Budapest, Hungary

So we went to Hungary this weekend I had the best time in Budapest. Seriously, I love it. The whole weekend was sooooo hot and humid but I didn't even care, I loved every second. We walked around the city on Friday which was really fun and it was awesome to see the city and walk along the Danube river. I just kept looking around me and feeling so grateful that I get to come back in a few months. On Friday I stopped by the mission home and luckily ran into a set of sister missionaries that I was able to talk to. Thank goodness I did though because they were able to call the mission president who invited me over for lunch the next day. We had some Hungarian food while we were there but we also had Cafe Rio! That's right! It's not called cafe rio, it's called gringos amigos but it was started here by a member of the church. The menu even had the same font as Cafe Rio and the food was pretty much the same so that was fun. That night we got fish pedicures, yup you read that right. They have them all over the city and the fish eat the dead skin off your feet and it feels so weird, it was way fun though. On Saturday morning we went to the Parliament building which is huge and looks so beautiful from the outside. We also went to a really cool market where they had a bunch of Hungarian items. I had lunch with the mission president and his family at his house and it was such a neat experience. It was fun to get to know their family and I felt comfortable talking to them. His only advice for me was to be obedient. Simple, but it is really important. We talked about how there's a difference between obedience just to get by, and exact obedience which can bring miracles. That night we went out as a group and had Hungarian food at a nice resturant. On Sunday I went to Levente's ward!! He's a friend from BYU and he's from Hungary. We are both organ performance majors and lived in the same apartment complex. We also worked together to organize the music and choir for our ward. Anyways, I met his family at church in the Kispest ward and it was so special. They recieved me with open arms as I walked into the the building and it was nice nice to meet them. Renny also came to that ward and it was awesome to sit next to her and see all the people happy to see her back in Hungary since she's been in Vienna for a while. During sacrament meeting I was actually getting kind of anxious and frustrated just because I couldn't understand hardly anything and I was just feeling really intimidated by the language thinking about how I will ever learn it. I was wondering why I felt like that because I was at church and I should've been feeling the sprit, not sitting there feeling inadequate. It gets better though. So Levente has a cute little brother named Álmos. He was kind of cranky and you could tell he was tired and ready for the meeting to be over. But Álmos started looking around the room and I caught his eye and pulled out my phone and showed him a picture from across the aisle that I had of Levente and Álmos. Álmos's eyes immediately lit up and he ran over to me and started hugging me even though he has never even met me before. In the middle of sacrament meeting. He was whispering to me in Hungarian and  just kept holding my hand as we looked through pictures that had Levente in them and I all the sudden felt the spirit so strongly and started crying a little. It was so awesome. I still couldn't understand very much, but I was overwhelmed with a feeling of knowing I was where I needed to be and I realized how much of a love I already have for the Hungarians. "It was as if someone were telling me I was home. That these people were good and that I needed to be with them. That God was there and that He knew my name and that He loved me" (The Hope of God's Love). Thank goodness for little kids. After sacrament meeting we had Renny translate and also facetimed Levente as I talked to his parents, who are the sweetest. His mom brought us a yummy treat and I cannot wait to see them again. After church we had a tour of the Jewish Quarter which was really interesting and then got on a train back to Vienna. About 3 months until I'm in the MTC and 5 months until I will be back in Hungary. Anyways I'm back in Vienna for a few more days and am going to Rome for the weekend with some friends from the group.

"It's opener out there in the wide open air."

I think I love this place more and more every day. Some of the highlights recently have been boating on the Donau River, seeing beautiful churches and buildings, swimming, playing in the park, and a visit from a PA friend and her group that was visiting Vienna (they are doing a study abroad in Romania.) 

The Augustinerkirche is beautiful. I absolutely loved it. They have the most beautiful Neoclassical Tomb of Maria Christina inside as well. I feel like every church we walk into during our Art & Architecture class is breathtaking and I am so grateful to get to experience so many different churches. 

Fourth of July weekend was a blast. We went paddle boating and rowing with a big group one night and it was so fun. I think I have found a new love for rowing, it is awesome! We also went to Prater (the amusement park) all dressed in our red, white, and blue! We ate at a traditional Viennese restaurant and rode 4 person bikes. That evening we went back on the Donau to continue with some American style celebrations and tried to make root beer floats.  Only problem - root beer is definitely not a popular drink here. So we made Fanta floats instead. Renny (sweet girl who is from Hungary) and I got a boat and went around on the River and it was the perfect end to the day. On Monday we went to Haus des Meeres (an aquarium) and to Zentralfriedhof, the cemetery where famous musicians Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms and many more were buried. There is also a small mormon plot and many other sections. The cemetery itself is really big and many of the graves are beautiful.

This past week we went to the Belvedere, Rathaus, and the Opera house. These were some of my favorite days! The Belvedere is where the famous painting The Kiss, by Gustav Klimt is displayed along with other incredible pieces. The Rathaus is the main government building in Vienna and we were able to take a tour of it! The rooms inside are magnificent and it was so fun to hear about the different events they have going on there. The Opera house was also such an interesting tour and it was so cool to see backstage and where the royalty had a reserved room. 

This weekend Hannah Kruman (a friend from Philadelphia) came with a group of friends from her Romania study abroad group and I was able to show them around Vienna. We had the best time seeing some sights, having Spaghetti Eis, shopping at a thrift store for Star Wars rings, going to waffle night with the YSAs, and going to Prater. 

On Saturday, most of our study abroad group went to the Kirche am Steinhof which is an amazing Art Nouveau styled building. It was absolutely beautiful inside with the stained glass designed by Koloman Moser, which in one part depicts doing things unto the less fortunate. Absolutely Gorgeous! Afterwards, we got dinner and played frisbee in the park. There were a few cute kids playing soccer that kept kicking the ball towards us. At first, they acted upset when we would kick their ball around with them but a few minutes later would not leave us alone, they wanted to play after all! Talking to little kids in German might be one of my favorite things, they are so adorable! We also tossed the frisbee around with them which they thought was so fun because they had never played before and asked where they could get one!

Sunday was spent saying goodbye to the International Ward and relaxing in the park. It was my last Sunday in Vienna because we are headed to Budapest this weekend and Rome the weekend after that. I am so excited about the upcoming trips but saying goodbye was sad, I cannot believe how quick the time has gone. I am so glad to have gotten to be able to attend the same ward each week that I’ve been here and to have been a part of their ward for a little bit. I am so excited to visit Budapest this weekend and see the country as a tourist in jeans before I am back in a few months as a missionary in a skirt. 

Szia!