June 5th: Vienna Day One

June 5th

Today we were transferred to Vienna! This time we had a big nice bus and we all got some good rest :)

Once we arrived in Vienna we had a business visit at Microsoft. This was one of my favorite business visits so far! We learned all about Microsoft, its products, and the type of work atmosphere that it operates around. The people that work here live, breathe, and die Microsoft. It was so interesting to learn about how these giant corporations are broken into smaller business buildings that operate all together to make up the Microsoft that we all know. This building was also super modern (it even had plants growing out of the walls), and it even had a slide to get from floor to floor!!

One thing that I have noticed about businesses here in Europe is that entrepreneurship is very important, new ideas and new ways of thinking are very important to the culture in these areas. Also modern buildings are everywhere, slides and 'comfy' chairs are important to have so workers can unwind and recharge. Also the age of workers in these areas is very young, seeing a worker over 40 is very rare. Another important make up of businesses in Europe is the idea of not having an assigned desk, but instead having many workplaces through out the building and workers choose different ones day to day to change up their views and therefor allowing for more creativity.

The rest of the day Molly, Courtney, and I spent shopping around. We got some more money out of an ATM (they use Euros here). We also found a cute little restaurant to eat dinner at! We then headed back to the hotel to get some rest. Tomorrow we have a guided tour of Vienna and then another business visit at Ketchum.

Microsoft! 

June 4th: Budapest Day Four

June 4th

Today we had a business visit to Ustream.Tv. We met with Mr. Peter Szilagyi who was a knowledgebase expert who explained to us what Ustream is and how it operates. Ustream is the worlds most social and scalable live video platform, which means that you can have live video chats from anywhere in the world to anywhere else in the world. Mr. Szilagyi explained to us that this is a company that has many young workers and the building that Ustream operates in is a very modern and laid back place. I really enjoyed this business visit and found it very interesting.

After our business visit we then went and had a coffee in the oldest coffee place in Europe, 'The New York Cafe.' This cafe was absolutely STUNNING and although my hot chocolate ended up costing me 8$ it was totally worth it.

After our coffee break we went and did a 'Lock Room,' where you get locked in a room and have to do all these different puzzles and brainteasers to get out. My group consisted of Molly, Courtney, Sarah, Eliana, Morgan, and I and we were placed in the 'Egyptian' room. My group and I ended up winning and we all had an awesome time!!

After the lock room Molly, Courtney, and I went back to the hotel to change. We then went with Vish to grab some lunch at a place that had burgers and played country music (we felt as if we were home!) and then we did some souvenir shopping. After that we headed up to 'Buda' to hike around and look at all the different sites, we ended up hiking up to the liberty statue that had the best view I had ever seen of Budapest and watched the sunset before hiking back down. We then went to a little restaurant and ordered a pizza. Then we returned to the hotel where had to pack to pack our things, we leave for Vienna tomorrow!

I absolutely LOVE Budapest and I know for sure that I want to return here someday! :)

UStream! So Awesome!

The New York Cafe!

The Egyptian lock room

Hiking around Buda! 

The beautiful view from the Gillert Hill!

The Liberty Statue located on top of the Gillert Hill, it was built to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives to help gain Hungary its independence.

Look who I found in Budapest- SPONGEBOB! :)

June 3rd: Budapest Day Three

June 3rd

Today we got a little time to sleep in and then we headed to our third cultural event. We spent the day in a town called Puszta and a Lazar Equestrian Park.

When we got to Puszta we arrived at the Lazar Equestrian Park and it was BEAUTIFUL. Now this park is a traditional Hungarian farmyard, it has competition stables and the Championship Hall which is home to the many awards that were won by the famous duo Vilmos and Zoltan Lazar who were star horse racers and owned the park. We spent the afternoon watching a horse show and eating a delicious Hungarian meal while we listened to gypsy music.

After we left the Equestrian Park we went to visit the second largest Baroque Palace of the world in Godollo! We arrived at the former summer residence of Queen Elisabeth (Sisi) and Francis Joseph (Habsburg Emperor and Hungarian King 1867-1916). This interior visit of the museum and the tour through the garden of the Chateau, gave us a glimpse of times under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Doing this tour was very fun, and we learned a lot in the 2 hours that we were there about this royal couple. We then headed back to Budapest.

On the way back our bus driver dropped us off at the famous Budapest Baths (szechenyi baths) where there was tons of different pools heated to different temperatures by natural springs under the ground. There was also different saunas that you could go into, some that were EXTREMELY hot (one was over 180 degrees Fahrenheit). We were all so happy to have some time to just relax in these pools and we stayed there for about 3 hours. After we left we ventured back to the hotel. A few of us decided we wanted to go explore more of the city, so we showered and met back down in the lobby.

We found an awesome place where everything was made of ice! The walls, sculptures, and even drink glasses! It was a famous place in Budapest and we had such an awesome time there but it was FREEZING so we only were able to stay inside for about half an hour. After we left there, we went to a different place called Szimpla. It was decorated with all types of different things that you would usally see at garage sales, but it turned out to look really cool!

We all got pretty tired and decided to go back to the hotel to get some rest. Tomorrow we have another business visit and then Molly, Courtney, and I are planning on heading to the 'Buda' side of Budapest. I think I forgot to mention this detail, Budapest is actually 2 different cities 'Buda' and 'Pest' separated by the Danube river.

The beautiful Lazar Equestrian Park!

Enjoying the horse show.

The group on a tour around the park by horse drawn carriage! An interesting fact was that the man that was driving this carriage was one of the top horse racers in the world!  

Molly and I :)

Lovin' this beautiful park!

Budapest Baths (szechenyi baths)

The famous place where everything was made of ICE! We had to wear these funny coats and gloves :)

June 2nd: Budapest Day Two

June 2nd

Today we went to two different businesses and got to explore the city a little bit!

We first went to a business that is a headquarters for the U.S. Embassy, many of us thought that we were going to be going to the actual Embassy but it may be good that we didn't because now we don't have to go through all the security. We met with an economic officer, Ms. Katie Holtz. She first started off her presentation but telling us a little background info on Budapest and how Hungary has developed as a country. She then went on to explain what her job was as an economic officer and how she helps American businesses become successful in Hungary and in the Hungarian economy. Ms. Holtz then explained to us what it is like to become employed by the U.S. to work in an embassy and it was very interesting, she talked about how you can just be placed wherever in the world to work for two years and then you will be transferred somewhere else. I think it would be a hard lifestyle but so very interesting and life changing to travel around the world. She also explained how they have interns come over for a semester and learn all about the life of a worker at the U.S. embassy, I think this would be such a fun opportunity. I really liked this business visit and learned a lot from it!

After our visit we found a place for lunch, which ended up being a Chinese restaurant in the mall food court. It was not the greatest Chinese food I have ever had ;)

We then had to return to the hotel and head to our second business visit of the day. We headed to Nokia Solutions Networks, where we met with a Senior Program Manager Mr. Szilard Bator. He talked a lot about how Nokia has transformed into a bigger business and how it is up and coming and they are gaining lots of new clients. Mr. Bator also talked about all that Nokia does and how it works. It was sometimes hard to follow exactly what he was saying because he was talking in such different terminology then many of us understood but it was still very interesting. We then got a tour of where all the computers and technology works and runs. It was HUGE and contained lots of different running parts. There was rows and rows of cabinets full of computers, a worker tried to explain all that occurred in these computers, but again the terminology was kind of hard to understand.

After we left Nokia, we went back to the hotel changed and then Molly, Courtney, Vish, and I went to explore the city a little bit more and take pictures :) We also grabbed dinner at a nice restaurant that Vish really liked and then we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

Some of the girls heading to our visit with the U.S. Embassy officer.

(From left to right: Morgan, Maddie, Me, Courtney, Molly, and Eliana)

Molly, Courtney, and I enjoying the sites of Budapest! :)

June 1st: Budapest Day One

June 1st

Today we began our journey to Budapest. Vish had done a lot of talking with the director of our International Study Programs (the group that put together our trip for us) to make sure that we didn't get the small bus that we did when we had to travel to Kosice. But to our dismay the same little bus pulled up to the front of the hotel to take us to Budapest. We all had good attitudes and decided to try to sleep as much as we could on this bus trip, which worked out for us. We made a pit stop at a gas station on the way and got some of Vish's favorite ice cream bars (Magnum) they were DELICIOUS! :) After about four and a half hours we arrived in Budapest!!

Once we arrived in Budapest and at our hotel we had 20 minutes to change into different clothes and then we headed to the main part of the city where we were to begin our tour of Budapest which was on bike!

One thing I have not mentioned yet about the hotels in Europe is they are not the typical hotel rooms, in America we are used to 2 queen beds, a desk, and a big bathroom, with lots of room besides all that stuff. In European hotels they have 2 twin beds and a small bathroom with hardly enough room to move around. With Molly and I both having BIG suitcases it is definitely a chore to find room for all of our stuff and have room to still walk around! I guess we are spoiled in this manner. ;)

We (the group) then had a tour of Budapest by bike, it was such a fun experience and we got to see many of the beautiful sites of this city and it was a fun way to do it besides the traditional way of walking. We learned all about the history of this city and saw so many different areas that it made us all really excited to have the opportunity to explore it more!

After our bike tour we went back to the hotel and had about 40 minutes to get ready for our group dinner which was going to be on a dinner cruise down the Danube river.

The cruise was truly an experience of a lifetime. There was live music and people dancing and lots of yummy food. There was also a deck you could go up on and take pictures as well as enjoy the beautiful river and sites around it. This is one part of the trip I know I will never forget.

After the dinner cruise we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. We stopped at an ATM to get some Hungarian Forint out, which converted is about 1$ = 224.22 Forint!

We have 2 business visits tomorrow with a U.S. embassy representative and then Nokia.

Budapest bike tour!

The group during our bike tour.

                                         The BEAUTIFUL parliament building of Budapest.

A guard that stood outside of the parliament building, reminded us a lot of the guards that stand in London. He was keeping a very stern face and people were trying to make him smile, but no one could do it. I then went up to him and said, "I am going to kiss you on the cheek," and then he smiled! :) 

The group in front of Heroes Square.

The Statue of Anonymus, it is said that if you touch his pencil and look him in the face while doing so you will have wisdom and wit. 

Our dinner cruise boat!

A beautiful set up for dinner!

Lovin' Budapest :)

May 31st: Kosice Day Three

May 31st

Today we had the morning off to relax or do whatever we wanted. Molly, Courtney, and I decided that we wanted to go to the main street and hang out in the park in front of the opera house and climb St. Elizabeth's tower (160 steps) that was said to have a great view of the city.

After we had toured around, we decided to grab some lunch before we headed back to the hotel. We stopped at a restaurant that Vish had recommended! After that we wandered back to the hotel and got on the bus that was going to take us to a cultural event which was the Tokaj Winery.

We had to ride in the bus for about 20 minutes to get to the winery but the drive was beautiful and there was a lot of beautiful green fields and lots of trees. Once we arrived at the winery we entered into the welcome building and it radiated happiness. There was a live band playing music and people dancing and having so much fun! 

We then had a tour of the underground cellars of Tokaj and learned how to taste wine, which with most of us not really knowing how to taste wine, was pretty comical. We then went back to the welcome building and had the chance to buy bottles of the wine we liked the best and dance around with some of the locals. It was really fun! :)

We then headed back to the hotel. It was kind of interesting because I have been thinking a lot about what it would be like to play basketball overseas, I was actually praying about it and asked God to show me a sign if he thinks that it is something that I should try to pursue. Not 5 minutes later was there a huge billboard of the Slovakian women's basketball professional team on the side of the road, I think I got his message! :)

 After arriving back in Kosice we ordered pizza and packed our stuff to head to Budapest in the morning!

Kosice has been A LOT different then Poland. You can definitely tell that this city (and country) has just gained its independence recently and is just beginning to build their own culture and reputation. It has been very educational to visit Kosice and see the differences that come from being in different countries in this region. 

Jumping in the fountain! :)

The view from the top of St. Elizabeth's cathedral tower. 160 steps and a beautiful view of the main street of Kosice.

Tokaj Winery!

May 30th: Kosice Day Two

May 30th

^{Today we started off our morning by visiting T-Systems. T-systems is a company that deals with IT services and consulting by using a global infrastructure of data centers and networks. T-systems operates information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions. It is one of the largest European IT service companies and operates in more than 20 different countries and employs approximately 53,000 people.  I found this business very interesting; the employees had an AWESOME power point to show us; that was engaging and interesting explaining what they do and how they do it. We then got a tour of the facilities, which turned out to be very open and well organized. We also got a ‘gift bag’, which had a lot of fun gadgets in it such as a calculator and a portable USB charger.}

^{After our business visit we were free to find our own lunch. Molly, Courtney, and I found a Panini place and sat down for a while to enjoy lunch and a Coke and to decide what we were going to do with the rest of our day.}

^{The rest of our day was spent touring around the city. We saw some of the underground ruins that were still there that showed how the town used to be protected by walls that are now underground, it was very hard to imagine and understand but overall very interesting. We then got to tour around the city a little more and our tour guide took us to the parliament building.}

Then we all split up and shopped around a little bit on the main street. Molly and I hadn't brought any warm jackets so we decided to buy one, it has been FREEZING here. We also bought a few souvenirs and stopped for some ice cream! There is a really big mall here as well that is very modern and expensive, it kind of looks out of place in this city. 

^{After some time spent on the main street we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We went to a really awesome restaurant that was decorated like we were in the medieval times. The whole group went to dinner together and it was an absolute blast, we all stayed there for about 3 hours and just laughed and talked! :)} 

After dinner we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. We haven’t done as much here as we did in Krakow, most of us are really tired and most of us are trying to fight off a cold as well.

Molly, Courtney, and I outside of T-Systems.

The group at the underground museum that showed the walls that used to protect the city of Kosice.

Inside the parliament building on the main street of Kosice.

Vish and I headed to our group dinner!