Day 52- Milan, Budapest, Paris

Hello again! Well I have to admit I've been dreading this entry because I feel like I have so much to say and it's going to take too long to do it...but I'm going to try and keep it short and sweet.  During my trip I did have the chance to write a few times, but at the end of each day all I wanted to do was pass out, so it just never happened.  Anyway...Milan, Budapest, and Paris:

I would have liked to spend more time in Milan, to be able to really figure out how it's different than Rome. It's a very pretty city as well, from the little that I saw, and you could tell it was smaller than Rome, and definitely much less touristy.  I think I liked that a lot about it right away. Needless to say it's also the fashion capitol of Italy. But part of the experience of being in Rome for me is being surrounded by all the monuments and soaking in the history...not necessarily by going into museums, but just by living in it.  Other than that, Milan was also a bit of a party weekend for Coni and I. It definitely seems like they have a fun nightlife there. And it was an intense two days, but we had a really good time and met some great people. I'd definitely go back.

Spin on the bulls testicles to return to Milan!

Duomo di Milano

Then, Budapest. It was beginning to get really warm in Rome, so of course both of us thought it would be the case in areas close by. So no boots, or gloves, or jackets. And we step out of the airport and I thought we were in Russia. It was cold....and very windy. It made for an interesting sight as we began the journey to our hostel...we were definitely being blown down the street with our suitcases while we simultaneously tried to look at a map and ask someone for directions. Actually, finding someone who spoke English came first because there was no chance whatsoever that we would be asking for directions in the Hungarian language.  Hello is pronounced an equivalent of  "See ya" and Goodbye is "Helo". Come on.  It was a miracle we found the place as quick as we did.  I know we felt pretty proud.

Once settled in at Blacksheep Hostel (amazing and completely recommended), we set out to see Budapest. It definitely felt foreign. I was a little dumbfounded by the whole place really...Again it seemed like you were in a regular city, after all there is a McDonalds and Starbucks within blocks of each other...but something just seemed different. I think the language was the determinant factor really, because being able to somehow communicate is always comforting. But here there was no such thing. People really didn't even understand the flapping hand gestures we'd make. And the look they'd give us was a little scary to be honest. You would think after repeating "WHICH WAY" three different ways and pointing to a place on the map, they would get the point....right? Haha. It's so nice being a tourist. I have to remember to enjoy it next time I'm in Chile and someone with a camera and a map asks for directions.

Anyway, we saw the sights...mostly thanks to a wonderful free walking tour that we went on and the charming guide we had. The view from Castle Hill is definitely high on my list, the contrasting colors were gorgeous.  I also loved this fair we came upon at a little square in town. They supposedly have it running all year and it's a display of traditional Hungarian foods, drinks, artisan work, and music. I thought it was special though, because it seemed very genuine and also enjoyed by local people more so than tourists. It was Sunday, so along with Coni and I, many families enjoyed the food as the sun set. We had an interesting version of what I can only compare to a Quesadilla (so good), some typical sausages with mustard and bread, beer of course, and an amaaazing dessert, this pastry dough that is slowly roasted on a fire and then rolled in whatever topping you want (we went with cinnamon). It was absolutely my kind of thing, crispy and sugary on the outside and then soft and doughy on the inside...almost like a cinnamon bun. Mmm. I do think I'll have to go back someday because we didn't get around to the thermal baths or seeing the city lit up at night. We did go out one night and ended up at this totally kitsch bar - fabrics on the ceiling, chairs on the wall, and waitresses selling both hookahs and...carrots. Yes. Freshly peeled carrots. Want a carrot with your beer? Only 150 Hungarian Forints. Haha They had to have something in them. Anyway, by the time we left the bar and went to take pictures by the Danube River, the Parliament Building's lights were off. So...next time.

View of the Parliament from Castle Hill

#2 on the menu: Rooster Testicles!

The fair at Deak Ferenc Square

Enjoying "Kurtos Kalacs", the sweet Hungarian pastry

A Hungarian tradition:
Write the name of your other half on a lock and throw the key in the Dunabe River.
The bigger the better?

Central Market Hall (Nagy Vasarcsarnok)


For more pictures: Szia Budapest

And Paris. Oh Paris. (I say that with a french accent by the way). Let me begin my saying it's not everyday you get a chance to be in Paris in APRIL. It's not a song for nothing.  Although it was still a little cold for our oh so winter savvy wardrobe, flowers and trees were in full bloom and any rain or fog just made everything more perfect. I took about 900 pictures. And inevitably I think maybe 300 were of the Eiffel Tower. What can I say, it is truly stunning. Shred it of all it's fame and extravagance and it would still be stunning. To me, it's more about the view of it as a whole, it's grandeur and shape, how it fits so effortlessly into the skyline and at the end of Champs de Mars. I mean really, up close, it's not that pretty. Looking at the intertwined iron bars while we walked up the tower, you start to wonder about the choice of paint. It all just begins to look like an abandoned construction site.  But sure enough the color does suit it; it all comes together, when you just barely see it peek through the fog on a cloudy day. Or when the sun does shine it stands so distinctly against that ocean sky. I could get all philosophical and say that it's similar to so many things-where little pieces make a bigger whole...how that's all we are in this world too...But I won't.

So...we saw the Eiffel Tower. By day, by night. That was a first for me, seeing it's little show of sparkles, plastic cup of wine in hand. I actually had one of those moments where you're just like..that is beautiful. I think it was because it was so cold out. It was one of those nights where your nose gets red and you can feel every bit of air that gets into the back of the neck of your jacket. And you're not sure you really have hands anymore. It made me really awake. And very aware of where I was and what tower it was I was looking at, on what would otherwise be a completely ordinary April night. It was like everything just sort of blurred away and all I could see was the sparkles. It made me stop thinking for a second. I hope someday something I do makes at least one person feel like that. I hope Gustave Eiffel knew he had created so much more than a piece of architecture.

Of course we saw so much more. I'm impressed by how much we got around to, most of our circles on the map were accomplished. Louvre, check. Hotel des Invalides, check. Musee de Rodin, Moulin Rouge, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Pont Neuf, Latin Quarters, Place de Vosges, Place de Vendome, Palais de l'Elysee, Arc de Triomphe. And other things along the way. And Versailles. Which truly merits an entire day, but we did what we could. I'd be a size 0 and eat croissants everyday if I lived close by, because running in those gardens would be irresistible. Oh to be royal. Such luxury. "Let them eat cake!" as the lady of the estate would say.

So we were really busy. And the walk back to the hostel every night put us right to bed as soon as we finished our Korean dinner...when we managed to get there in time. The whole experience at the hostel is really a whole different story. Because of it, we truly experienced two cultures while in Paris: the French and the Korean. The hostel was basically run by what seemed like a Korean family, and they very genuinely took care of us from the moment we walked through the door, with warm cups of tea, amazing authentic food, and happy smiles. I must admit the Asian writing on the walls kind of freaked me out at the beginning...buuut, then you just sort of realize the people must have felt so at home. By the end of our stay I was even getting used to the slippers and tiny beds. If anyone needs a place to stay in Paris, it's the "Paris Namdemun Guesthouse".

Other suggestions? You can never eat too much in Paris. Have a croissant a day, try the different flavored macaroons, (especially the fruit ones) on Rue Sainte Dominique. What is called The Latin Quarter, (an area in the 5th and 6th arrondissement of Paris) had good and less pricey restaurants, especially for some fondue! Um..Place des Vosges has great bakeries and cafes for brunch. There are also a lot of nice shops there. Don't leave Paris without buying at least one piece of clothing. Go into the designer stores to look even if you can't afford anything in them.  Also, look out for days when museums are free, like the Louvre on Fridays after 6 (under 25 years old). Sainte Chapelle is not to be overlooked-it's just as beautiful if not more beautiful than Notre Dame. And last...if you can, do the combination of stairs and elevator at the Eiffel Tower...it's cheaper and the line took no more than 10 minutes. So there you go.

Musee de Rodin

St. Chapelle

                                              

From the top of the tour

Versailles castle steps

Versailles estate

By night

My favorite picture

For more pictures: C'est Paris (Part 1) (Part 2 coming soon)

Besides the obvious and inevitable (that I had a great time and each place was stunningly beautiful), this trip quickly became so much more about growing and learning than anything else. When your wallet is lost with all your money in it, and you're basically broke in a foreign country, it's pretty much a crash-course in travelling. Plus luggage and flight problems...The whole thing just breaks you down and makes you want your mom. But. I am 23. So I had to figure out what the hell to do on my own. Which I did. And I'm now safe and sound back in Rome, so I'm going to go ahead and assume I did an amazing job.

It was exhausting though; having a combination of such opposite feelings in such close intervals of time does that. It was feeling courage, and angst; nerves, excitement, beauty, anger, peace, awe...It was understanding how to give and take, to be tolerant, to compromise and about trusting that somehow, everything would be alright.  Little by little I'm realizing that everything absolutely does happen for a reason.  How many bad experiences can you honestly look back upon now and still have only negative feelings about?  Of course it must have been hard. And the moment sucked. But I would bet that there are also positive feelings surrounding the experience as well. If not a lot of laughing....So the good cancels out the bad, and it just becomes experience.

I'm already laughing thinking about this trip. I've decided anything else isn't really worth it...