Skip to Navigation Skip to UConn Search Skip to Content
UConn University of Connecticut school of University of Connecticut
Search University of Connecticut Search UConn
Site A-Z

UConn A-Z

School of Business

  • About
    • About the School

      • About the School
      • Fast Facts
      • Rankings: UConn School of Business Top-ranked by US News
      • Accreditation
      • View From The Dean’s Chair
      • Dean’s Advisory Cabinet
    • Campuses

      • Storrs Campus
      • Hartford Campus
      • Hartford Campus – Graduate
      • Waterbury Campus
      • Stamford Campus
    • News & Events

      • Pressroom
      • Events
      • Featured Stories
      • Research
    • Contact

      • Office of the Dean
      • General Directory
      • Faculty Directory
      • Staff Directory
  • Programs
    • Undergraduate Degree

      • Advising
      • Majors
      • Minors
      • Scholarships
      • Accelerated Undergraduate-to-Graduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs

      • All Graduate Business Programs
      • Ph.D. in Business
      • Graduate Certificates
      • STEM Designated Programs
    • MBA Programs

      • MBA Programs Home Page
      • Compare our MBA Programs
      • FLEX MBA
      • Online MBA
      • Executive MBA (EMBA)
    • Specialized Masters

      • MS in Accounting
      • MS in Business Analytics & Project Management
      • MS in Financial Risk Management
      • MS in Financial Technology (FinTech)
      • MS in Human Resource Management
      • Accelerated Master’s Degree Programs
    • Professional Development

      • Overview
      • Executive Education
      • Connecticut Information Technology Institute
  • Faculty & Research
    • Overview

      • Faculty
      • Research
      • Research Stories
      • Job Openings
    • Academic Areas

      • Academic Departments
      • Accounting
      • Finance
        • Health Care
        • Real Estate
      • Management & Entrepreneurship
      • Marketing
        • Business Law
      • Operations & Information Management
    • Faculty & Ph.D.s

      • Faculty Directory
      • Ph.D. Students Directory
      • Accounting Directory
      • Business Law Directory
      • Finance Directory
      • Healthcare Directory
      • Management Directory
      • Marketing Directory
      • Real Estate Directory
      • Operations and Information Management Directory
    • Research Centers

      • Center for the Advancement of Business Analytics
      • Center for Real Estate & Urban Economic Studies
      • Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis
      • Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
      • Connecticut Information Technology Institute
      • Daigle Labs
      • GE Global Learning Center
  • Engagement & Outreach
    • Recruit

      • Undergraduates
      • Graduates
      • Alumni
    • Education & Development

      • Executive Education
      • Graduate Certificates
      • Graduate Programs
      • Professional Development
    • Resources

      • Career Development Office
      • Center for the Advancement of Business Analytics
      • Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis
      • Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
      • Connecticut Information Technology Institute
      • Connecticut Small Business Development Center
      • Daigle Labs
      • Diversity Initiatives
      • Family Business Program
      • Global Business Programs
      • Research Centers
    • Experiential Learning

      • Center for the Advancement of Business Analytics
      • Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities
      • Innovation Quest
      • International Trips
      • Student Managed Fund
    • Contact

      • Office of Engagement & Outreach
  • Search
      • A-Z Index
      • Faculty Directory
      • General Directory
    • Search this Site

Budaful Weekend in Budapest

Posted on November 30, 2018February 6, 2019 by Kasia Kolc
Budaful Weekend in Budapest
Budaful Weekend in Budapest
Budaful Weekend in Budapest

Széchenyi Thermal Bath (Kasia Kolc / UConn School of Business)
Széchenyi Thermal Bath (Kasia Kolc / UConn School of Business)

Whenever travelling Europe came to my mind, Hungary was never really at the top of my list of countries to see. But this was a huge misconception! I spent this weekend in Budapest and it was one of my favorite cities I have been to yet.

My friends and I took a 7-hour train ride there from Prague. Although this may seem like a long while, the time flew by as we chatted, laughed, and even spent some time at the train restaurant getting food and drinks. When we arrived at the beautiful main railway station, I immediately fell in love with the atmosphere of the city. Budapest felt like a mix of Prague and Athens, and this climate traces back to their long history. Hungary is a Slovak country just as the Czech Republic, but there was a huge Mediterranean influence because it lays in the south-eastern region of Europe. So, some of my favorite foods like hummus, pitas, and Turkish coffee were all local and available as well as Hungarian food including the famous goulash and the fried langos. Plus, because the exchange rate is 280 Hungarian Forints per one US dollar, a lot of things like food, drinks and activities are cheap which definitely helps on a student budget. But if anyone does decide to visit Hungary, make sure you’re prepared to use your math skills for the exchange!

The great market in the city was incredible because Hungary has so many unique staples of the nation and its culture. I became overwhelmed with the scent of Hungarian pepper, some of the best pepper in the world, and all the beautiful crocheted cloths, shirts, and pillow cases with the gorgeous native Hungarian flowers. I couldn’t leave without purchasing sweet and spicy pepper, and an intricately embroidered cloth.

One of my favorite aspects of the city was its ruin bars. It’s easy to visit these bars and clubs and think that it is simply a very cool nightlife scene, but they are much more emblematic than that. The once beautiful part of Budapest called the Jewish Quarter, became the Jewish Ghetto during World War II. After thousands of Jewish people were deported, their abandoned homes and shops became a rotting, dark memento of what occurred during the war, and so there was never any desire to restore the area for decades after. That is until some brave people opened the first ruin bar called Szimpla in 2002. The concept revolved around them merely finding the oldest, most rotted building filled with objects that used to be owned by the owners from long ago, organizing the colorful items as furniture and decoration and serving drinks. That’s all. These men that started Szimpla Bar had no idea what the idea would spiral out to be. Now there are at least a dozen ruin bars and the once sad Jewish Quarter has transformed into the coolest part of the time with the best nightlife.

Budapest, also sometimes called the “Paris of the East”, is a city of spas. Thermal baths are a major attraction in Budapest because there are many natural warm spring waters under the city. At first I didn’t really understand why anyone would want to bathe in basically one giant bath with strangers, but the bathing culture goes back centuries as far as ancient Roman times. The mineral rich waters are said to be medicinal, and bathing in the warm pools is said to relieve a variety of conditions. So, even though the temperature wasn’t very outdoor swim friendly, we went to go relax at the palace of the healing Szechenyi Baths, the biggest thermal bath in Budapest. This palace of baths was incredible because it had a wide variety of pools with various sizes, facilities, activities, temperature, saunas, and steam rooms. People flooded the spa looking to feel the healing power of the water, use the jets in the pools, dive into the cold plunge pools after spending time in a steamy sauna, or laugh at the whirlpools. I very much enjoyed getting lost in the dozens of rooms in the palace, while attempting to try each and every temperature of bath.

I could write about so many unique aspects of Budapest but that would require much more than one blog post. Budapest is a place where everyone should make it out to with a good group of people, and a readiness to become infatuated with the culture, architecture, nightlife and food.
 

 
Kasia Kolc
Student, UConn School of Business
Kasia Kolc is a senior studying Accounting. She is writing this blog as part of her scholarship from the Global Business Programs Office. Kasia interned at PwC, a Big 4 public accounting firm, this past summer. She had also interned in Wealth Management at Merrill Lynch and Janney Montgomery Scott. A fun fact about Kasia is that she was a girl scout in the Polish Scouting Organization for 10 years.
View Posts

Categories:
Education Abroad Blog, Feature, Global Engagement, Perspectives Blog, Undergraduate Student Life Blog
Share on:
facebookFacebook TwitterTwitter LinkedInLinkedIn emailEmail

You might be interested in:

Data Shows UConn Alums Rank Among High Earners in Accounting, Finance, Law
Marketing Professor Bill Ryan is Honored with Undergrad Career Mentor Award
Business Law Professor Robert Bird Honored for Impactful, Enduring Contributions to the Discipline

← Previous
Next →

View News by Category

Recent News

  • Data Shows UConn Alums Rank Among High Earners in Accounting, Finance, Law
  • Marketing Professor Bill Ryan is Honored with Undergrad Career Mentor Award
  • Business Law Professor Robert Bird Honored for Impactful, Enduring Contributions to the Discipline
  • Nine Named To Fulbright US Student Program For 2023-24
  • Alumna Melinda Brown Tells Class of 2023 to Make Great Plans, Know When to Pivot, Work in the Office Sometimes

All News »

Upcoming Events

  1. 6/3 HRM Preview Day

    HRM Preview Day

    Saturday, June 3rd, 2023

    10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

    Hartford: Graduate Business Learning Center
    100 Constitution Plz Hartford, CT 06103 United States

    Deciding to pursue graduate-level study in Human Resource Management (HRM) at the University of Connecticut is a big decision. Our HRM Preview Day gives you the opportunity to experience a “day in the life” of a UConn HRM student. You will meet esteemed faculty, administrative staff, current students, alums and other potential cohort members. You will also learn answers to some of your most pressing questions, including:

    *What does an HRM class “feel like?”
    *Who are the faculty and what are their backgrounds?
    *What is a cohort and what are the benefits of being a part of one?
    *What professional growth opportunities are available to me after completing one of UConn's HRM programs?

    Learn the answers to these questions and more during the preview session that includes a networking lunch and panel discussion with current students and alumni, program debrief, admissions/application overview, and a mock class. Remember, there is no time like the present to start your graduate journey!

    Link to register: https://connect.grad.uconn.edu/register/?id=d7667ab0-3dd4-430f-b89c-b6176729a365

    Contact Information: Moira Rosek, moira.rosek@uconn.edu

    More
  2. 6/7 Virtual Infosession - MS in Financial Risk Management

    Virtual Infosession - MS in Financial Risk Management

    Wednesday, June 7th, 2023

    12:00 PM - 01:00 PM

    Storrs Campus
    Zoom

    Virtual Infosession - MS in Financial Risk Management
    As you consider the Master's in Financial Risk Management Program at UConn, it is extremely important that that you make an informed choice, and attending a virtual information session is a valuable way to gather the missing pieces.

    Virtual Infosessions are an ideal opportunity to learn first-hand about our highly regarded programs and hear from admissions representatives.

    Register here: https://connect.grad.uconn.edu/register/?id=249ee2ba-b777-4ef3-b5e8-f73b45213932

    Contact Information: Laurissa Berk, laurissa.berk@uconn.edu

    More
  3. 6/7 Virtual Infosession - MS in FinTech

    Virtual Infosession - MS in FinTech

    Wednesday, June 7th, 2023

    05:00 PM - 06:00 PM

    Other
    Virtual

    As you consider the Masters in Financial Technology (FinTech) Program at UConn, it is extremely important that you can make an informed choice.

    Attending a virtual information session is a valuable way to gather the missing pieces. The MS in FinTech Virtual Information Sessions are an ideal opportunity to learn first-hand about this specialized master's program and hear from admissions representatives who can answer your questions about pursuing this degree.

    Registration required.

    Link to register: https://connect.grad.uconn.edu/register/?id=9b3ce66f-5406-46d8-aaac-c3774d430d91

    Contact Information: Kaitlyn Speaker, kaitlyn.speaker@uconn.edu

    More
  4. 6/8 Virtual Infosession - MS in Human Resource Management

    Virtual Infosession - MS in Human Resource Management

    Thursday, June 8th, 2023

    05:30 PM - 06:30 PM

    Other
    Zoom/Virtual

    Virtual Infosession - MS in Human Resource Management
    As you consider the HRM Program at UConn, it is extremely important that that you make an informed choice, and attending a virtual information session is a valuable way to gather the missing pieces.

    The HRM Virtual Infosessions are an ideal opportunity to learn first-hand about our highly regarded program, hear from admissions representatives.

    Link to register: https://connect.grad.uconn.edu/register/?id=b52187f3-8a30-431d-a1ea-0812b157629e

    Contact Information: Moira Rosek, moira.rosek@uconn.edu

    More
  5. 6/13 Virtual Infosession - Executive MBA Program

    Virtual Infosession - Executive MBA Program

    Tuesday, June 13th, 2023

    05:30 PM - 06:30 PM

    Other
    Virtual

    As you consider the Executive MBA at UConn, it is extremely important that that you make an informed choice, and attending an infosession is a valuable way to gather the missing pieces. The Executive MBA Virtual Infosessions are an ideal opportunity to learn first-hand about our highly regarded program, hear from admissions representatives, and faculty.

    Link to register: https://connect.grad.uconn.edu/register/?id=93852614-bcf1-4664-a246-a56f6c235a23

    Contact Information: Jessica Baker, jessica.baker@uconn.edu

    More
All Events »
engagement pixel ftmba_rt pixel ptmba_rt emba_rt mshrm_rt msbapm_rt msa_rt

Related Content

  • Recruiters
  • Alumni
  • Make a Gift
  • Pressroom
  • Faculty/Staff Resources
  • Student Resources
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • © University of Connecticut
  • Disclaimers, Privacy & Copyright
  • Accessibility
  • Webmaster Login
  • Student Consumer Information
  • A-Z Index
  • General Directory