This past weekend we had the some free time and the opportunity to visit another country. Our ministry site is only 15 minutes from the border of Hungary so we took a 4 hour bus ride to the capital city of Budapest. We spent the weekend exploring and learning about this beautiful place! Rich in history and architecture, this city is nicknamed the ‘Heart of Europe’ and used to be two separate cities, ‘Buda’ and ‘Pest’ which united in 1873.
Over the course of the weekend we met all kinds of cool people and were able to share about our mission on the World Race. We made new friends from Switzerland, Australia, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Norway, Canada, and of course Hungary. One of my teammates, April, went to school with a girl who is a missionary in Budapest so we met up with her for lunch and had crepes (and you know how much I love those!)
We stayed in a hostel which was actually very nice accommodations for us…our own private rooms for the girls and guys, our own bathroom and even a private kitchen (for only $10 a night). Plus our sweet hostess, Rita, made us coffee in the morning with a foam cappuccino machine! She recommended a free walking tour which turned out to be a great choice. It was 2.5 hours long and we got so many interesting historical and cultural facts as well as being entertaining (our tour guide referred to us as ‘my dears’ in a thick hungarian accent). We visited all the sights I had wanted to see including Castle Hill, Matthias Church, the Fishermen’s Bastion, the Buda Royal Palace, Basilica, and much more. If you are looking for a new place to visit on vacation, this is a great destination!
In the morning we went to a place called the Grand Central Market, which had 3 floors of treats and souvenirs. The sight of so many baked goods, sausages, and fruits makes you feel like a little kid in a candy store. (Don’t worry, I showed self restraint by only getting a small pastry for $1 🙂
We had a fantastic time overall, the weather surprised us as there was rain predicted for the whole weekend and we were blessed with sunny spring days instead. We definitely fit a lot in a day and a half! Our feet were in pain from all that walking but it was worth every step. It was a weekend to remember, for sure!
