Back from Hungary! My roommate and I traveled to Budapest this weekend, and it was such a refreshing trip. It is such a strange thing to be doing things one has imagined for so long- traveling across Europe, getting by with just Katie and I. It’s exciting, but less than I thought I would be. It doesn’t seem as glamorous- I just feel like regular old me. I suppose that is appropriate though. Transportation, however, is more exciting than I’d like, especially in Romania. Bribe requests and threats and passport seizures are still obstacles to get over, but we have learned how to play it just right and things turn out fine.

Budapest was the most beautiful city I have ever seen. The wars left Hungary more unscathed than its European neighbors, so and the architecture is beautiful. It is also a city that really appreciates art, there are sculptures everywhere, not just regular stone statues, but bronze figures or reflecting pools or marble abstracts. We rented bicycles: that is really the way one should see a city. It made every moment a little bit more exciting, and we got to see a whole lot more than we ever would have on foot. The bridges over the Danube were breathtaking as we whizzed over them. The pedestrian malls were so much more playful when you’re dodging tourists. So much fun.

Highlights of the trip were excellent dining, good conversations, Turkish baths, and the Terror Museum. We ate like queens at little cafes and outside terraces. The prices were so great and so we didn’t hesitate to have cappuccinos and cheesecake here and there. Katie and I not only contrasted our lives with her friend Matt’s- he is doing Outdoor Education in the Budapest schools; but we also talked with so many different people. A British architecture intern who was in love with a coworker, a neurologist from Austria who reflected on Europe over the past few decades and Europe’s view of our war, an Irishman who connected with me by comparing Gloucester with Nova Scotia (two places dear to me) with his home in Western Ireland. Budapest is known for its ancient Turkish baths, built on top of natural hot springs…it was like being in a giant historical hot tub in the middle of a palace.

We visited the Terror Museum, the house that was the headquarters of the Nazis, Arrow Cross Party, Socialists, and the Communists, all during their respective Hungarian occupations. I now understand better the plight of the smaller countries involved in the World and Cold Wars. I never realized how little a victory 1945 was for the countries that were handed over to socialists. It helps me to understand more the psyche of the Romanian people. The Hungarians had an easier time of it, the Nazis didn’t arrive until 1944, and they have a spirit in their society that kept their culture alive. They fought the regimes every time, led by students and youth. I feel like it is this sense of determination that helped them to come out in the nineties with their spirit intact. This helps me to see how important it is that the young people have a sense of dignity, responsibility, and awareness for their nation- an endeavor New Horizons is taking on.

Although the city and the apartment that we stayed in was amazing, I am glad to be home to Lupeni again. The city life is not one that suits me well, and I appreciate the slower pace and more organic life that we are blessed with here. I do wish we had a few cafes or a museum, but I’ll deal. I often miss home lately. I look at pictures of my friends going on with their lives, and I feel like I’m not as much a part of that. The distance is wider sometimes than others. But I know this is where I am to be, and it is not a sacrifice, really. My Jesus has given so much here, and so much to do.