Today was our second day in Budapest. This morning, thank God was a lazy morning... we woke up and ate breakfast and off to the market we went. The market was cool, they had both trinkets and fresh food, such as produce and meat. Some of us went shopping, I (Brooke K) bought a scarf for my aunt, and I (Brooke M) bought a sweatshirt for my boyfriend.
After the market we traveled through the brisk (actually, terribly cold) Budapest air. We arrived at the lovely Parliament building, and while we were there we took a tour. The Hungarian Parliament building puts our congress building to shame. The Parliament building was made up of many ornate staircases, halls, and frescos.
Next on our agenda was lunch at one of Budapest's finest shopping malls. While we were there many of us shopped and Kaye bought a cute dress. After the mall, we took a much needed siesta and when we awoke, it was game time. The older team played BSE and won in 4 games. The scoreswere 16-25, 25-18, 25-19 and 25-29. the younger team played at a different location and playedand lost 3-0. However, they did play a fourth set and one that set.
So, that was our second day here in Budapest. Tomorrow we continue our European adventure.
Having lots of fun,
L.B (little Brooke), Brooke, and Kaye
This morning started just like yesterday, leaving the Mercure Hotel by 10:30 for some more sightseeing. We headed to the public transit where we traveled to the Budapest Castle. After getting off the tram, Heni took us a few minutes’ walk to a bus stop. There, she ordered our group of 27 to get on this already full 16-passenger bus that now had standing room only. Packed like sardines, people were falling into one another with every turn. Laughter ensued while a few photos were snapped to document what we were sure was a Guinness World Record. After arriving to the castle, we piled off the bus and were amazed by the beautiful architecture. We were given 45 minutes to take in the view of the city and investigate the gates of the castle before we were to meet in front of the Mattias Church a few blocks away. Many of the group headed to the church early, in attempts to escape the cold, but a few of us lingered behind once a local Hungarian man begged and pleaded for just a few moments of our time to witness the changing of the guards, promising that it would only take “15 seconds more for the best picture”. The Mattias Church was incredible as well, with a stone wall monument called the Fisherman’s something surrounding one side that evoked a brief singing of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” by Meghan. Finally back on the bus, Heni decided to take us to the mall the college team ate dinner at the previous night to give our group a break from the cold.
After getting lunch in various restaurants, we reconvened to decide who would travel to the House of Terror and who would return to the hotel. Heni’s translation of the House of Terror was slightly confusing, but did not deter our group. Some of the girls were disappointed that it wasn’t a haunted house, but were pleasantly surprised to find that this would be an interesting history lesson of Hungarian life during the World War II and Cold War eras. After WW2, the communist party began to take over the democratic political structure of Hungary. We learned about the infamous “blue ballots”, where the communist party, despite the forgery of 200,000 fake ballots in support of their party’s political leaders, still suffered defeat in the election. The communist party still pushed on, overthrowing the recently elected political leaders, beginning a forty-year struggle for the Hungarian citizens. Each floor of the House of Terror supplied us with English descriptions of the rooms, which varied from political history to religious persecution. Many of the parents were shocked to learn how many European members of their generation were raised and came to a better understanding of the tragedies that existed in the former Soviet Union. After this somber experience, we all were much more appreciative of the lives we were given by growing up in America.
Back at the hotel, we packed and rested for our final matches of the tour. The high school team headed play at 5, while the college team rested up before leaving at 7 for the last night of playing. Despite both teams falling in defeat 3-0, our final dinner on tour was full of laughter and story-telling; the perfect way to end our journey.
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