Greetings!

Since my last post, I have been quite busy! With my Art and Culture class, I was able to tour the National Gallery on Castle Hill. We had a private tour guide that introduced us to Hungarian art. While there, we looked at a very special painting from a Hungarian artist. It was a landscape painting (see below) but while I was appreciating this fantastic painting I realized I had seen it before. Not the painting itself, but I had been to the location painted. I raised my hand asked the tour guide, and sure enough… The painting is of the Greek Theater in Taormina and Mt. Etna which can be found on the Italian island of Sicily. I was lucky enough to visit Taormina this summer prior to arriving in Budapest and it actually became my favorite city I have traveled to. Although the picture of me is from this summer, I thought it was so exciting that I recognized the town!

Painting of Taormina

Me at the Greek Theater in Taormina!

I was lucky enough to travel to Vienna for their famous Christmas markets! This was my second time in Vienna this semester, so luckily I was able to concentrate on the Christmas fun rather than view touristy things. We arrived on Thanksgiving day, so of course we had to have a traditional Austrian meal for our big dinner. It was an easy choice… Wiener Schnitzel!

For dessert, we went back to our hostel and had Ben & Jerry’s! Yes, real Ben & Jerry’s! I had searched all of Europe for my favorite Chunky Monkey, but finally found it on Thanksgiving Day! It was perfect timing. The next day we began our Christmas Market-Extravaganza! There are about a dozen markets in Vienna and we were able to see the 4 largest. The ornaments were beautiful, the handmade crafts were so intricate, and the food? The food was to die for. We ate so much this weekend, but it was worth every euro. We even had the chance to see Schonbru

We even had the chance to see Schonbrun Palace! There was a Christmas market there as well, but the true beauty was the view from the top of the palace hill. From there you could see all of Vienna. It was truly a breathtaking sight.

A view of Vienna including the Palace from palace hill!

While we were in Vienna, we heard a rumor that a Mexican restaurant in Budapest was offering “Thanksgiving Burritos”. So naturally, we were curious. Upon returning home to Budapest, we went straight to Arriba to check it out! Sure enough, they had burritos that were filled with roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry salsa. It even came complete with a slice of pumpkin pie. Although the thought of a Thanksgiving dinner wrapped in a tortilla sounds rather gross, we decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, it was delicious! It was the perfect end to our Thanksgiving weekend!

My traveling partner, Harry, and I eating Thanksgiving burritos!

I also had the chance to experience the Great Market Hall here in Budapest. It is open 365 days a year and is a major tourist trap! They sell produce, meats, and souvenirs. It has the feel of a local farmer’s market… but in reality the locals shop at a much smaller market on the Buda side. My friends and I plan on going there next week. Although the Great Market Hall is too expensive, you can find a nice traditional langos bread. Langos is basically fried bread that is topped with cottage cheese, sour cream, grated cheese, pepperoni, and vegetables. It looks quite disgusting honestly! I wasn’t brave enough. I instead got a jelly topped langos, which was delicious!

The Great Market Hall!

I hope you all are enjoying the remainder of your time abroad! I know I am!

Best wishes,

Molly