|
This morning we woke up to a scrumptious breakfast of toast, coco puffs, oranges, and espresso. Following breakfast we collected our belongings, including our 3 day public transit passes, and ventured out into the blistery cold Budapest weather. The first stop in our explorations was the former Gresham Palace which is now a referred to as the Four Seasons Hotel of Budapest. Our journey continued to the exquisite St. Stephans Basilica. Inside the cathedral, archetectural detals consisted of stained glass windows, golden arches and trimmings, statues, and an immaculate organ. For most of the day we were on the Pest side of Budapest which we were gratefully corrected by a local during our video journal. After leaving the Cathedral, our group split into two groups. One group went to the National Hungarian Museum and the other, which we were a part of, went to a Turkish bath. During this experience we dipped in mineral baths, some tried steam rooms and others dared to try a Thai massage. We all met back at the hotel where we rested for about 2 hours. We then toured a Budapest mall and ate at a local restaurant. This meal was one of the best meals we have had on the tour. After dinner we returned to the hotel and some ventured into the city while others decided to get some rest. We are looking forward to returning to the volleyball courts tomorrow night!!
The group headed into the cold Budapest weather, following our fearless leader Heni and her husband George. Together, they led us around town, stopping to have Meghan read from Heni's tour booklet (Heni didn't want her accent to be confusing to the group). We finally stopped at the St Stephens Basilica and were awed to find that the right hand of St Stephen had been cut off and was now on display for the viewing pleasure of its visitors. None of us were able to see this gruesome sight as that area was closed off for this particular day. From here we made a pit stop at the California Coffee Company to have some AMERICAN style bagels!! Some headed around the corner to exchange their leftover Euros to Forints. Next we headed downtown to a sort of flea market that Heni said usually was only open the week from Christmas to New Years, so we were lucky the venders had not closed down shop. Our group finally split up, with George taking half to the Turkish baths and Heni taking the remaining members to the National Museum. In the museum, we had a few photo violations, a coat check riot (almost), and a "do not touch!" Finally we all reunited at the hotel and took much needed naps before heading to the mall and getting dinner. The schedule had been set for tomorrow and the high school team was sent off to bed to rest up for the match the next day, while the members of the older team in college were allowed to return to Cactus Juice with Cory and the adults for a night on the town. |
