In Hungary I am!

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since my last entry - but I haven't forgotten about the blog. The last couple of weeks have just been very hectical!

So.. my first week in Budapest has passed and it had many ups and downs. I arrived in the town on Monday at noon after a long trainride during flat lands in Hungary. I almost felt a bit 'at home' as it reminded me somewhat of the area around St-Polycarpe.

I was picked up by a collegue of mine from Munich and we immediately got into a cab to look at the first apartment. Of course we were ripped off by the cab-driver, who charged us 4000 HUF instead of approximately 2000 HUF which we were supposed to pay. But what can you expect as a foreigner in a country where you don't speak the language?! In any case it was the first and only time a cab-driver ripped us off.

Thankfully we had found an apartment to stay within only two days of our arrival. This is very fortunate as the university dorm we were staying at was really, REALLY dirty and disgusting. There was so much dust on my floor that I had my shoes dirtier than before upon entering the room. Moreover the room smelled like chinese food, as my supposed-to-be roommate was Asian and probably hadn't done her dishes in weeks. Because my fridge was really loud, I decided to unplug it before going to sleep, only to weak up from dripping water at 5 a.m. - the fridge was unfreezing. Of course I should have known that. But I decided to continue sleeping until... 7.30 a.m. Because I refused to take a shower in that dorm (they were rusty plumbing, rusty dividers, and dirty floors) I never really woke up that day.

But that day we were able to move into a beautiful apartment in a very central location, only about 10 minutes walking distance from our university. Our neighbour is a synagoge! So that is pretty cool! However now, we are still looking for a third roommate. If anyone knows someone who is looking for a place to stay in Hungary, just let me know!

The university itself is also beautiful. It lies at the shore of the Danube, opposite the famous Gellert Hotel. You can also see Budapest's 'Statue of Liberty' from university. Interesting is also that the school used to be a communist state university, so when you enter the building, one of the first things you see is a huge statue of Karl Marx.

Budapest is an interesting city. When you look at buildings and the architecture in general, you could feel like you are in Paris or Vienna. Lots of old, rich construction borders the streets. But as soon as you look at the people, stores, and cars, you feel the Eastern European spirit. There is a stricking difference between rich and poor, as you would see a beggar near a Louis Vuitton store, or a Mercedes next to an old Russian-type car. Public transportation is fairly old, and especially the trams are at times a bit frightening.

Well.. these were my first impressions of Budapest. As soon as I will have the Internet at home (hopfefully sometimes this week) I shall post some pictures!

Happy New Year with Fireworks! (admittedly small fireworks..)

 
 

Led Pouring... I am really trying to figure out what this could be...

 
 

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great start to the year 2006 and had as much fun on New Year's Eve as I did :).

For the first time in a very long time, I spent New Year's Eve in a very traditional way. We were a couple of friends at one friend's house up in the mountains, overseeing a beautiful valley. We at first had Raclette, a traditional Swiss meal where you cook meat on a hot stone in the center of the table and melt cheese over vegetables - very yummy! After supper we played games and chatted about the old year. As midnight approached we started to get champagne and a radio outside in front of the house and watched the fireworks down in the valley. The sight was magnificent!!! We played the radio very loud and shouted out the countdown into the dark and at midnight we all danced to the Blue Danube Walz on the snow, watched the fireworks, and had our champange. When it got too cold we all went back inside and did another Austrian tradition, called 'Led Pouring'. You melt led over a candle-light and pour the liquid metal into ice-cold water. Then you take out the piece of metal and try to figure out what this could be, compare to a list of figures, and find out your fortune for the next year. Apparently 2006 will bring travels and luck with Loto for me! Sounds great!

Apart from this fun New Year's party, I have been quite busy with finding an Internship in Austria for next summer and helping my boyfriend renovate a room in his basement. He now has a very comfortable office downstairs :)

Christmas season in Vienna

 
 

The firt picture with my Christmas Present