D28: Budapest, Hungary

My train ride from Salzburg to Budapest involved a transfer in Vienna. The first leg I met a cool girl who was stopping in Vienna for a business meeting and then catching a later train to Budapest for the weekend. We exchanged contact information with the plan to meet up while in the city.
My transfer is Vienna was a bit of an adventure because as I got off my train at the West station and looked at the TV screens for which platform my next train would be leaving from, I discovered it wasn’t listed at all. Shit. Did I get off on the wrong stop?
I double-checked my ticket to learn that my next train would be leaving from the Central station, so I hopped on a bus to ride across town to the other station. Always an adventure.

I arrived early afternoon at Vitae Hostel where my friend I met in Switzerland, Kaylie, would also be staying and assured that this was the best hostel. The first two guys I met in my room, Hussain & Ryan, immediately invited me to go sightseeing with them. Normally when I am solo, I walk or take public transportation to all of the sights, but since this was their last day and they were on a time crunch, we Ubered everywhere. This felt simultaneously bougee and convenient. We ended up at rooftop bar for a few beers before going back to the hostel.

They had tickets for a sold out ‘rave’ but offered to get me a ticket if one opened up. I said, “Why not?” and lo and behold, a ticket opened up and later that evening we walked to the show at the Marriot downtown. The music was dope and behind the DJ set was full floor-to-celing windows which provided beautiful views of the lit up parliament building across the river. The style of music was my favorite (EDM) and we danced until around 3 am when I decided to head back.
They stayed dancing and I discovered the next day, ended up missing their bus back home because they slept in past their alarm. Whoops.