Considered as one of the most attractive cities in Europe, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is one of the most attractive and historically rich travel destinations. Divided by the waters of the Danube, its historic centre has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Buda, you can admire its impressive castle and in Pest its most modern centre. Budapest is also known as the spa town, the most famous thermal baths are the Gellért Bath, the Kiraly Bath and the Szechenyi Baths. There are countless things to see in Budapest and the city has an incredible history: from St. Stephen's Basilica, the largest church in Budapest, dedicated to the country's first monarch, to the church of Santa Maria Maddalena or the Great Synagogue. There are also the Aquincum Museum and the Military History Museum. Budapest is also able to meet the needs of shopping enthusiasts: the city boasts a number of lively markets, shopping centres and elegant shops in the modern Pest area, such as the covered market. The nightlife of Budapest is also renowned. The Danubius Hotel Astoria City Centre is located in the centre of Budapest, next to the Astoria metro station and only a 5-minute walk from the famous Váci Street. The Hotel is part of a hotel chain. The deluxe rooms are air-conditioned and feature large spaces and elegant antique-style white furnishings, while standard rooms are located in the wing overlooking Magyar utca and provided with soundproof windows. Hotel Astoria houses the traditional and modern Astoria Café & Restaurant, which serves excellent Hungarian specialties and creative dishes born from the combination of oriental and western flavours. This typical late-19th-century café in Budapest also offers a selection of Hungarian wines, desserts and coffee specialties. The Hotel Astoria offers 138 generously equipped and comfortably furnished rooms. Apart from our twin-bed hotel rooms, we have a range of double rooms and family rooms to choose from, as well as a number of luxury suites. The rooms have a bathroom with a bath or shower, TV, Wi-Fi, telephone, safe and minibar, all for your convenience and comfort. At the request of the guests, they offer room service, laundry and child-supervision services. Special options: connecting rooms and pet-friendly rooms. Check-in from: 14:00 Check-out by: 11.00 Check-out time for groups: 10.00 The Staff of the hotel is very kind and helpful. During my work experience I also worked with several young people around my age. Precisely, I met Martin, Kevin, Richard, Vanda, Anikó, Mercedesz and Fruzsi, all Hungarians. Despite the difficulty in communicating with them, as they did not know English very well, I managed to create a good relationship with them. In addition, I worked together with Martina, a girl who lived in my apartment with other 4 girls. In Budapest I have to taste the local dishes like the Kürtőskalács, which is a typical Hungarian dessert also known as a sweet chimney or a chimney cake for its shape. It is cooked on a cylindrical spit that slowly rotates on the fire. It is known as the oldest sweet of all Hungary. The kürtőskalács is sold in confectioneries and, on the occasion of fairs and markets, even in the main squares, where the sellers prepare it at the moment. The kürtőskalács consists of a thin, leavened and sugary puff, rolled around a wooden cylinder, thus becoming a spiral of cylindrical pasta cooked over the fire. After cooking, the dough is covered with cocoa, flaked chocolate, cinnamon, poppy, walnuts, vanilla and almonds according to taste. The sugar on the surface of the kürtőskalács is caramelized in order to obtain a cake with a crispy crust. In addition, another typical Hungarian dish is the Goulash, which is a soup made with meat, lard, sautéed onions and carrots, potatoes and paprika. The local drink is the beer. I had the opportunity to work abroad, because I won a scholarship of the "SWEET" project. I left for Budapest in June and I was away from home for about a month. I shared this experience with 19 other guys, with whom I found myself very well, even if sometimes there were some quarrels. Also, I shared the apartment with 5 other girls. In Budapest we had a tutor named Ildikó who was very kind and helpful with each of us. In addition to working, we obviously also visited the city and did many activities together. The first week we visited the various places of our work placements, the historical city center and the main monuments of the city. In addition, on Sundays we also went to the thermal baths that are particularly famous in Budapest and on Monday we took a boat trip on the Danube. It was fantastic! Then, with some girls we visited the city's famous Synagogue. Finally, we all went together to Lake Balaton which is called the "Little Sea of Budapest". This experience was really beautiful, because I had the opportunity to meet new people, get in touch with various cultures, use the English language daily and live in a very big city. I was really lucky to win this project! Budapest will always remain in my heart. |