The end of my time abroad is quickly approaching and the last
few weeks have been a blur. I had finals in six classes over a two-week period,
finishing last Friday. This was a little nerve wracking, as finals are a much
greater percentage of one’s grade here than at USC. However, I also found the
finals to be somewhat less challenging than at USC, so everything balanced out.
After my last exam, I packed up my travel bag for a five-day
vacation to Budapest and Malta (affectionately referred to as Budamalts) with my two good friends Erin and Megan, and
Erin’s friend Robert, who did his exchange at her school. We took the overnight
bus to the Madrid airport, flew to Budapest, caught the bus and finally rode the
metro to arrive at our hostel. The hostel was located on the top floors of an
awesome old building right in the city center. We dropped off our bags and
walked around the city for a little while before getting ready to go to Sparty,
a party in the famous Hungarian Szechenyi baths. This party was an experience unlike
any I have ever had. It was unbelievable
to spend time swimming around a UNESCO World Heritage Site with people from all
over the world.
The next day we hiked up a mountain to see a view of the
entire city, and visited many of the popular tourist sites like Parliament and
Heroes’ Square. We also visited Gelarto, a gelato store famous for its flower
shaped desserts. After a busy day we headed back to the hostel to pack for our
early morning departure to Malta.
The next day we arrived in Malta around noon and took a cab
to our hostel. In Malta the people drive on the left side of the road at speeds
I have never seen. It was nothing short of terrifying, but we did get to the
hostel very quickly. We spent the day relaxing on the beach and exploring the
downtown area, as well as planning our remaining two days.
Our first day trip was to Gozo, one of the larger islands in
the Maltese archipelago. It’s a somewhat rural island, and the only effective
way of getting around was on Hop-On Hop-Off busses. Our main stop for the day was the Azure Window,
which Game of Thrones enthusiasts will be interested to know is where Khal
Drogo and Daenerys get married in the first season. We took lots of pictures
and went swimming in one of ocean caves before returning to the main island.
Our second day trip was to Comino, the third largest island
in the archipelago. This island is uninhabited but famous for the Blue Lagoon, a
popular swimming beach with the clearest water I’ve ever seen. You could easily
see your feet on the ocean floor and everything around you, which was comforting
to someone with a phobia of sharks! We spent the day lounging on the beach and
swimming before taking a quick boat tour around the Blue Lagoon caves and
boating back to the main island.
After an amazing vacation, it was sad to return to Pamplona
to a very much diminished group of study abroad students. People are heading
home every day, and it’s hard to say goodbye not knowing when or if you will
ever see someone again. I’m trying not to get too caught up in the sadness - I
have 10 more days of adventures left and intend to make the most of them! Adios
until next time!
