A memorable 21st birthday

My 21st birthday was one that I will never forget.

I started the day by going to the most beautiful café in the world: New York Café. This is one of the most popular spots in Budapest, and I can see why. The place is absolutely beautiful! It looks more like the inside of a royal palace than a café.

While he probably didn’t know it, my waiter made me feel extra special on my birthday. He ended every one of his sentences with “my love”, which made me feel like a princess!

“Hello, my love!”

“What would you like to eat, my love?”

“Is there anything else I can get for you, my love?”

I ended up having a slice of cheesecake and a latte for breakfast. Birthday cake for breakfast — what a perfect way to start the day!

As I was finishing up my breakfast, I got a text from one of the pilots I had met the day before asking if I would like to go for a walk. The day before, it had come up that it was going to be my birthday. He said, “you cannot be alone on your birthday!”. I had been planning to go to Vajdahunyad Castle, so I asked if he just wanted to meet me there. It was very nice of him to meet up with me despite having to pack up and leave in a few hours!

We ended up talking in the park for several hours, which was so much fun! Aside from the beautiful castle, there were a lot of interesting sculptures, an ice skating rink, and people playing with their dogs. It was the perfect day to be outside because the sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly!

At about 3pm, I decided to go back to Szenchenyi for a few hours. I ended up staying there until it closed at 7pm, which was the perfect amount of time. I think I could get used to using thermal baths on a regular basis! 😅

Since I didn’t have much time before my sightseeing cruise at 9pm, I decided to eat at the Christmas market again. The food was always delicious, so I really didn’t bother to eat in a restaurant at all during my trip.

The sightseeing cruise was supposed to be an hour-long trip up and down the Danube, but it ended up being too foggy to really go anywhere. We made it to one of the bridges, and then all of a sudden it was too foggy to hardly move the boat. We sat in the water for the hour and then pulled back into the port. Even though the cruise didn’t turned out like it was supposed to, I was happy just to get the chance to be on the Danube!

I managed to make it back to my hostel without any directions. Can you believe that?! Just three days in and I already knew my way around the city. It was such a great feeling!

Overall, my 21st birthday was even more magical than I could have ever imagined.

Until next time,

Clara