Day 1: The Division Algorithm

Szia from your Budabuddies in Budapest!

Budapest airport

We made it to Budapest after 17ish hours of travel. We started off on an exciting note with a 45 minute delay in our first flight due to unforeseen baggage complications. But after that, everything went smoothly (and all our bags thankfully arrived with us in Budapest). We passed the time playing Uno, watching movies, and chatting with strangers, who regaled us with their riveting tales of clown school and software engineering.

Oles abroad

We arrived in Budapest around 4:00pm local time, exhausted but excited. After a white-knuckled bus ride to our hotel, we checked in, took quick naps, and got ready for dinner at a restaurant called Bor la Bor, where the waiter was horrified at Professor Hanson's request that no one be served alcohol. To add to the waiter's dismay, all but two of us ordered water. Following a fantastic meal, and some get-to-know-you table conversations, we headed back to the hotel for a much-appreciated sleep.

Group dinner at Bor la Bor

This morning, we went for breakfast in the hotel before meeting up with our group to travel to McDaniel College, where we'll be having class. After arriving at the college, we went on a walking tour of the city to learn more about the place we'll call home for the next month. The tour was full of beautiful buildings and monuments, in addition to delightful historical commentary by our tour guide, András. We began at the college and made a giant loop of the city taking in the sights, such as Lady Liberty with her palm frond, Buda Castle, the Presidential Palace, a few of the rebuilt bridges, and the ornate Parliament building; all while getting more acquainted with the buses and trams. It was a bit chilly on the tour with temperatures at -7 degrees Celsius, and a light dusting of snow that made us feel right at home. To warm up a bit our group walked around St. Stephen's Basilica where we took in the beautiful interior and saw the Holy Right Hand. We concluded our walking tour at the Central Market Hall where we were treated to a delicious lunch of Langos, or Hungarian fried bread with various toppings. In a word? Delicious.

András in action!

It was cold, but college in MN has prepared us for all kinds of weather!

The Parliament building + tram

We returned to the college around 2:00, and then we got down to business (to defeat the num(bers)). Did you know that the division algorithm does not include division? Now you do! Once class was over we split up to explore the city, finish our homework, and do whatever we wanted on our own. For dinner this week, Spruce-y Bruce and the lovely Jill will be taking small groups of us out to dinner to get to know us better and help us get to know each other. Another small group of us went to dinner at the oldest restaurant in Pest, where we were treated to some traditional goulash and amazing leek soup whilst being serenaded by a group playing gypsy music.

Attempted group picture - better one to come later

Tomorrow we have our first Hungarian language class and more math to look forward to, but now it's time for bed. Jó éjszakát!

The Quad Squad (Marit, Charlotte, Caitlin, and Emma)