FIRST DAYS

Our first days in Budapest, we haphazardly hopped trams across the city, partly searching for supermarkets, wireless cafes, and famous landmarks, but mostly just trying to get a feel for the city we’d be living in for four months. Hungarians describe Budapest as two separate cities joined by bridges across the Danube; Buda is older and more residential while Pest is modern and industrial. We found out that our dorms were located in the Buda side…so Saturday night we took Tram 18 to Pest.


Our first up-close view of the Danube stole our hearts for Budapest and wiped away our worries about the semester. With a chorus of snapping and Velcro, we whipped out our cameras and got tourist-happy with the river and the oft-photographed chain bridge. We wanted to take big gulps of everything we saw…I had to remind myself to just soak up the experience of being in Budapest—the flurry of wheels on tracks, pungent smells wafting from every corner, the babble of languages in the throngs walking across the lit chain bridge. I think I took about fifteen pictures of the bridge with the river, ritzy cruise boats, Parliament, and other stately buildings lining the Danube. Every now and then we’d turn to each other, exchange a dazzled smile, or just shake our heads in wonder….then someone would say: “You guys. We are in Budapest.” And we’d all skip a little bit, laughing and clapping our hands, giggling like a bunch of school kids on a brand new playground.


Pest lured us across the chain bridge; a strong wind swept upward off the Danube, blowing our hair around as we sauntered in awe toward lit up Parliament. We wandered around Parliament, then down a cobblestone street at the end of which we were delighted to discover the spectacularly sculpted St. Stephen’s Basilica! (gasp!) More furious photographing.


Finally, after a very ominous rumble of thunder, we wandered into a small wine and coffee house. After a leisurely hour or so of enjoying new friends and the sound of the rain on the cobblestone street, we wandered out into the newly wet world, heavy sprinkles hitting our temples but not dampening our wide grins. We basked in the joy of our first night out, splashing in the reflection of the city lights in the puddly streets as we ambled back toward the bridge. That night we went to bed exhausted and exhilarated, with fresh dreams for the semester on our minds.