Day 7: Busy Day in Budapest

9:00 am: Last night was a ton of fun. Karaoke was hilarious. The most random songs were performed from classis "bar songs" to Celine ballads to Showtunes to Hungarian pop songs. There were deifintely some unique acts lol. The drink specials at the bar were ridiculous. For the first hour we were there, cocktails were only 400 Ft which is just over $2 and they were strong (the Long Island Iced Teas were deadly). After happy hour, we got 3 beers for 500 Ft (works out to about $1 a beer). I met a lot of cool people (mostly Aussies of course). We ended up staying out till 3 and I'm pretty sure I passed out as soon as I hit my pillow. I'm just about to do more sight seeing but I need to find food fast! I've barely eatne the last two days.

5:00 pm: Had a huge walking day today! Went to a bakery and got some pastries for breakfast and then made my way to St. Istvan's Cathedral and climbed the tower for some great views of Pest. Also saw St. Istvan's hand which is preserved in the chapel. I walked to Chain bridge and crossed over to Buda. There is such a huge difference compared to Pest. Pest is the "downtown" of Budapest: very busy, touristy, trendy, tons of trafffic. Buda is full of hills, nature trails, castles, etc. I walked to Buda Hill and roamed around the Castle (had some amazing views of the Parliament buildings). Then made my way to Gellert Gill and had an epic climb to the top to the Citadel which had a view of the city well worth the climb. It's been so hot today. I bought way more water than I would have liked to, including a very over-priced bottle at the top of Gellert Hill but it's been necessarry. At the base of the hill is the Rock church which is basically a church built into a cave (it was pretty cool - dont see that every day). Then I went back to Pest and checked out the Great Market (huge indoor market). walking by the meat stall was interesting (lots of tongues, noses, cheeks, hearts, and other stuff you dont see at the market back home). I bought a couple packages of hot paprika (i'm sure it's a tourist gimmick but Hungary is known for its paprika so I figured I would get it). Also saw some real Absinthe and was very close to buying some but I don't know if I'm allowed into Canada with it and I wasn't going to spend so much money only to have it taken away at the airport. The rest of the afternoon I just browsed the shops along the streets and bought a shot glass to add to my collection. I need to start buying some souvenirs soon but they all seem so useless. People can only have so many magnets, key chains, bottle openers etc. Plus I can't get anything too big because my backpack is already full. I think I'll end up waiting till I get to Spain to buy them. I'm about to have a nap because the sun has just drained my energy. It's too late to go inside the Terror House but I'm not too disappointed (I got enough of a Nazi/Communist experience on last year's trip). The only other major thing I didn't do was the Turkish Baths. Its the biggest thing Budapest is known for and everyone says you HAVE to do it when you're here but since I'm only here for such a short time I didn't want to spend half the day taking a bath. I wish I could stay here one more day (there really is a lot to do). Apparently Elton John is in town tonight. I would have loved to see him if I had known. Tonight we're going to the sister hostel to party (they have a courtyard and outdoor bar there). But for now, its sleepy time.