Ice Skating and Nights with Friends

Last weekend (Feb 22) we went ice skating right next to hero's square.

The castle in the background is not very old. It is a castle they built to be a combination of all the castles in Hungary.


Me about to step out on the ice, I hope I can still skate!

Wow!!! Look at how good I am!


Roommates on the ice.

This is a picture of about half the people that went that night.


The rest of these pictures are just from pub nights and other parties from the last 3 weeks.


Me and Lorraine.

Me, Guillaume, Gaeton, and Megha.

Anson, Lorraine and George.

Group picture.

Everyone at Morrisons.

George being silly.

Me and Eline on the way to the carnival party in our birthday hat costumes (that was the only costume we could come up with on such short notice).
Renato, Solenne, Reetta, and me at carnival.

Ville, me, and Eline at Morrisons.

My group at the "get to know you party" thrown by our mentors. Our challenge was to fit 11 people in a 2x2 ft square touching as few feet to the ground at possible. Our group did it with 5 feet. We won!!

The Baths and Donuts

The first and second weekend we went to the Szenchenyi Baths. I didn't take my camera with because I don't want to drop it in the water so I got these pictures online. They were taken in summer but since these baths are warm you can go in them outside year round.

There are 3 pools outside. The first one is pretty warm and the center of it is a giant whirlpool, like the lazy river only fast. Every half an hour or so the entire pool turns into a big jacuzzi with bubbles everywhere. The middle pool is a big lap pool. The last pool is my favorite. It is 38 degrees Celsius and really nice after running across the entire courtyard wet in 20 degree weather.

This is the whirlpool.


This is the warmest pool.
In the warm pool there are old men playing chess all around the sides.

The inside is a series of rooms with different pools. Many of the pools are warm and some have mineral water so they are green. There is one pool that is really cold (18 degrees Celsius).

We are planning to go to different baths in the future to see which ones we like the best. There is a party at the Rudas bath in March that we have already bought tickets for. The Gellert spa is right next door to our school. I really like Szenchenyi because it is outside, I don't think any of the other baths are outside. The second time we went it was nighttime and it was so nice just to float in warm water and look up at the stars.


Before we went to the baths the first weekend Lorraine made these French donuts. They are citrus flavored and delicious!

St Stephen's Basilica and Other Sight Seeing

St Stephen's Basilica.


Front of the Basilica.


"I am the way, the truth, and the life." Yes I do remember something from Latin.


Me jumping in front of the Basilica.

Everyone disappointed when we thought the basilica was closed. It actually was open, the boys just read the sign wrong so we did get to go inside.


The dome in the middle of the Basilica that collapsed during construction in 1867.



Next we went to Parliament. Unfortunately it was closed on Saturdays so we couldn't go inside. This was the coldest day that it had been the entire trip, around 15 degrees. Now it is 2 weeks later and 60 degrees?!

Some protesters outside of Parliament. I don't think there were that many because it was the coldest day that it had been the entire trip, around 15 degrees. Now it is 2 weeks later (Feb 27) and 60 degrees?!Front of Parliament.

The House of Terror was the last stop of the day. This is a building on the main road leading to Hero's Square. It was a main building for the Nazis in 1944-45 and then the communists until 1989. Now it is a museum that goes through the history of Nazi and communist occupation in Hungary.

Bratislava!

We (16 students) took a 2 day trip to Bratislava in Slovakia this weekend (Feb 23-24).


Me at the train in Budapest ready to go at 9:30 A.M. !!!



Eline, Reetta, and Anson on the train in our cabin.

Me, Andy, and Kari in our cabin. We had just met Kari when we got in the cabin. He is from Finland and just traveling after finishing his master's thesis. How come everybody in Hungary is from Finland?


We have arrived!



Presidential palace.


My first youth hostel ever!!!

This is one of our 2 rooms with 8 beds each.

A nice tower.



This was underneath the tower. It shows the direction of big cities all around the world and how far away they are from that point.


A nice church.

Me, Reetta, Gaeton, Hilary, and Kari.


Bratislava castle.

View of Bratislava from castle.

Everyone at the castle.


George, Hilary, Eline, and Reetta waiting for everyone.

Dicle and I by a cool statue.


A clock tower in the square in old town.

Palace that we toured on Sunday.


Someone playing the harp in the square.

Eline and I having Bechorovka.


Devin Castle which are Roman ruins outside of Bratislava.


Tuomas, George, Ville, and me at the ruins.

Everyone at the ruins.

Views from the top.