputation. As we popped in countless souvenir shops, we made sure to take note of glass artwork labeled specifically as a product of Murano and true Venetian glass. Sadly, as a recent Rick Steves article pointed out, foreign glass imports to Venice have skyrocketed and thus, local glass sellers have been losing profits. The secret behind true Venetian glass blowing was a sacred tradition; for this reason, in 1292, all glass makers moved to the island of Murano. Before we headed off to another island known for its artistry, we ate a delicious meal at a restaurant outside on the water.

Colorful houses in the island of Burano

We then traveled to the island known for Venetian lace, Burano. While I enjoyed both islands, I enjoyed the island of Burano most. Nearly every home and shop was painted a bright color. Also the quietest island, we were free to easily wander the streets, with my favorite coffee and raspberry gelato in hand, clear of packs of tourists. Heavily dispersed among miles of lace were Venetian masks. No matter what island we went to, it seemed we were unable to wander further than fifty feet without passing either a shop or market stand with masks. We were able to find fake ones for only a few Euros; however, we passed by artists painting masks which were priced upwards in three digits. Regardless of the price, one constant remained: any slight movement signaling the motion of taking a picture resulted in quick yells to think otherwise.

 

Gondolas

One treat we were able to take home with us was the amazing music of Native Americans playing in a square in Burano. Matt, Kacey, Holland, Gretchen and I all put in a two Euros and after Matt’s sly interaction with one of the band members, we walked away with a CD loaded with awesome music at a discounted price. While one may think this is not the best comparison from halfway across the world in a completely different environment, the music reminded me of one of my fondest memories at Disney World senior year when walking around Epcot senior year. Saturday night we spent time near the San Rialto Bridge, one of Venice’s architectural icons, and sat near the water. After busy days of touring, I savor the more genuine and relaxed moments sitting by water and watching a beautiful sunset.

The Senate Room

On Sunday, we enjoyed the luxury of traveling closer to home. Since our train did not leave until 17:00, we were able to wander the city as we pleased with one obstacle: our backpacks. Since the islands were only accessible by the unreliably scheduled water taxi, we opted to keep our backpacks with us, rather than backtracking to the island on which our hostel, an old warehouse turned multi-floored dormitory, was located. This problem was quickly alleviated when unknowingly, a bag check was compulsory when we entered Doge’s Palace. The doge, a historical Venetian figurehead rather than person of power, was the most senior ranking official in Venice. The views inside the palace were absolutely breathtaking; however, you’ll just have to take my word for it since we were not allowed to take any photographs in this national treasure. Each room offered something completely unlike any of the other rooms. I specifically took note of the many fireplaces; they were unlike anything that would be duplicated today and served as almost paintings that told a story. Gold, marble, and rich wood lined both the floors and the walls but did not overpower the intricacy of the murals which spanned both ceiling and full walls. I especially enjoyed looking at a wall on which a family tree, dating centuries back, was painted. 

The Bridge of Sighs

One of our last stops in the palace was where we finally let ourselves sit for a few minutes. The courtroom and Senate room are said to be one of Europe’s largest rooms, however, I, particularly, was more captivated by the grandeur of the decoration rather than the room’s size. I imagine it would’ve looked significantly smaller if all of the decoration left the walls. From the courtroom, we then walked the same march as convicted prisoners, crossing the Bridge of Sighs which links the palace to the prison. Unlike the prisoners which caught their last glimpse of Venice, we instead enjoyed sticking our hands out tiny openings and making a connection with tourists taking pictures and waving back at us.

Going with our ever present track record of things magically going our way, even if they had not been as planned, we encountered not one, but two of these occurrences on the train ride back to Capolago. After a few of us ended up on the wrong train with the wrong reservations, we spent thirty minutes in a train station coming up with a game plan until getting back on another train home. Just to our luck, the train car we walked on to was the car of our remaining friends who were traveling home on, unbeknownst to us, the right train. Quickly after, Cody, who had been sitting in another train car, came in and asked Melanie if she knew that her best friend’s parents were sitting next to him on the train. Completely shocked, it was safe to say Melanie enjoyed the best ride home… lucky for us we hopped back on the train that everyone else was on! I continue to learn that things in Europe have a crazy way of happening like this. It seems as though we bump into people more here than we do at home. When coming back from Cinque Terre on a train we were not supposed to take, I called out as Kacey and I exited, “Oh! Americans!”  I then realized and stated— these were not just Americans; they were wearing Mason sweatshirts… “That’s near my house!” Still oblivious, I was caught completely off guard when a girl beneath a hood in the rain exclaimed, “Stefanie!” How miniscule were the chances that we each just so happened to be in the same place in Europe, boarding and exiting the same train, at the same time, and using the same door. As I’ve now learned to say, “…only in Europe.”

Snuck a picture with a mask, just for you, Dad.

Florence, Siena, Cinque Terre, Pisa... Tuscana Italia!

Sienna & Florence, Italy 

(…for Pisa, Genoa, and Cinque Terre, scroll down!)
Friday, September 27 – Saturday, September 28, 2012

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

A girls’ weekend in Tuscany was the perfect cure to my traveling hangover induced by a busy ten day break, launching into our first week of class with our new professor in Supply Chain and Operations Management, Lance! Ali, Kacey, Melanie, Gretchen, and I arrived in Florence on Friday afternoon. I was both comforted and welcomed to the city by watching a pickpocket sprint away from a pursuant as I exited the train. With my satchel gripped in my hand, we headed down the street to be met by market which stretched longer than a football field. We admired Italian leather, jewelry, Italian ties, clothing, hundreds of scarves, and other artistry. I bargained for a certain gift for a certain someone -- marking my second successful bargain. In our afternoon trip to Florence, we saw the Ponte Vecchio (translated to The Old Bridge), Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, and both a line to see the real statue of David formed near a fake one.

Sitting in front of the Ponte Vecchio; the bridge is mentioned in documents as old as 996 AD

Torre del Mangia

Our prime destination was Sienna; after an hour train ride, we arrived at la Villa Piccola, our bed and breakfast for the weekend. Pining for a hearty Italian meal, we caught a bus into the main town of Sienna and did just that. The main city is surrounded by the old walls of a fortress. These walls now mark to boundaries of the main city of Sienna. I basked in the magnificence the architecture of the city boasted and noted Buildings are probably older than my country (something that still amazes me every time I travel). Not only were the streets of Siena (spelled the Italian way) clean and the walls of buildings free of graffiti, the rustic and serene echoes of voices I heard as we walked the streets searching for the perfect place to eat were an excellent change of pace from the streets of Florence. The weather was perfect and despite a sky that was dark by 19:30, the darkness added a greater feeling of much needed tranquility and peace to my night. While I like going to tourist destinations (there's a reason all those people go to the same place isn't there?), I've come to find I appreciate the quieter, shy towns more. We reached la Piazza del Centro: a huge circular area with a mighty clock tower, known as the Torre del Mangia, other medieval architecture, and restaurants. Alas, we had been waiting for: we were able to sit outside, order food with pesto, and listened to a man who walked up to us with his guitar and a great voice and sang about America. Though I'm sure it would appear differently in the day time, the nestled area was romantic and respected, with no sounds of yelling or loud voices and people moved at a leisurely pace.

Duomo di Siena; said to have one of the most fascinating facades in Italy

Quiet Sienna streets at night

Although I was unable to walk the city by day, I'm more than sure I appreciated the narrow streets, accented by cozy lighting, more at night than day. Maintaining the theme for the night, my favorite minutes came as we sat and admired the Roman Catholic Siena Cathedral, or Duomo di Siena in Italian. I enjoyed the silence that surrounded me as I took in the magnificence of the cathedral, standing strong since the 1200s. I felt a pang of unease as I questioned the likelihood a structure so ornate would ever be constructed in the present day. Instead of dwelling on this, I went on to admire the saints and angels decorating the church and relished the joy I found taking in everything around me by myself in silence.

After a good sleep, we woke up and headed back to Florence. We had booked a Chianti wine tour which would comprise half of the day and take us through Tuscany. To read more about this tour, keep reading! …Or skip forward one day to Sunday: Pisa, Cinque Terre, and Genoa!

On September 29, 2012—just before harvest season—Kacey, Ali, Melanie, Gretchen, and I went on a Chianti wine tour. Starting in Firenze, known to us as Florence, we took a bus through Tuscany, which stopped in the little town of San Bridgeta and saw her church, and then arrived at the Castello del Trebbio. As we traveled, our bus tour guide provided us with some basic history. Only four years after Florence joined the kingdom of Italy, from 1865 to 1878 Firenze was the capital of Italy in the time gapping Turin and Rome as the capital’s location. Though Florence is no longer the capital of Italy, it is the capital of one of Italy’s twenty regions: Tuscany.

Barrels that hold 3000 bottles

We decided to tour the 900 year old Castello del Trebbio, a castle inhabited by a family who produces wine and olive oil, during prime Chianti wine harvest season. Chianti, a type of wine, uses specially selected grapes, must use all natural products, and is identified by pink labels which denote that it is properly prepared. One requirement of this preparation process is the use of at least 80% Sangiovese grape; the other grapes selected are generally French grapes to appeal to international buyers. If only Sangiovese grape was used, the wine would be really strong. Regardless of the type of grape, it must be produced in Tuscany to meet Chianti classification. Chianti wine also requires that it is stored in certain types of wood. At the Castello del Trebbio, oak barrels are used; barrels can be used for up to sixty years.

Castello del Trebbio

The Castello del Trebbio, the castle in which we toured the wine cellars and some of the ground level, has only been inhabited in recent decades. The castle, previously owned and built for the Pazzi family as a fortress, is most known for where the Pazzi Conspiracy was planned. In 1478, the Pazzi family tried to kill two brothers in the Medici family, the reigning rulers of Florence, in order to become Florence’s new reigning family. However, the attempt before 10,000 in the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, was only half successful and eventually led to the stripping of the Pazzi family’s possessions. The brother Medici brother who survived, Lorenzo, hung 200 corpses around Florence on the biggest buildings in 1448 and then attempted to delete the memory of the Pazzi family. For this reason, there are only two original Pazzi family crests left and they are found in the castle. In order to sustain his family’s power, Lorenzo Medici made his son, Leon X, the pope; Clement 7, the succeeding pope was also related to the Medici family. But in 1757 the last member of the Medici family died and new power took Florence. Contrary to the Medici family, there are still some members of the Pazzi family alive. The current state of the castle is responsible for the widow of a successful Portugese man. He bought the castle in 1968 for his wife before his death. Anna, the daughter of this couple, decided to restore the castle and has now opened it for the public. Anna is in charge of the castle’s wine marketing and olive and saffron production. As I noted when entering the cellars, labeling around the castle are in French: the language of love.

Pazzesco: dessert wine

Following the production guidelines, the castle produces about 300,000 bottles of its Chianti wine, which is aged for seventeen years, named Trebbio. The family also produces a younger wine named Super Tuscan. This wine is made with 50% Sangiovese grapes and only aged for three to five years. We were allowed to try both types of wine and in addition, a glass of dessert wine named Pazzesco. The wine is named this in honor of the Pazzi family but also is translated, in words of tour guide, “Woohoo! Great!” This wine was served with canducci, or what we know as biscotti. All wines from the castle and its’ winery are DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) certified. This means that in order to receive the labeling, the wine must be tasted by a committee and producing following strict guidelines. The implementation of the DOCG notation has increased the overall quality of Italian wines.

Yet, our tour was not limited to wine; our perky tour guide excitedly told us about her second favorite produce—oil. She then went on to explain the differences between the different types. Extra virgin olive oil is the best with the level of acidity below 0.08% is produced with only the juice of the olives in an all-natural process.  Extra virgin olive oil is the best for health containing the healthy omega fats; for this reason it is used to make shampoos, makeup, or lip balm like Kacey bought. By consumption, the oil is good for the brain and blood flow. Though extra virgin is the best type of oil, the most produced type is virgin olive oil; its level of acidity falls between 0.08%-0.2%. Be warned: companies take recollect oil and mix with 15-20% extra virgin olive oil; why sells as only 2-5 Euros rather than 20-30 Euros. The third level is made up with what is left now after three rounds of pressing and is called olive oil. It must be cleaned with 15%-20% chemicals. As our guide said, “I use about one liter of extra virgin olive oil every week, so 30-40 liters a year. If instead I cooked with olive oil and put all these chemicals into my body, I think that next year you would have a different guide. Maybe better for you and not for me.” To avoid this, when buying oil one should look at the year of the last harvest on the bottle while looking for the classification of “cold press.”

Unlike wine, you do not have to age olive oil; the year on the bottle should be the same year as the year you buy it—the fresher the better. If one sees a bottle of extra virgin olive oil that says, for example, 2008, it is recollected and has been cleaned with preservatives but is still allowed to be called extra virgin because preservatives prolong the oil’s expiration. Another thing to watch for is the container: a glass or a dark metal, never plastic, container to protect from the light and what else is outside. The Pazzi family’s production of “Extra Vergine di Oliva Castello del Trebbio” is very fresh and the olives are squeezed very slowly using the cold press. Though we took this tour at the end of September, coincidentally the day that I decided to type up these notes falls on the same day that the olives are harvested at the Castello del Trebbio: November 8, 2012.

Tuscana, Italia!

Cinque Terre, Pisa, & Genoa, Italy 

Sunday, September 29 – Monday, September 30, 2012

Looking to stretch a three day weekend into four different trips in Tuscany, on Sunday, Kacey and I woke up early to go to Pisa and Cinque Terre. After some train trouble, we made it to Pisa. With our backpacks, sneakers, and leggings, we looked like classic young tourists as we snapped some quick touristy pictures in front of the Leaning Tower. When I pictured the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I imagined it to be set aside from the main town; however, it was right in the city's heart, next to the d'uomo. It was a quick stop in Pisa, then we headed on to Cinque Terre.

Best meal yet!

My Pinterest board didn't do Cinque Terre justice; I only hope from my pictures people can get a taste of the great day Kacey and I had in the beautiful towns on the Italian coast. When our train car popped out from the tunnel taking us to the most southern village, Riomaggiore, I joined in the unexpected "gasp" let out by all the passengers in our train car. After ditching our bags at Mama Rosa's youth hostel, a story in itself, we went up to our first scenic view to discover that our expected plan had foiled. Though we weren't able to hike from town to town because of the trail conditions, we made due with hiking where possible, but relying on the Italian trains.

Cinque Terre (& the closed hiking path)

 The second village we visited was the northernmost, Monterosso. With a glass of homemade Sangria in hand, we walked the narrow streets, talked to some locals, then continued to the village of Vernazza. My favorite village greeted us with caprese and pesto pizza (my favorite meal I've had so far)! We were able to eat at a table seaside and watch the sunset. While taking pictures of the beautiful sky, we met a couple from South Carolina and also a group of five men who had lived in Cinque Terre for 70 years! As ritual, every night possible, they come down and watch the sunset. Traveling with just one person allowed us to connect with so many different people, stroll at a leisurely pace, and take the train delays as the come as our plans slowly changed...

Christopher Colombus' house

A twenty minute train delay caused us to miss our train back to Riva San Vitale. Hoping to find a train at least back to Milan, we went from the main Cinque Terre train station, La Spezia, to a bigger train station in Genoa. Exhausted from a long day, we both fell asleep and were woken up at our stop by a train worker... We had both slept though the alarms we set for 15 minutes prior. Groggy and confused, we checked the train schedule to discover we were going to be spending the night in Genoa. When we woke up the next morning, we explored the coastal port town where Christopher Columbus lived. We saw his house, what we initially thought to be pirate ship but was really just one used for a movie, could've gone into the largest aquarium in Europe but did not, and bought some fruit at a large fresh fruit market held inside. We let out a traveler's sigh of relief when we finally made it back to the villa in time for dinner. In four days, we had see a lot and had an amazing time. This was my first time traveling as a smaller group and then with only one person. Though at night we missed our big group, we loved being able to be spontaneous and go wherever we pleased.

Beautiful sunset in Cinque Terre, Italia