Berlin, Prague, Krakow and Budapest 2015: Day 9

Wow. I cannot believe it is our last day in Budapest, our last day in Europe! This has been the most wonderful trip and I cannot even put into words how amazing it has been spending time with my students and getting to see the world with them. Today started with free time in Budapest. Some of us went to the Central Market where they have food and souvenirs for really inexpensive prices, while other got dropped off to ride the giant Ferris wheel. Those who went to the market got a little bit of shopping done before we were picked up to go back to the city center. We were split again with many going to the Hungarian Horse Farm and a few staying behind to explore the city more. I didn’t go to the farm, but I heard it was wonderful. They had a feast for lunch! Lola has a great story for the carriage ride, but I’ll let her share that with you when she gets back. For the people who stayed behind, we started our sightseeing at St. Stephan’s Cathedral. Stephan was the first King of Hungary and brought Christianity to the region. We were able to go inside and for a mere 200 ft (about 80 cents) we saw his hand. That’s right, his 1000 year old decrepit hand. I have to say it was a little gross. The kids left me for a bit to go ride the Ferris wheel while I stayed behind to climb to the top of the cathedral. What is it with kids not wanting to climb towers? Oh well. The rest of the free time was spent shopping, playground, massages, cafes and some sightseeing. Everyone seemed relaxed and ready for our last guided city tour. We rejoined the rest of the group and headed over to Hero’s Square to see the monuments built to commemorate the Hungarian history. The Hungarians seem to have been fighting off different people for over 1000 years, starting first with the Mongolians, Genghis Khan’s son to be precise, then the Turks, then the Germans, and finally the Russians, who the only managed to get rid of 25 years ago. We left Hero’s square which is on the Pest side of the city and made our way across the chain bridge to Fisherman’s Bastion which is on the Buda side of the city. The view was spectacular. There were many pictures taken before we had to leave for dinner. I should have mentioned earlier, but there was a storm brewing. It had held for most of the day, but dinner was sure to be a downpour. We arrived at the restaurant and enjoyed soup, turkey with some kind of noodles, and crepes for dessert. We also enjoyed some rain. Did I mention we were sitting outside? Even with the overhead covers, we found ourselves two inches deep in water. It was an experience. After dinner, we headed over to the Danube for our night river cruise. This was the perfect way to end our stay in Budapest. We saw all of the same sights, but from a different perspective. It was wonderful. On the trip back to the hotel, some of the students shared the favorite memories from the trip and expressed how much they were going to miss everyone. The night was filled with a chess party on the fourth floor, facebook, phone number and snap chat exchanges, and lots of goodbyes. Enjoy the pictures below. I will write one more short blog to conclude the trip when we are back in California.