Submitted by Allison Andreola on the 2017 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
This weekend, I visited one of my friends studying abroad in Budapest, Hungary and it was one of my favorite places I’ve ever traveled to. The city was so beautiful with its grand architecture, while also being so different and quirky. I got to do some fun and unique activities such as visiting a traditional bath house and going caving. I also learned a lot of interesting history from my friend who’s been learning about Budapest History in her classes. She took me to Dohany Street Synagogue which is the second largest synagogue in the world. I learned that Hungary is the country with the biggest percentage of Jews killed in the Holocaust and that the Hungarian government worked closely with Germany in World War II. We also visited the Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial which is a memorial for Budapest Jews killed during World War II. They were ordered to stand at the edge of the river and were shot so their bodies would fall in the river. The memorial shows their shoes left behind. It was extremely powerful. Budapest has a really complex history and it was cool having my friend show me around and teach me the background information of all the places we went.