Starbucks and Budapest

Last weekend (The 26th, 27th) I had the pleasure of going with my school to Budapest (yup, the one in Hungary.) For weeks I was insanely excited, thinking about all the fun I could have. I had one plan in particular. I had to find a Starbucks. I was jonesing for my drug of choice, a tall skinny caramel macchiato, and it had been months since Id been to a Starbucks.

It was a five hour bus ride to beautiful Budapest, but those five hours will forever be darkened in my memory as the five hours with only one cd... a cd that had five songs maximum. I can only listen to LMFAOs song "Im sexy and I know it" so many times before thoughts of jumping out of the window and onto the pavement below begin to worm their way into my conscious. Luckily we had multiple stops on the way there, merciful breaks from repeats of "sweet home Alabama", but finally, we arrived.

Our first stop was at the fortress that is built on top of a hill, looking down on both Buda and Pest (Budapest used to be two seperate cities, who knew?). It had beautiful statues, and the view, albeit marred by fog, was breathtaking. After that, we went to the square of heroes where we were given free time to look around. It was here that my ADD kicked in, and I spent an hour building piles of leaves to jump in. Maybe not productive, but it was a great bonding experience!

Finally we went into town, and someone pointed me in the direction of a blessed starbucks. Only one problem. It had closed down a few months ago and had been turned into.......wait for it...... a fish market. Yum. Luckily, there was a christmas market to take my mind off of things, so we got to browse through cute little bobbles and delicious christmas baking.

That night we were also going to a disco. While we drove there, we drove...... past a Starbucks. Sadly, there was no time on the itinerary to stop, so I was stuck with a fleeting mental image. To make matters worse... this happened twice. Driving passed two Starbucks, oh the odds.

The Disco was fun, but to be honest I would have rather been looking around town. I guess because the students in school live so close to Budapest, they dont realize how crazy it is for me to be going there!

The next morning, we were given free time at a shopping centre. I looked at the map... and saw STARBUCKS! As quickly as I could, I rushed upstairs to see a sign that said "Starbucks, open in 6 days" 6 DAYS!

Later we were given more free time in the city centre. Another exchange student (Katie) and I, found an adorable little tourist street, full of scarf stands, and photos for sale, and real hot chocolate. The kind of hot chocolate you have to drink fast or the top solidifies! Well the other students spent all their time in the centre, Katie and I managed to find two little streets, a square full of art, a park, and a museum! It was a great day. Finally at the end of the day, we went to a small cafe. I was still a little sore because of Starbucks crazy ability to avoid me, when I looked up at the menu. In swirly, hand written letters, were the words "Caramel Macchiato". It tasted just as good as the ones at Starbucks, and after my third sip I realized something.

I was nearing my 100 day mark, the day when homesickness is supposed to come crashing down around your ears. The reason I was bizarely intent on finding a Starbucks wasnt because i missed the caffeinated goodness. No, the reason I felt like I needed to find one was because I missed the times I have when I go for coffee. I always go with one of two friends, and it is always some of the most fun I have. I didnt miss coffee, I missed my friends. With that realization I also realized that a year isnt that long, and Im already close to a third of the way there. I can miss people, but Im not going to let that feeling send me on more wild goose chases around europe.

Have a good one
Meghan