Long Study Trip to Budapest, May 2023!
As I am writing this post, the weather in the Netherlands is exactly what we had wanted for Budapest. The days before the trip were filled with hope that the expected rain would still turn to sunlight, but a day before departure we had to bury the hatchet and prove the weatherman right. Besides the hopeful, fresh summer clothes, a raincoat or umbrella would also be packed with the 10 kg of included carry-on luggage. Well, the typical, complaining about the weather, Dutchman has had enough speaking time. Time to look back on last month's amazing trip to Budapest!
It feels like yesterday when our Long Study Trip Committee left for Hungary with almost 50 enthusiastic students. To our happy surprise, everyone was present at Leiden Central in plenty of time. The trip from Eindhoven to Budapest went without major problems and after the bus trip to the Hostel, the participants could go to their rooms. Some were very content with their ‘herres’room, others just with their quiet room.... At the end of the week, opinions about the ‘herres’rooms were slightly more divided. Let's not get ahead of the script and wake up the participants on the first full day of the trip! The participants were allowed to immediately grab their umbrellas from their suitcases, because you didn't have to be a statistical wonderchild to figure out that a wet suit was also in the plan. Because of the ‘Tour du Budapest’, the cyclists were flying around and the route to the ‘vissersbastillion’ was slightly different. Once there, the counting groups could start their walk through Budapest. Many groups filled this time with a roofed lunch, and we couldn’t blame them. In the afternoon, the tour of the parliament would take place. After everyone was through the security gates, we were treated to a look at the beautiful architecture and even got to witness the changing of the guard! Not entirely surprisingly, it was still raining after the tour and everyone made their own way to the hostel hoping to be dry again for the next activity, the Prosecco boat! Since Labyrint is known for their non-drinking culture, it was the question if everyone liked the unlimited Prosecco. Luckily, this boat tour with a beautiful view on the Donau was happily enjoyed! For those who wanted/needed to stay sober, the non-alcoholic refreshments were also suspiciously well liked. Once everyone was safely back on land, the rain dance was traded in for normal dances until early morning (and the rest of the trip!)....
The next day the effects lack of sleep on the body were very apparent; where the decibels were still flying around from last night, it was suspiciously quiet that morning. Fortunately, a slightly less busy day was scheduled, as we got to go to the zoo! Instead of the raincoat, we got to grab our sunglasses, and this did a lot of participants good. The otters got all the attention they needed, and the penguins were also very popular. Let's also be honest, some of the animals stayed alone or in conditions that were hard to look at. Fortunately, the emotions let loose could be shared well together. In the evening, dinner together was scheduled, and we were welcomed to an Italian restaurant to enjoy a three-course meal. A very good base with enough energy to make some dance moves again, and that was certainly done that evening. After all, man likes continuity, and you need to be consistent to make your behavior a habit.
That continuity in getting up early was continued the next day, as we were allowed to visit the University of Budapest and with the inhuman earliness of this lecture, at least 70% of the students had probably watched the lecture back on Brightspace if that was possible. Fortunately, everyone was dressed up properly and contributed actively during the lecture from the Head of the Department of Psychology. The spa was a dot on the horizon for many, a moment of peace and deserved wellness. Just a moment to reflect on past grueling two and a half days of exhausting physical activities. And to be honest, the committee had also scheduled this activity largely for its own sake. It was great to recharge in the warm water and sweat out all the toxins. Fully recharged and with blasting enthusiasm, preparations for men's and women's night could begin! What the men carried out is a big question mark... (I could get to the information, but I was asked to keep it secret). The ladies had dinner together before ending up in the trunk pub where the men were very close by… Suspicious… It took some effort to keep the men and women separated according to tradition, but at the breakfast table the next day it was at least evident that alcohol does not have the same hydrating effect as water.
With glassy eyes and an almost empty battery, almost everyone sat at the breakfast table. Unfortunately, the hike up the mountain could not take place because the predicted thunderstorm combined with climbing a high point did not meet safety requirements. Since sandwiches had already been obtained, the planned lunch was provided at the hostel after which we continued our journey to the House of Terror. This museum showed a sweeping picture of the fascist and communist regimes in Budapest in the 20th century. During the tour we received information about this violent period and walked past torture-rooms which brought everyone to silence. This educational note was followed up by a pub crawl where people were given time to have fun in their counting group. It was great to see that each group had paid attention to the outfit in the color theme. Games were played and the yells were a bit off in quality, but this did not spoil the fun! The next day it was time to do the hill walk that had been planned the day before. The pale faces and bags up to the knees showed that this was not the first day of the trip. Fortunately, after this hike, there was still room for individual interpretation and the group split up as needed. The Committee and the Board shared that night together to get dinner and that was a lot of ‘gezellie-ness’!
Friday was all about packing all our stuff in the same tiny suitcase so we could fly back to the Netherlands. When we arrived at Eindhoven Airport, it felt strange to say goodbye to all the dear people with whom we had a unforgettable trip. The Long Study Trip Committee would like to thank everyone for their enthusiastic presence in Budapest and the beautiful memories we made together! Because of you, those raindrops felt like sunshine.
Lots of love,
Long Study Trip Committee
Helena, Sophie, Gwen, Isee, Eline, Puk, Myrthe & Kirsten ©
