Meet the Group!

Top Row: Luke, Mike, Elizabeth, Jessica, Jedediah, Nick, Natalie, Nick, Joe, Sara, Christian

Bottom Row: John, Evan, Anja, Jiahao, Mariah, Prof. Hanson, Becca, Jenna, Jordan, Rachel, Randi

   Szia! (Hungarian for hello)   

    We started today off by learning the public transportation system of Budapest so that we can make the forty minute trek to class each day. It begins with a four block walk to the tram which we take across the Danube River to the subway. When entering and exiting the subway, there are escalators that are much steeper, faster, and longer than we are used to riding. After exiting the subway, we walk through Keleti Palyaudvar (Eastern Square), continue a few blocks further,  and then arrive at the College International.  Once inside, we ascended the grand staircase to our class room. Our class room has two large, green blackboards and two large windows. It is not a very interesting room, but we will be learning interesting things to make up for it. After a few minutes of waiting. Professor Hanson and our tour guide, Amdrasz, entered the room. We then proceeded to follow them outside of the college to start our walking tour.

   Amdrasz explained the historical importance of the building the college is in. In the early 19th century it was a Jewish community building and for part of World War II it was a safe house from the German invaders. After a short walk and bus ride, we saw the first of many churches. This one belonged to the Franciscan Monks. We walked down Vaci Uta, once a street for the wealthy and now the most touristy street in all of Budapest. Moving on in our tour, Amdrasz led us to the riverside for a look at Castle Hill. He talked about the National Gallery, Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church which were all located on the hill. Continuing on, we saw the Parliament Building and the statue of Imre Nagy, who is pictured above with the group. Then we walked through a park which was formerly barracks and now has two monuments, one commemorating the Soviet invasion and German expulsion and the other commemorating the American Lieutenant Harry Hill Bandholtz,  who saved numerous pieces of art from Romanian soldiers trying to loot the National Gallery.  From there we proceeded to visit St. Stephan's Basilica, dedicated to St. Stephan who Christianized Hungary around 1000 when he was crowned as the first king.  From there we traveled a few blocks to a less ornate Lutheran Church that was known instead for its beautiful music.  After that, we hopped on another tram to travel to the central market.

    At the central market, we had an opportunity to try a Hungarian delicacy called Langos.  Langos is a deep fried flatbread that can be topped with meats, cheeses, vegetables, or pretty much anything else.  As one student described it, "It's like a pizza with a donut as the crust."  It was truly delectable!  After we had lunch, we explored the rest of the central market, learning the Hungarian names for the fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, and pastries that were for sale there.  After exploring the market, we concluded the walking tour, parted ways with Amdrasz, and headed back to the College International with Professor Hanson.

Joe G, Nick N, and Nick R.