Detour to Budapest

Last weekend, the group of study abroad students traveled to Budapest, Hungary, which hot climate was a stark contrast to that of Brussels! It was a very nice city, with notably fewer tourists than bigger cities such as Paris. And the most convenient part, was that most people spoke English; when I was riding the metro to cross under the Danube River, I turned to a lady sitting next to me to ask for directions. "Do you speak English?" I asked. She responded, "Of course!!"  

There are four levels of the metro system; they    
run very deep underground because they travel
under the Danube River.

While there, I explored the Buda Castle area on the West side of the Danube River, and found many shops and nice restaurants. The highlight of the trip was when I went inside the courtyard of the Royal Castle, which is where Katy Perry shot her music video to the song 'Firework.' It was amazing to say the least.  

This is a mural in the House of Terror, 

dedicated to the victims of the reign 

of terror.

Later in the afternoon, we visited the House of Terror Museum. This museum is a memorial to those who perished during the Nazi and Communist regimes. Hungary has a long history of fascist movements, as in WWII, Hungary aligned with Nazi Germany with the motive of gaining sovereignty from Austria; In the basement of the House of Terror, enemies of the Nazi Party were tortured and killed. After the fall of Nazism, the Communist regime came to power and continued much of the same practices. 

At night, the city really comes alive as the Szechenyi Chain Bridge and the Buda Castle are well lit against the night sky-