A typicaL day in Budapest...?

Ok so because this is no longer an assignment I've been slacking, but crazy things have been happening so I must write! First, Switzerland and Austria are the most beautiful places in the world! (besides Farmington maybe) but really, if you've ever questioned a fairy tale like Hansel and gretel or rapunzel I challenge you to spend a day ( which is generous because it only took me 5 minutes) to be a firm believer that they are all true! Second, Budapest? Really cool but let me share my day and you can decide whether or not it's somewhere you would enjoy. Kirsten and I had already been in Budapest for a few days, had made some friends and were really enjoying our time. We had planned to meet up with our 3 friends we'd met the day before in church and had spend most of Sunday with the next morning, they were 3 American guys one visitng his old mission so he translated for us and the other two along for the adventure. It was Jed's birthday (the one who spoke Hungarian) and so we wanted to do something cool and since as a missionary he hadn't been able to visit Margaret island in the middle of the Danube and Kirsten and I had had it highly recommended to us we went there. Kirsten and I woke up early to work out and try to save off the softness of all the good food we'd been eating and then went to the large open market to get some fruit for breakfast. We bought a pastry to give Jed for his birthday and then wandered through the light rain to meet them. They weren't there but since the area we'd designated was large we didn't know if we'd find them so we decided to just start walking the island and hopefully run into them, it didn't take long before we caught sight and then we slowly stalked them until we were in throwing range and chucked a couple of pine cones, partially because we didn't want to run to catch up and partially as revenge for them splashing as at the Turkish baths the day before when they'd found us. Anyway, we found them, walked and talked and then said our farewells. Kirsten and I wanted to do some shopping because Budapest is cheap but as we made our way to the mall it started pouring so we ducked into a Starbucks to wait it out. We were talking and enjoying ourselves when 2 Italian guys offered to buy us drinks in very broken English, I responded no but mentioned I'd been studying Italian so they motioned the seat closer to them and I moved over leaving my bag on the other side of Kirsten. We were having a good time and I was grateful to practice my Italian, 2 more of their friends showed up and we all were laughing and trying to figure out what everyone was saying, the added us on facebook so that when they fulfilled their dream of coming to California they could find us there. I turned to translate something for Kirsten and out of the corner of my eye I notice the old guy sitting in the window with his hand in my bag! I hadn't thought about it because it was right there and we were inside a Starbucks but this happens, I just gave him a stern disgusted sorta look and grabbed my bag and not before too long he disappeared but he had been sitting in that window seat for quite some time! He didn't take anything gratefully but I now will remember to be more careful. Eventually the Italians left and then Kirsten and I braved the rain and made a run for it to the stores. Later that evening after a most delicious dinner at a lovely little restaurant we'd found earlier and fallen in love with me decided to walk to heroes square on Jed's recommendation to see it at night. On our way we saw a poor old homeless guy sleeping on a bench and I felt really sorry for him, I hate how much there is of that in Hungary, we moved on but keep him in mind. We got to heroes square and it really was stunning. But as we moved closer to the statues we noticed to high school boys running around. Kirsten told me she was pretty sure they were streaking but I was absolutely convinced they had compression shorts on until they ran right in front of us and left me with no more room for doubt. Not an experience I care to relive. On our walk back we were discussing how it probably wasn't a brilliant idea to be out late but now we really had no choice now so we should hurry back. Just then I noticed a statue out of the corner of my eye in a doorway but as I passed the doorway the statue moved. A white head on a long emancipated body in a dirty trench coat was much too close to me. I felt the blood drain from my face and turned to Kirsten chilled. She says my face was so white but the guy didn't do anything so we just hurried past and then sorta giggled at my slight overreaction but I must say that was the most frightening 2 moments of my life! All in all I really enjoyed Budapest, it was beautiful and unique and we had a lot of good times...and some really strange ones. The end.