Hungary for Love

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The herald of the fifth portion of Rachels Tour de Europe came with the arrival of her long-time friend, Kristen French. Kristen hails from Boulder, Colorado and the two met while studying abroad in Wollongong, Australia. With nostalgia for long discussions over steeping tea, and a disenchantment for the real world, Kristen spontaneously bought a plane ticket and the two decided to meet in Hungary. Two weeks later, Rachel arrived at the Budapest airport holding a sign conspicuously advertising the slogan, "Hungary for Love". Many recent arrivals in the airport looked curiously at the sign, attempting to decipher whether it was a Cancer Treatment Organization or an Escort Service. In reality, the slogan was the result of eight hours on a bus and an overactive imagination. The two decided it would be a theme for the first week of their trip together in Europe.

The girls settled into their hostel in Budapest and overcame jet lag with a very active walking tour by night. As darkness fell upon the city, the city lit up, dazzling the eyes with pinpricks of light refelcting on the Danube River. Budapest originated from three towns that grew together. The mighty Danube divides the city today, into flat and cosmopolitain Pest and bumpy Buda. Together, the halves form a vibrant and dynamic city, created from Austro-Hungarian influence in conjunction with an Eastern flair. This combination is manifested in the diverse architecture, ethnicity and wide variety of food.

On the Buda side of the river, the landscape changes dramatically. Pest´s flat plain is forgotten by looking at Buda´s rolling hills. Beneath these hills lies a fascinating geological history. As the river´s water table dropped over time, and rains flooded the valley, small fissures in the earth´s surface filled with water and created caves. Today these caves are explored by spelunkers and tourists alike. The girls were able to participate in one of these tours, diving through cramped tunnels and wriggling through tiny spaces reminiscent of birth, 25 meters below the earth´s surface.

Thoroughly exhausted from their journey to the underworld, the girls were happy to catch up indoors over pasta dinners with their new friend Steve. The new trio spent the next four days exploring underground bars and narrowly missing pedestrians while playing frisbee on the streets of Budapest.

Kristen adds a new dynamic to the trip. With her kickboxing history and penchant for good health, she brings an element of fitness to the journey. On her second day in Budapest, Kristen chose to lead a three mile run around the banks of the Danube. Daily conditioning and healthy eating are now priorities on the list for travel. Kristen also hopes to take a jog in every country she visits, in addition to surfing in Portugal and eating chocolate in Switzerland.

Budapest, Hungary has been a solid start to this sector of the journey.

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Photos

The theme
Meeting Kristen at the airport, I held this sign