Three Cities, Two Countries, One Weekend

While studying abroad, it is not rare for students to travel to places outside of the country they are studying in. Studying in Rome allowed me to fly around Europe at a relatively cheaper price. For the third weekend of the program, I got the amazing opportunity to travel to TWO countries in just one weekend.

I was able to do this through Bus2Alps, a tour company catered towards students studying abroad. I and my friend took a train to Florence to meet up with the Bus2Alps tour guides and took a luxury coach with A/C to travel to Budapest, Vienna, and Salzburg. 

The first day of the program was in Budapest. Because we only had one day to spend there, it was important for us to maximize our time. When in Budapest, try their traditional chimney cakes! Made from a sweet dough and spun around to look like a long cylinder, chimney cakes are a must-try, whether you are a dessert fanatic or not. At night, be sure to check out the Hungarian Parliament building. The entire building lights up at night and it is truly a beautiful sight to see. Another thing to check out at night is the ruins bars. Once abandoned buildings, ruins bars are the results of adaptation and recycling an old building into one with a new purpose. This process is similar to how Rome preserves much of its ancient history: adaptation. It was great to see the concept of preservation learned in class and seen in excursions be applied in a different country.

A Kürtőskalács, or "chimney cake," coated with cinnamon 

and filled with ice cream in the middle

The Hungarian Parliament Building at night

  

The next day of the program was spent in Vienna, which was one of the most beautiful cities I visited. The biggest highlight of the day was seeing the Schonbrunn Palace and the gardens surrounding it. The gardens and the park encompassing the palace was breathtaking to walk around because it was as if it was larger than the entire campus of UCSD! Other than perhaps the Palace of Versailles, nothing else can top the size and lavishness of the Schonbrunn Palace and its gardens. For food, you have to try their sausage or else you cannot say you have been to Vienna. The best sausage to get is actually at the stands and not in restaurants. The hot dog that I got is similar to that of a corn dog. The bun coats the sausage, but the bun is very crisp and the top is cut off so that you can view the sausage inside. No hot dog or sausage that I have ever had could top the one that I had in Vienna, and it only cost me 5 euros.

A Käsekrainer, which is a traditional Austrian sausage filled with cheese,
wrapped in a bun

A garden at the Schonbrunn Palace with red and white flowers,
colors that make up the Austrian flag

On the last day of the program, we visited the lovely town of Salzburg. Unfortunately, it rained on the day we visited and we only had a few hours to spend before going home. Nonetheless, I still had a good time. I went to buy Mozart chocolates, eat lunch, and see where Mozart was born. Salzburg was a great place to after two long days in Budapest and Vienna.

Mozart's birthplace

The Salzach River in Salzburg

Although I did not spend a long time in any of the cities I visited, I had a great time and that's all that matters. Budapest, Vienna, and Salzburg are all underrated destinations to vacation to. If you are looking for spectacular yet cheap places to visit in Europe, Hungary and Austria are your two countries to go to.