A few weeks ago, I departed on one of the most challenging but exhilarating adventures of my life–through Budapest, Prague, and Amsterdam. Alone. And it was a little terrifying, but totally awesome. Apologies for the late post, but finally I have the chance to write a little bit about my solo trip during Semana Santa. Which, yes, was literally over a month ago. March 27-April 4th, to be exact. Life has been busy lately, okay? Maybe professional blogging isn’t in my future.
First, before the “real” adventure began, I spent a lovely weekend in Madrid with my beautiful Spanish cousin Olivia. Somehow, I did not take any pictures at all during that weekend (how????), so you’ll just have to believe me when I say I had an incredible time! She showed me all around her city, which I was so grateful for since I unfortunately had to miss out on most of the sightseeing in Madrid when I first arrived to Spain–thanks, strep throat. We shared many long walks and great conversations over drinks, which was so nice after years of being separated by an ocean. I couldn’t imagine a better way to start off my spring break!
Then came the scary part. Olivia accompanied me to the airport via metro, and then we parted ways. I barely made it to the check-in desk before the panic set in and I really realized what was about to happen. A whole week, by myself, in totally new countries, where they don’t speak English OR Spanish (or even anything similar). No real plan or itinerary; just a backpack full of clothes and boarding passes. Crap. Here we go.
Part I: Budapest
I wish I could tell you that everything went totally fine, and there were no problems or scary moments, and all of my fears were totally unwarranted. But I’ll be honest: the first night was terrible, and I have never felt more vulnerable in my life. Everything that could go wrong, did. And even when I thought I had planned ahead to avoid potential problems, those plans fell through too.
First, my plane arrived to Budapest at 11:55pm. Midnight. Of course, I knew this ahead of time, and had the foresight to research the public transportation hours before I left. So I knew the busses and metro would not be running by the time my plane landed, and I booked a hotel right next to the airport. According to Google maps, about a 5 minute drive, straight down one main road. I figured I could just grab a taxi from the standard Arrivals area taxi line-up that all airports have and be on my way to a good night’s rest after an evening of travel. Easy enough, right? Nope.
Apparently, the Budapest airport does not have the typical taxi line-up that I’ve seen almost everywhere else I’ve flown into. Instead, there were a bunch of sketchy looking guys lurking around the Arrivals area, soliciting their “taxi services.” Great. Right off the bat I thought it seemed a little strange, but I just passed it off as a cultural difference and determined that I had no other option than to go with one of those guys. However, before getting into any cars, I asked him a few questions– Is this a marked taxi? (yes.) Which service? (He answered, but I didn’t know the names of any services there anyway.) Do you know where this hotel is or should I get out the map I printed? (He said he knew exactly where it was.) How far away is it? (I knew this already, and he said “Oh not far at all.”) How much will this cost? (Of course he couldn’t tell me, but “it’s all on a meter, so it’s fair. The best price you’ll get anywhere tonight.”) I thought asking all those questions would save me from getting scammed, or at least show him I was aware and not totally clueless…
But then we got in the car (which was marked, for the record), and he started driving like a crazy person. Taking turns all over the place, even though according to my map it was straight down the street, driving insanely fast, while using his phone and blasting weird electronic music. Awesome. Ten minutes later, I asked if he was sure he knew where we were going, since we should be there by now. “Oh yes, we will be there soon. I know the best way to get there.” Mmmhmmm. Finally, he starts to slow down but does not stop, and gestures out the window. “That’s your hotel.”
“Ummm, great….Can we stop then??”
“Sure, but over here is better.”
So he comes to a stop about a block away, in a totally secluded and unlit area, and that’s when I realized I was probably about to get murdered or kidnapped. The neighborhood was incredibly sketchy looking and there was not another light on, other than the hotel, in sight.
“15,000 Forint,” he says. Fifteen thousand. Now, Hungary has a crazy inflated currency, and in that moment, of course, I couldn’t quite do the math to figure out the exchange, but that still seemed fishy to me. “Are you sure? I thought it would be less. It isn’t far from the airport.” …That’s when he dramatically locked the door and insisted, “Fifteen thousand.” Whatever you say! I only had a 20,000 Forint bill from the ATM at the airport. But of course this dude “didn’t have enough change.” But this wasn’t the kind of guy I was about to argue with. I just got the hell out of there.
Then I got to the luxurious hotel and had a comfortable, restful night’s sleep! …Just kidding. That place was disgusting too. The crypt keeper hotel owner gave me a key to the room, and when I arrived, the door was already cracked open. The TV was on. And one of the three (?) beds in my private (???) room was already unmade. As if there was definitely already someone staying there. I went down to the desk to confirm that I had, in fact, booked a private room, and I had the room number right. “Yep it’s all yours, as far as I know no one else will be coming back tonight. Sleep well.” Great. You bet I pushed furniture in front of the door as a barricade, just in case my mysterious “roommate” decided to come back after all. And I looked up the Hungarian emergency number, with it dialed and ready on my phone on the bedside table–which thankfully I never had to use, since I discovered later that my “Worldwide” SIM card was totally nonfunctional.
Did I mention the beds were actually pieces of wood with centimeter-thick packing foam and a sheet wrapped around it? And how about those bugs in the bathroom? But hey, the shower was kind of warm. For a minute. And, shockingly enough, there was wifi, so I could cry to my mom and friends about what on earth I had gotten myself into.
So, lesson learned: Don’t show up at midnight in a new country without prearranging your transportation. Also, don’t believe hotel reviews when there are only like three of them, probably written by the hotel employees themselves.
The next morning, I got out of there as fast as possible–but not before asking the desk attendant what a standard cab fare would be between there and the airport. “Six or seven hundred, maybe eight hundred absolutely maximum if he’s trying to rip you off.” I had paid fifteen thousand. Which is around $55 USD or €50 euro, for what should have been a five minute ride. Traveling is fun!
Thankfully, the rest of my time in Budapest made up for it. Once you get past the outskirts of the airport, Budapest is a gorgeous city. My hostel was fantastic and clean and so comfortable (no sarcasm this time). During the day, it was raining, so I bought tickets for a “hop on hop off” bus tour–which was so worth it. I went all over the city, while staying dry and listening to the guided tour, unless something piqued my interest and I wanted to get off to explore further on foot. I also took a boat tour down the Danube river, while sipping some nice Hungarian wine.
Later in the evening, after the rain had stopped, I went on a walk by the river and up to the castle. This was the first moment when I realized that all my troubles the night before had been worth it, and I kind of just thought, Hey, I can do this. The castle was stunning, and I only wish I had more time to actually go inside. I definitely think I want to visit Budapest again someday, because other than going up to the castle I barely spent any time on the “Buda” side of the river–then it got dark and I wanted to return to my hostel for the pub crawl.
The pub crawl was so much fun! I met people from all over the world, and we went to the coolest ruin bar, one of Budapest’s most famous, called Szimpla.
Not going to lie, this was one of the most fun nights I’ve had the whole semester. I met so many interesting international people, and we ended the night in the middle of an underground club with simultaneous Hungarian rap-battles and dance-offs. Which I participated in? Yeah, it was as wild as it sounds, and I never thought that would be the kind of thing that would happen to me. Ever. But it was quite the unique experience!
The next day, I decided to treat myself with an appointment at the famous Hungarian baths. Originally the plan was just to soak and relax, but when I got there they offered me a massage…and who could resist? That’s what vacations are for, right? So I spent the morning getting totally pampered at the Gellert baths. And check out how beautiful…
Thankfully I went on a Tuesday morning, so it wasn’t even very crowded. After my amazing massage, I spent a couple hours just relaxing my stress away in the rejuvenating baths. Definitely recommended if you ever find yourself in Budapest!
Next, it was time to move on to the next city. To be honest, no matter how excited I was to visit Prague, I was a little disappointed to be leaving Budapest. And of course, the transportation did not go without a hitch. My bus was delayed, and after getting multiple different stories from the bus station employees (Canceled? Delayed? Never existed in the first place??), I was starting to wonder if I’d ever get to Prague at all. Thankfully, my equally disgruntled co-passengers and I finally got on a bus and off we went. Next stop: Prague!
Part II: Prague
Finally I arrived in Prague at midnight, a few hours later than planned–so, naturally, the public transportation I had planned to use was no longer running. And after my scary experience with a late-night cab driver in Budapest, I was wary to go down that road again, and I didn’t see any open taxis anyway.
But thankfully, I’d had the forethought to write down some walking directions from the bus station to my hostel before I left Budapest! …Unfortunately, due to some road closures that apparently applied to pedestrians as well according to the grumpy police officer, my turn-by-turn directions were all but useless on the Czech roads that were anything but easy to navigate city blocks. So, back to the bus station I went. My conversation with the oh-so-helpful bus station employee went as follows.
Me: Hello! Do you speak English?
Employee (already sounding annoyed): Of course.
Me: Great, do you think you could help me? The roads I need are closed, so I’m not sure how to get to my hostel and I don’t want to get too lost at this time of night. I just need to get to ____ street. Do you know another way to get there?
Employee: That is not my job. If you need to buy a bus ticket, then I can help you.
Me: Okay, I understand that… But my bus was delayed and now it’s very late so the city buses have stopped running, I’m alone, and I don’t know the area. Do you at least have a map I could look at for a minute to figure it out myself?
Employee: I am not a tour guide. If you need a map, you can get one from the tourist center.
Me: Okay! Where is the tour center?
Employee: The tourist center is closed. They won’t help you either.
Greaaaaat. I quickly realized that this guy had absolutely no interest in helping me, even though he was the only person working and I had no other options. So I just took a deep breath, hoped for the best, and started walking. And somehow, miraculously, I found it! About 45 minutes later, after walking in many circles and coming close to breaking down multiple times, but I found it nonetheless.
The hostel was so much fun! Here I met many more interesting people– from Turkey, Canada, Argentina, the UK, and even another girl from Chicago who was also traveling alone. The first night I was so frustrated and exhausted that I just went straight to bed, but the second night I had to get a taste of the Prague nightlife, so I went out with the people from my hostel and had a great time.
Prague is a magical city. There really isn’t any better way to describe it. Between the cobble stone streets, the charming Charles Bridge, the quaint horse-drawn carriages, and the breath-taking castle, the Old Town of Prague is straight out of a fairytale. The pictures speak for themselves, but they still can’t quite capture the feeling that I felt walking around in this enchanting town.
In the spirit of Prague’s magic, fate also brought me back together with some friends I had met on an earlier journey this semester–Anne and Matt! Back in March, my roommate and I met a lovely couple on the train to Valencia, who we quickly realized were way too cool for us not to hang out with. As luck would have it, Anne and Matt’s travels to Prague lined up with my own, so we spent a day sightseeing together and catching up. Love those guys!
Sadly, my time in Prague came to an end far too soon. Two nights and one full day was certainly not enough to experience all of its charms, so I guess I just have to go back someday! Next up: my flight to Amsterdam. Which, naturally, was delayed by a snow storm. Of course.
Part III: Amsterdam
I will admit, Amsterdam had some pretty amazing cities to compete against that week, but it put up a pretty good fight. Few things in life are as relaxing as a morning stroll along an Amsterdam canal in the springtime. And the rumors about all the bicycles are definitely true!
Something I did not expect was the popularity of burgers and fries in Amsterdam. Apparently it’s a thing, and I had yet to eat a burger since arriving in Spain back in January, so it really hit the spot–washed down with an ice cold, locally-brewed Heineken, of course.
Unfortunately, the environment of my hostel left something to be desired. I didn’t “click” with my roommates like I had at all my other destinations; in fact, nobody seemed interested in talking to me at all, and I’m pretty sure the guys a few bunks over were tripping pretty hard on shrooms the whole time. So, I didn’t spend much time hanging out with any new friends, but at least Amsterdam is full of picturesque spots to walk around alone and reflect, like the beautiful Vondelpark, which was perfect for the end of a long week of adventures. I also highly recommend the “Canal Cruise” that is advertised all over the city. Touristy? Absolutely. But there really is no better way to see the city of canals than by boat!
Perhaps the best decision I made all week was booking a nice hotel for the last night of my journey. To be honest, I didn’t really have many choices. Amsterdam is an expensive city, and even the cheapest, dingy hostel on a Saturday night was over 70 euro for one bed in a giant dorm! So, I decided to treat myself and upgrade to a hotel room near the airport. It was nearly the same price as a hostel downtown, and SOOO much nicer! Nothing felt better at the end of a long week of traveling than a nice, strong, hot, private shower and a giant, soft bed with more pillows than I could ever need. I treated myself to a fancy Italian dinner in the nice but overpriced hotel restaurant, with a few glasses of vino of course, then retreated to my room for one of the most restful nights of my life before I had to head home the next morning. Not a single regret.
I’d love to tell you that my journey home went without a hitch and the trip ended on a stress-free high note. And I suppose, all said and done, that’s true… Eventually I did get home to Granada, safe and sound. But it definitely wasn’t stress free. My plane was delayed (for reasons unknown), and they made me check my carry-on at the gate due to the full flight, which made my already-tight bus connection back to Granada nearly impossible to make. I say “nearly” because by some miracle (and an expensive cab ride) I did make it, with mere minutes to spare. But that’s the last time I book a flight that arrives one hour before the last bus of the night leaves from a station that’s half an hour from the airport!
—
All in all, it was an absolutely incredible week. Clearly, there were some moments where I doubted myself and moments where I felt more scared than ever before (some of which I didn’t even detail in this post). But allow me to be totally cheesy for a minute. Taylor Swift once said, “Being fearless is not about being 100% not fearful. It’s being terrified but jumping anyway.” I think that sums it up pretty well. Going into the trip, I researched and prepared as much as possible, but I knew there was no way I could plan for every mishap or disaster that awaited me–and as you can see, there were plenty. But at the end of the day, no matter how scared or clueless or lost I was at times, I always figured it out and came out the other side as a better person. For every scary or frustrating moment, there were at least three absolutely amazing moments that more than made up for it. On many occasions I just stopped for a minute and thought to myself, “Look at what I’m doing right now. Look where I am. This is so freaking cool. And I did it all myself.” That, my friends, is a really incredible feeling.
There are a million more things I could say about the benefits and empowerment of traveling alone, but at over 3,000 words, I think this post needs to come to an end before I delay it for another month. This was my first “big adventure,” but it won’t be the last–I already have another (smaller) solo trip planned for the end of the month, to Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Speaking of which, I only have sixteen (!!!!!!) days left in Granada! How crazy is that?! I can’t believe I’ve already been here for so long, and it still hasn’t really sunk in that I only have such a short time left before it’s time to move on. I have had a few other weekend adventures between spring break and now that I’d love to write about if I have time, but those might have to come later; I plan to make the most of my last two weeks here, and those plans do not involve too much time spent behind a keyboard. They do, however, involve lots of Sangria. ¡Salud!
Sarah's Semester in Granada 