The hills are alive (with the sound of music)!

Sziasztok!

The day began with a choir of angels. Or, more accurately, with a run up the hill to the Castle District. Let's start at the beginning.

We woke up to our alarm clocks around 8:30 a.m. and grabbed breakfast downstairs. One of our Hungarian friends, Anna, had told us a few days prior that she would be singing at the Sunday morning mass in Matthias Church. Of course, we had to go and support her!

Amy, Synneva, and Audrey left the hotel early in search of a bus that would take us to the church. Despite three weeks of public-transit experience, we couldn't find the right bus stop. We ended up riding the metro instead. When we got off the metro we realized that we only had fifteen minutes to make it to the top of the steep hill leading up to the Castle District. Nice.

Rolling up our sleeves and unzipping our winter coats, we hurried up the maze of streets and steps until we finally reached the hilltop. The view from the Fisherman's Bastion was incredible—the Danube stretches between the buildings on the Buda and Pest sides, dividing the two haves of the city, and in the distance we could see Parliament to the left and the tip of our hotel.

We entered the Matthias Church and sat in the pews near the back. The domed ceiling arched above us and the morning light streamed through the stained glass windows in brilliant blues and reds. It was beautiful. We learned earlier in the trip that many Hungarian rulers were crowned in this church, and we could see why.

Anna's choir sang beautifully. We especially liked their rendition of the Gloria. The mass was nice, except for the fact that none of us understand the priest's Hungarian or Latin so there was a bit of a language barrier. Go figure.

We gathered outside of the church after mass and headed with Emese and her family to explore caves in the Buda hills. We jumped on a bus and then a tram and then took a short walk to catch up with Haley's group. Before the cave tour started, we pet the cat sitting on one of the chairs in the main building.

The local guide spoke mainly in Hungarian to us during the tour, and Emese translated whatever he said into English for us. At the entrance of the cave, we were reminded not to feel or lick any of the rocks in the cave. Safety first!

We headed into the underground cave system. The tour guide told us that all of the rocks that looked wet were still developing and should not be disturbed. As we ventured deeper into the tunnels, we learned that the same thermal springs that heat the famous Budapest baths created these caves underneath the city.

The cave was spooky but very cool. We passed by an organ-shaped rock on the back of a turtle-shaped rock, we climbed up a ladder that slopped upward nearly at a 90 degree angle, and we stood in the caves in complete darkness for a minute. Also, we saw many hibernating bats along the way. Tiny and cute (at least, from a distance).

Fun fact: when the cave drips water on you, it is called a "cave kiss" and definitely means that good things are coming your way. After an hour and a half or so, we emerged from the caves into the sunlight.

Audrey headed out with a group of people to get lunch at a restaurant in the Jewish quarter, followed by a delicious crepe that she forgot to take a picture of. Amy, Synneva, and Haley joined Emese and others at a wonderful restaurant nearby for a fancy three-course meal starting with a soup and ending with a wonderful pancake, sponge cake, or cream desert. A delicious way to end our adventure in the Buda hills.

And, most importantly, in the restaurant there was a family sitting nearby with two enormous, floofy dogs and a small chihuahua that hopped around and barked and was adorable. We bonded with those dogs.

The three of us entered into a food coma and one of us nearly fell asleep on the bus ride back. We returned to the hotel exhausted but happy. Amy flopped on her bed and took her much-needed nap while the others used the time more productively.

We got back together for dinner and went to our favorite place for dinner—you guessed it: the Pad Thai Wok Bar. The mere 15 minute walk from our hotel AND the absolutely incredible food AND the low prices made this an excellent dinner decision. Not that we are counting or anything, but this might be our seventh time there. Enough said.

After dinner we finished our homework and, rejuvenated by pasta and naps, started studying for the upcoming final exam. We can do it! And, folks, before you go, we want to let you know that this is our final blog post for the trip. Thank you for reading along with us through our adventures (and misadventures) in Budapest!

Until next time,
Amy, Synneva, Haley, & Audrey