Hung's Hidden Treasure: Kecskemet

Yesterday, I took a day trip with Rachel, Elizabeth, Liz, and Stephanie to Kecskemet, Hungary. The town name sounded really familiar. Once we arrived, I realized that I had definitely spent two nights there over band tour. This was the town in which we had our outdoor concert. It's really bizarre seeing towns for a second time and experiencing familiarity in Hungary.

The whole day trip cost about $20. The train ticket amounted to about $10. I spent $3 on lunch, and $4 on four little museums. We ventured to the toy museum, folk art museum, photography museum, and the Reformed ecclesiastical art/clock/mineral collection exhibitions. I really enjoyed the affordability of not having to worry about overnight accommodations or Western European prices.

Using the train was a lot easier this time compared to when we went to Eger. We did not have to switch trains, and the station was well marked. To get to the center was also really straightforward. They had a tourism office, but I was wondering whether many people come from outside of Hungary. The town was very quiet. I think this had to do with the fact that it was the Saturday after their major holiday, October 23. Many shops were closed down. I found it interesting to go to a town that was less of a tourist hotspot.

We were able to communicate that we were students (diak) to the cashiers at all of the museums. The museums were really interesting. At the toy museums, a collection from rubix cubes to political board games were on display. The folk art museum was composed of ceramics, tapestries, and much more. The photography museum was confusing because none of us could figure out what the pictures were of. Nevertheless, we all enjoyed the collection of cameras from different decades. We found the disposable underwater camera to be humorous and somewhat out of place. My favorite museum was probably the combination of the Reformed art and clock exhibitions. We were able to see a wide variety of items and had a very hospitable Hungarian lady showing us around, turning lights on, and demonstrating different clocks to us even though she did not know any English.

Although the town was much smaller than Budapest, I had the feeling that a university was located in the town. For lunch, I’m ashamed to say that we went to the California Coffee Company. The food was pretty delicious, and the menu was in English. Because it is a university town, more people spoke English than I expected. After spending over two months on Hungary, sometimes I appreciate something that reminds me of home.

In addition to the museums, we saw many beautiful churches. One of my favorite parts of Europe is the historic, ornate churches in each city. Although we were in the town for a total of about seven hours, we saw everything we wanted to see.

A few other things:

• Today, my parents leave for Europe, and arrive in Budapest on Wednesday!
  
• I've been here for over two months and am already halfway done. (craz-o)
  
• I am having my first exam this coming Tuesday. (not excited)
• I'll post pictures from Kecskemet soon-ish
  

Czech-ing out Praha

This past weekend, I went to Prague (Praha) with six other girls. I'd recommend visiting. Prague is so beautiful! We were in very touristy areas and enjoyed hearing plenty of English. We had one day of rain and a lot of cold, but it didn't slow us down too much. The highlights of Prague for me were the Charles Bridge, walking by the river, Old Town Square, and exploring around the castle.
You could tell it was a more touristy areas with places to exchange money on every street corner and long streets of just souvenir shops. My biggest purchase was a Ron Weasley marionette.. :) Good investment, I think.
I've already put up pictures from Prague (FYI).
I'm glad to be back in Budapest now though. The floors in our 14-person hostel room did not allow for quiet entering and exiting of the room. I enjoy my bed in Budapest quite a bit. Also, we've had such great weather here recently... It's a high of 63 and sunny today. Perfect for a fall day.
I might be going to Salzburg this next weekend. The following weekends, I'll be on a group trip to Ukraine and a trip to Vienna with my parents! A lot of travel, but I have to take advantage of being in Europe, yeah?
Anyway, I have reading to do for my classes, but I thought I'd give a quick update.
I miss family and friends, by the way. Hope you all are doing well!

Yet another weekend in Budapest...

This weekend, we decided to stay in Budapest again. Fall is definitely here, and I'm loving it!
Rachel and I decided to go to the Labyrinth on Thursday. We had a great time getting creeped out by all the stone figures, wall paintings, and small, dark spaces. I had David Bowie running through my head pretty much the entire time. :)
We ended up going bike riding on Margarit Island as well. We rented bikes for 1/2 hour for less than $3 (450 Forint). This weekend has been beautiful with the high temp being in upper 60s lower 70s. Soo good.

On Friday, a group of us toured the Holocaust museum as part of an excursion through our Holocaust Literature class. Here are a few things I learned:

• Ten percent of the Jews murdered were Hungarian.
  
• Deportation of Hungarians did not happen until 1944.
  
• Many Jews were put into ghettos first but were moved to concentration camps only one to three weeks afterward.
  
• Budapest Jews were not deported but many were still killed here by various means, many in the Danube.
  
• Hungary was unique because it was politically independent but still enforced antisemitic laws. Laws included a limit as to how many Jews could be accepted at universities and forbade marriage between Jews and non-Jews.
  

Most of the images and footage shown at the museum were overwhelming, seeing people starved, deprived of freedom and dignity. Another eye opening experience.

On Saturday, I went to Hero's Square with the roomies. We were looking for the Budapest Crafts Exhibition and Fair. We found it. I thought it was really neat! Many booths were set up for anyone to participate by weaving baskets or painting jewelry. It would have been a lot of fun if I had been in the U.S. and had been with someone who was interested in making crafts with me. :)
In the evening, I went on a sightseeing cruise on the Danube with Rachel, Stephanie, and Elizabeth. We had a lot of fun!
Next week, we're planning on going to Prague. I'm pretty excited.
Oh, and I do homework every once in a while...
This is the life. Now if only everyone from home could come join me.

p.s. I think I just fixed my blog so anyone can post comments to an entry. FYI. I didn't know I had control over who comments on my blog...

Polska!

When told we were traveling as a group to Poland, I had very few preconceived notions about the country. I hadn’t heard or learned much about it before this semester, but I was really glad we made the trip. Each excursion was good in a different way.
I enjoyed learning about the history of Krakow. Seeing the University where Copernicus and Pope John Paul II attended was very neat. I enjoyed seeing where Pope John Paul served as a bishop as well. The buildings and the main square were beautiful. Until this semester, I didn’t realize how affected Poland was by Communism. Before the Holocaust, one-fourth of Poland’s population was Jewish. During our bus ride to Poland, I listened to an audio version of Elie Wiesel’s Night. I found it beneficial to hear one person’s account of what being Jewish during World War II was like before seeing Auschwitz for myself.
On Saturday, our visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau made the Holocaust a little more real to me. I did not realize that many people didn’t even make it to the concentration camp because they were sent to the gas chambers immediately. Hearing about the different ways and planning that the Nazis put into murdering innocent Jews was disturbing. The crematorium burned many, and over 1500 people could be gassed at a time. We were standing in barracks and on grounds at which so many people were murdered.
One thing that particularly got to me was seeing two tons of human hair from the heads of concentration camp victims. To think that hair was used in carpets and blankets seems so inhumane. Also, all items belonging to children added extra emphasis to the fact that these were innocent people who did absolutely nothing to deserve death. Twenty percent of those who were murdered were children.
Overall, the attitude of our group while on the tour was somber. Because of all of the other tourists, the whole place seemed less real to me. I almost feel like I should have been impacted to a greater extent. And although we need to remember the innocent victims of the Holocaust, I believe that it’s also important to move on to the present and future by preventing similar occurrences from happening. The memorial in Birkenau read, “For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity, where the Nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women, and children.” It saddens me to think that events like this are happening still. I am glad we could end on less of an emotionally draining note by visiting the salt mines, a tour I found very enjoyable. Poland was a beautiful country with a rich and fascinating history.
This weekend, we're sticking around Budapest. We might take a day trip, but we haven't thought about it too much... Hopefully, the following weekend, we'll go to Prague. Yay! I'm excited.
Have a good week!