I am currently sitting here on the plane from Budapest, Hungary to Lisbon, Portugal. I figured that my spring break blog better be split into two sections, because it is a grand total of 14 days. Because I'm on my phone app, I can't add photos easily, so maybe just wait for my Facebook album in a few weeks if you want to see pictures :) Be prepared for a lot of things to happen in just over one week:
Spring break started when my Oom Doug and tante Christina (Jenna's parents) arrived in Oviedo on Thursday, April 10. They stayed in a hotel called the Barceló about 2 minutes from my house. I stayed with them for two of the three nights and it was very nice. The first thing we did was a surprise visit to Beariz. I didn't know how it was going to turn out because the culture here doesn't really encourage visitors in the house, but Beatriz loved it. It was very nice. We had beautiful weather Thursday and Jenna and I gave a tour of Oviedo, including the cathedral, the mall Calatraba, the market called el fontán, the shopping street Calle Uría, and many other places in "my" part of town. The tour also included a gofre (waffle), beer, and coffee. We ended the day with dinner at the yummy Tierra Astur.
Friday we woke up to an amazing breakfast buffet. After being used to the meager Spanish breakfast since January, I was so full! It was amazing. We then headed back out to tour "Jenna's" side of town, including the university and had classic chocolate con churros. After walking the pista finlandesa, the path halfway up the mountain that Jenna regularly jogs on, we got lost a little in a part of town we have never been in. We ended up being late to lunch with Jenna's host mom, Amparo, but still ate great paella and had fun conversation with Jenna and I translating both ways. After a two and a half hour meal, we walked outside to our rental car to find that it had been towed. It had literally been towed 5-10 minutes before we came back! Luckily, we lost no time getting it back, but it was fairly expensive. I guess it happens all the time in Oviedo. Next, we drove to see some of the Asturian countryside and walked part of the Ruta de Las Xanas. On the way back, we circled Oviedo a couple times trying to figure out the Spanish highways, but eventually returned to our hotel. Jenna and I only know how to walk places in Oviedo and take the bus so it was a learning experience that included many one-way streets and driving around round-abouts more than once.
Saturday was a whirlwind of Asturian pueblos and countrysides that Jenna and I had not yet seen before. We started with the familiar view on top of Mount Naranco in Oviedo (el Cristo) and then drove up a crazy windy road to El mirador del Fito. We saw a gorgeous view of the Picos de Europa, a mountain range, but it was a bit foggy. We then headed to Cangas de Onís and saw the bridge, this time in the sun. Next was Covadonga. This included the basilica and the church in the mountain, supposedly located on the spot where Mary appeared to King Pelayo, which caused him to win the first battle in the Reconquista. After walking around the beautiful three Lagos (lakes) de Covadonga and a nice picnic, we started with our beach tour. We went first to a nice sandy beach called Barro and then a hilly, green one with cliffs and cows called Torimbia. The next was an inland beach called Gulpiyuri. Very unique. The last one was a rocky one called Cuevas del Mar where we got gelato. We ended the day with traditional fabada in Lastres, a small harbor town.
Palm Sunday included a nine hour layover in Barcelona. It was very beautiful weather and we rented bikes to ride all around the city. We saw the cathedral designed by Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia, and ate lunch on the beach. There was also a parade for Palm Sunday. We got back on the plane and landed in Prague in the evening.
I should quick mention Rick Steves. For those of you who don't know, he writes tour books. Our history lessons, order of events, choice of sights, and restaurant ideas all depended on Rick. He was pretty much the fifth person on our trip. We could regularly be heard saying, "Do you have Rick?" "What does Rick say about that?" "Rick only gave that one star so we don't have to see it." Along with many more. But Rick did teach us a lot and I was thankful for all that information.
Monday in Prague was rainy in the morning, but we avoided much of the rain in our apartment and then in the clock tower while getting a great view of the city. There was a nice Easter market selling delicious food like sausage, ham, and trdlo (not a typo). We then did a two and a half hour Segway tour. It was an awesome way to see the city! I always thought people on Segways looked so nerdy but I secretly wanted to ride one and it was for sure worth it. It started hailing at the end our tour but the rest of the weather was great. Next, we went to a concert of Broadway songs that ended up being kind of janky but still fun. After walking around for a bit more, we decided to experience the night life a little. Prague has the biggest club in Central Europe! There are five floors that have different types of music. The basement is a ice pub with everything made of ice, including the cups. Oom Doug and tante Christina went with us for a little just to check it out and then left Jenna and I to stay out a little bit later.
Tuesday started with a walk to the Jewish quarter, but everything was closed for Passover. We took the metro up to the castle, which was an adventure in itself. The views were great and we had an awesome lunch with waiters that had the cutest accents and English phrases. We ended up taking a nap back in the apartment after, which is understandable because of all the things we had done so far. We went back out to see the Charles Bridge during photographer's hour and then had yummy pizza for dinner with live jazz music. The dinner bills were hilarious because about 20 crowns are worth a dollar so the dinner bills could be in the 1000s. We had to take off the last digit and then divide by two to find the dollar value. Also, a word of advice, the beer is much much better than the wine in Prague, so don't order red wine. We must be too spoiled with the amazing Spanish wine.
Vienna was our next stop. Wednesday morning we got on a train. Trains are such a nice way to travel! You get to sit comfortably and watch the countryside roll by. Vienna has so much history because it was the capital during the long empire of the Hapsburgs. There are tons of huge, beautiful buildings. Also a lot of yummy cakes :) We visited the Sisi museum (a famous queen) and saw the royal apartments and took a tram around the city. We found this delicious little French restaurant by our hotel and had a very yummy dinner.
Thursday in Vienna started with breakfast at the same French place because we liked it so much. We walked all around the city and saw the treasury, which is the best collection of jewels in the world, according to Rick. We tried to walk to one street for lunch, but it ended up being farther than we thought so somehow we ended up eating at a Vegan place. Oom Doug's plate was practically empty. After catching the train, we arrived in Budapest (pronounced BU-dah-pesht) in the evening. We stayed with tante Christina's cousin Evert who owns a flat in Budapest and it was really really great. He is probably the most interesting person in the whole world, or at least that I have ever met. He has been to 90 countries and speaks 6 languages and has amazing stories! I really enjoyed my time with him. When we got to his apartment, he right away gave us a shot, called pálinka. It's a Hungarian tradition. You take one before every meal and as a welcome and many other times, I guess. Also you need to say the Hungarian word for cheers: egeségedre (pronounced EGG-eh-sheg-ed-ruh). We then had dinner at a Hungarian restaurant and went to bed early.
Friday was beautiful weather and Evert showed us around the city. Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest, divided by a river. We were in Buda the first day. We went to a huge indoor market and then had a coffee house tour. Evert is a builder, interior desiger, and architect so we looked at many art nouveau and Art Deco buildings. The coffee and cakes were great and we always started with a pálinka and egeségedre, of course. We also sat in a six star hotel to look at the design for a little bit. Next, we walked around without Evert because his knee was hurting from a recent strain and ended up near the Sechíny baths. They are like the old Roman baths, but still functioning. We swam in all 10 indoor pools with varying temperatures and were in the 6 saunas as well as the 2 heated outdoor pools. It was so relaxing and such a unique experience. Dinner was a crazy event as well! We went to a restaurant where all the food comes on little plates and goes by on a conveyer belt. It was all oriental food, including rice and noodles and soups and desserts. The plates were small but we probably ate 30 plates each. Then, Evert took us to this ruin bar that was amazing! Hungary has a strong history of Nazi and then Communist rule so many buildings got destroyed. One of these buildings was kept in ruins but then random junk was put inside very creatively and a bar was put in. It was so beautiful and unique. I have never seen anything like it.
Our last day in Budapest was spent touring Pest (pronounced pesht). The day started with a pálinka befor breakfast and then we took the metro to the chain bridge to cross the Danube river. We walked up the hill to the fisherman's bastion and St. Matthias cathedral. After relaxing with coffee and traditional Hungarian sponge cake, we went to a hospital built into the c ave system in the castle district. It was crazy! It was used during WWII and then against the soviets and then for a nuclear bomb shelter (never been used, of course). It is totally equipped with wax figures of doctors, nurses, and patients as well as fully functioning medical equipment from the 40s-80s. After the hospital, we headed over to the House of Terror. One building was used for both the nazi headquarters and then the soviet headquarters in Budapest history. It is now a chilling museum of the horrors of both of these societies. It made George Orwell's 1984 come to life. We are so blessed to live in the democratic USA. After relaxing in a cafe to get wifi (there wasn't any in the apartment), we walked over to our river cruise. We sipped champagne while watching the sunset and lights turn on over the Danube river. It was so beautiful. Dinner was an experience, again. We went to a medieval restaurant and ate with our hands. Jenna was chosen as the queen for the night and a strong man lifted her in the air!
On Easter Sunday Evert drove us to his village for church. He is a Dutch man but traveled the worked for a while and eventually settled down in Hungary. He works in the village,Tiszaszentimre to be exact, during the week and lives in Budapest on the weekend. We went to church and felt very welcome, although only about 3 people spoke English. The pastor started the first brick museum in a church and was very proud so we checked that out. We then went to Evert's adorable little house, toured a house he was building, and rode in his floral painted Trabant. We ate traditional Hungarian dishes, including Goulash, at a restaurant and then drove over to another village, Eger. We only had time to eat an ice cream and walk around for a little bit before Jenna and I had to leave for the airport. It was sad to say goodbye to her parents and Evert because we had such a good vacation, but we were still okay because now we leave for vacation number two.
I am so blessed to have been able to travel with my aunt and uncle and meet another cousin. It was a great experience and I had so much fun! Also traveling with Jenna is so great :)
As you can see, a lot has happened in just a few days. Oviedo, Asturias, Barcelona, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Tiszaszentimre. So many places!! I am so excited to start the Portugal trip to Lisbon and Porto, though it's sad to think that my time in Spain is coming to an end.
Expect another long post after I get back from Portugal next Sunday. Hopefully I will get my pictures up soon as well!! Miss you all, including my Spain friends that were traveling this week in a different group. See you guys soon :)
Beso, beso