December 2009
15 posts
Last night a dozen of my friends and I climbed Gellert hill (think: 22:30-00:30). Snowballs were thrown. Fun was had.
Hungarian followers:
I’ve really been my money’s worth with Google translate from your reblogs.
Snowbathing
Today was the first sticking snow of the season, and I spent the afternoon at the baths with a bunch of friends. We were mostly outside, which as you can imagine, was quite an experience- soaking in the thermal waters while throwing snowballs at each other.
This has been the most relaxing day I’ve had in a long time.
I noticed that I’ve strived to make the rest of my time in Budapest “count” twice in the past handful of blog posts. I’m such a cliché.
Four months
As of today (technically), I’ve been in Hungary for four months. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, and I really don’t want to leave. I want to see my friends from Selinsgrove and at Williams, of course, and being in America won’t be such a bad thing, but nowhere in that statement was I claiming to be ready to leave this place.
I am ready to be done with the semester, though....
Productive day so far
Got an H1N1 shot
An instructor of mine played “Amazing Grace” on his ocarina to celebrate our last day of class.
Watched a ridiculous Hungarian rom-com in my last Hungarian language class.
And that's it
I turned it my last homework assignment today. My finals are on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. It’s been a wild ride (says the kid who’s still not going to be back in America til December 29th).
The third tram
During busy parts of the day, the trams in Budapest run quite frequently. When I can see two trams that will come in the next few minutes, I ride the second tram if I’m not in a hurry. It is usually much less crowded, and makes for an excellent 4-6 experience- you know- one where I’m not being smothered by a bunch of Hungarians who all think their journey is more important than mine. Today I saw a...
November 2009
16 posts
Istanbul - photos →
Istanbul
Back in a few, Budapest.
Madrid - photos →
Andrew Bird - “Tenuousness”
Berlin...
THE FUTURE - Berlin - photos →
Berlin-bound. Pictures and stories to follow.
At the gym today:
One guy was wearing a Patriots hat and another guy was wearing an Ohio State t-shirt. What are you trying to push on me, Budapest?
In Budapest / of Budapest.
It’s been a while- too long- since I’ve written a proper post on this blog. I can come up with excuses, sure: Copenhagen, friends visiting, midterms- whatever. I guess the issue here is that I am currently in the heart of the semester. Friends that would be made have been made, and we’ve reverted to typical college-student mode.
By “typical college-student mode,” I...
Am I missing something?
hettie:
hungarysteve:
borosjuli:
hungarysteve:
Hungarian followers: where can I find contact lens solution in Budapest? I’ve tried supermarkets and Rossman’s/DM and I can’t seem to find any. Köszönöm szépen!
ooops i missed it was a solution… easy still expensive. anywhere in shopping malls.
But what stores? My instincts are failing me.
go to vision express or similar. There is one in...
Am I missing something?
borosjuli:
hungarysteve:
Hungarian followers: where can I find contact lens solution in Budapest? I’ve tried supermarkets and Rossman’s/DM and I can’t seem to find any. Köszönöm szépen!
ooops i missed it was a solution… easy still expensive. anywhere in shopping malls.
But what stores? My instincts are failing me.
Am I missing something?
Hungarian followers: where can I find contact lens solution in Budapest? I’ve tried supermarkets and Rossman’s/DM and I can’t seem to find any. Köszönöm szépen!
I'm sick. In other news... →
October 2009
19 posts
It was a dark and stormy night...
Hey look, I’m a postcard:
I don’t really want to put the weekend in a typical bloggy journalesque format, because it was as much about catching up with friends (and making a new one, in Becca) as it was about the city of Copenhagen. If I was going to diary it up, I would probably use these words:
“Bleh” - re: the weather, of course.
“Kroner” - The Danish...
Whoops
Guess who just missed his flight to Copenhagen? I guess showing up an hour early just wasn’t good enough on this holiday weekend. I was having a mild panic attack, but in an interesting turn of events, there was no charge for a ticket on the flight at noon. Phew. Now I just have to kill a few hours at Ferihegy.
To Copenhagen!
This weekend I’m visiting Julia and Nat in Copenhagen. Needless to say, I am excited (although not so much for my flight which departs at 7:20 am tomorrow). It’s probably for the best that I’m leaving this weekend. Tomorrow, October 23rd, is the Hungarian National Day (ie. 4th of July) and it sounds like it’s very riot-tastic.
Riots are great and everything, but I’m...
“It is like going hunting when you have a gun… well… I don’t...”
– One of my professors, after we proved something that seemed difficult and arbitrary in one line with an awesome property of quadratic residues. I am always amazed when people manage to be hilarious and poignant in another language, but alas, he is. In case you’re interested: Let a,b,c,d,e,f be...
Dear Monsters of Folk (Sincerely, Steve)
I’m going to Copenhagen this weekend to visit Julia and Nat. As luck would have it, the weather will be getting slightly nicer in Budapest by then (do I see 60?! Gasp!). Oh well. In any case, right now it’s warmer in Copenhagen than in Budapest. What?
In other news, Monsters of Folk, the sweet collaboration folk-rock experiment from M. Ward, Conor Oberst, Jim James, and Mike Mogis...
Weekly Cultural Experience
This week wasn’t Vienna, and it wasn’t Statue Park. Instead, Nate, Will, and I went to The House of Terror, an central building from the Nazi and Communist regimes that has been turned into a Disney-esque museum about the atrocities of those eras.
Needless to say, I don’t describe museums about horrible periods of history as “Disney-esque” unless something is very,...
Missing Mountain Day
Like many Williams students, I’m sure, Mountain Day is my favorite day of the year. I thought it was a blessing that the year I missed it be being abroad would happen to be the year that it was cold and wet and miserable, but alas: it was a beautiful day after all.
2007:
2008:
Well, here’s to Mountain Day 2010!
Hair: cut!
I survived the haircut, and it was surprisingly pleasant. Repeating the words “más fél,” I showed her a picture on my iPod of what it should look like (see: field team on the steps of The Met circa June 2009). She was more particular than I am used to, giving me some sort of fade. So no, I don’t have much hair left, but yes, it grows back quickly.
That, plus my fixed heating and...
Good morning
Wake up call: Two men bursting into my room, turning on my lights, and in a fit of jól-ing, fixing my heater. Sweet.
hettie:
hungarysteve:
I’m getting my hair cut tomorrow. This is going to be horrifying.
Are Hungarian hairdressers that scary?
Given my Hungarian skills? Yes.
How do I say “15 millimeter clippers on the whole head.” Oh, and I’m bringing pictures of what it’s supposed to look like, too. I know, I know- it’s a tough haircut to mess up.
I’m getting my hair cut tomorrow. This is going to be horrifying.
Hungarian vendor lady at a big market in Vienna
Patrick: (botched attempt in Hungarian to order something delicious)
Lady: ("complicated" Hungarian sentence, probably asking if Patrick wants cinnamon on his delicious treat)
Patrick: Uhhhh...
Us: (Laughing)
Lady: Where are you from?
Us: The United States.
Lady: ...and why are you here?
Us: Studying in Hungary.
Lady: Why would you want to do that?!
Us: You guys have many great mathematicians.
Lady: Oh, ok. But... how?
Us: (Laughing more)
Lady: Do they teach you in English?
Us: Oh! Yes, yes!
Lessons from Vienna
The thirty or so pictures I posted of Vienna are allegedly worth many thousands of words, so I don’t really feel obligated to post at length about the trip.
I guess the trip can be summed up in a series of lessons- for travel, and for life in general.
Book the hostel early.
Or, maybe just plan the trip early. There’s something wonderful about waking up one day and being able to say,...
Sacher Torte
Oh, and Vienna, whatever.
The Next Eight Weekends
Starting tonight:
Vienna
?
?
Copenhagen
Friends visiting Budapest
?
Berlin
Madrid
So, uh, there will probably be some pictures.
I’m a bit unnerved at the number (4? 5?) of pedestrians I’ve seen toting chainsaws in the last few weeks.