I really do not know how to start this post or sum up everything that has happened in the past week. It was winter break for our university so we had a week off from classes. So naturally it was time to travel. 6 other girls and I did a backpacking trip through central/eastern Europe and visited 5 countries in 8 days. It was an exhausting amazing wild ride.
Country 1: Prague, Czech Republic, Feb. 21st-23rd
We started off with a flight into the Czech Republic. With how we planned things we had a decent amount of time to spend in Prague. The first day I ate fried cheese which is supposed to be a Czech specialty. I enjoyed it but it was a bit much. It was literally just a chunk of cheese fried. While in Prague we did a free walking tour through out hostel. (Fun fact when you see something about a free walking tour it isn't actually free. You are expected to pay the guide what you think the tour was worth at the end as a heads up. We did not know this and had very little cash with us). One really fun thing we did was go to see a play at the National Theater in Prague. We got tickets to see Oedipus Rex for only $8. However there is a dress code to get into it, so some of us as to go shopping for clothes because we didn't bring nice enough clothes to get in. The play was in Czech so we didn't understand what they were saying but the play was a wild ride. We think it was a modern interpretation of Oedipus and there was Czech rap playing, an archaeological site, and interpretive dance. We were all very confused by the end of it. However, I thought it was very funny and well worth it.
Country 2: Vienna, Austria, Feb. 23rd-Feb.25th
We arrived in Vienna after a morning bus ride from Prague. The hostel we stayed at was insane. It was HUGE. We think it was an old hotel that they turned into a hostel. The first night in Vienna we smashed the best Italian meal I have ever had. I was disappointed there was no traditional Austrian food to try other then sausage so so that was a bummer. In Vienna they have a lot of huge buildings and castles which are beautiful. We did another walking tour here and learned about the influence that Vienna had in the wars. My favorite thing I did in Vienna was visit the Kunst Haus Wien. It was the afternoon on our last day in Vienna and the others weren't sure if they wanted to go. So I decided to go on my own and it was incredibly worth it. The museum was filled with crazy colors and designs (outside of museum pictured right). They were doing a exhibit on a specific artist who was really big into creativity, colors, and integrating and respecting nature in society. I plan to do more research of this artist because I loved him and the lifestyle that he created for himself.
Country 3: Bratislava, Slovakia, Feb. 25th-26th
We only spent one day is Bratislava but it is probably towards the top of my favorite places we visited. Bratislava is a much smaller city and you could feel that as soon as you walked in. We went on a walking tour again and this was by far my favorite tour we went on. He told us some really cool stories and Slovakian traditions. For example, on the days leading up to Christmas Slovakian's keep a fish in there bathtub. They shower with it and the kids take care of it has a pet. However this becomes an issue when they eat the fish for Christmas dinner. On the walking tour we saw different sites and probably my favorite building of the whole trip: the Blue Church. It was very pretty. After the walking tour we went to a Slovak pub to try traditional food. I had garlic soup in a bread bowl (AMAZING) and sheep cheese dumplings. The sheep cheese was very strong and I enjoyed it and ate it, however I do not think I would get again. In the afternoon 3 of us went out to see Devin's castle. This castle was out in the countryside and was about 45 minutes from the city center. It was amazing. I am so glad we did it. It was really nice to get out into fresh air and away from all the cities we had been traveling in. The castle was on a hill overlooking the Danube and you could see Hungary and Austria from it.
Country 4: Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 26th-27th
Overall Budapest was my favorite city. First day there we checked out a market and walked around the city a little. We ended the day with a short night hike up to a monument overlooking the city to see all the lights and monuments lit up at night. It was beautiful. Although a little cold. On Thursday morning we did a small walk and checked out all the major monuments. My favorite was the Fishermen's Bastion (right). It was very different then most of the monuments you see in these cities so I really enjoyed that. In the afternoon we went to the Szechenyi thermal baths. The baths were 38 degrees Celsius. It was insane being outside in a swimsuit in February. It was crazy warm in the water, however you had to run once you left to go inside. After the baths in the late afternoon and evening I just needed some time to chill and relax so I went on my own to a Turkish tea house. It was beyond relaxing. I got a pot of tea and sat and read my book. Later on 2 of my friends met me there and I spent over three hours sitting and chilling in that tea house. It was so cool, they had places for people to lay and sit towards the ceiling and small nooks to relax in. I had my favorite traditional food in Budapest. I had Langosh which is a fried bread with garlic, sour cream, and cheese on top. One of the best things I have ever ate. I had my first one for lunch and was back for a second one for dinner.
Country 5: Krakow, Poland, Feb. 28th-29th
To get to Krakow we took an overnight bus from Budapest to Krakow and arrived there at 6:50 am. I have to say this bus was a struggle trying to sleep but we made it. Friday was an emotional day. We took a tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Words can not even describe what it was like being there and seeing first hand were all of the tragedy took place. We did a tour and a guide did an amazing job explaining and giving us the history of everything we were looking at. This allowed us to really take in and understand what happened there. This is an experience that I am very grateful that I was able to have and will never forget it. The camps are about an hour and a half from Krakow and we got back from them around 4:30 in the afternoon. All of us were drained so we had a chill evening, ate some pierogies, and had an early night. The next morning was our last morning of the trip. We got up and did some sightseeing and exploring of the city. Ate more pierogies because they are amazing. The hostel we stayed in here was hands down the best one. We even got free breakfast! It almost felt like a hotel but it was super cheap. Then it was off the airport and we got back to Grenoble around midnight.
Overall Thoughts/Tips
Favorite city: Budapest, close second is Bratislava
Least favorite city: Vienna-more expensive
We had great experiences in all of our hostels except one
When staying in hostels bring your own towel because many charge you for a towel
Three of the cities had a different currency, when taking money out of an atm DO NOT use Euronet. They have bad exchange rate and often take cards.
Walking tours are nice because they give you the history and background of the monuments and buildings you are looking at. The guides are also very knowledge about the city and can give you recommendations.
When looking for traditional food, ask hostel for authentic places that are cheap. Usually restaurants in tourist areas are overpriced and not actually traditional.