Meats, Math, Museum, and More :)

With a cup of banana yogurt in hand, our final Tuesday in Budapest began. In the morning we had a Number theory lecture where we learned RSA algorithms which are coding methods that are virtually impossible to break--pretty neat! For lunch a few of us headed over to the Hus Bolt (Meat Shop) where we indulged in sausage and chicken standing at the counter. There were other options such as livers, gizzards, etc...they eat it ALL over here. We'll call it an experience, ending with fruits and breads from the nearby market to settle our tummies. Following lunch we had the privilege of hearing a probability lecture from Balint Toth, a professor at the Technical University of Budapest. Probability is a subject that many of us are not familiar with, so we listened intently and walked away with a new appreciation for probability and the field of statistics. 

After the lecture a group of us went to the House of Terror which is a museum/monument for the victims of the Nazi invasion and Communist dictatorship in Hungary. The museum building was the Hungarian Nazi headquarters in 1944, and also housed other communist terror organizations until 1956. One of the more moving parts of the museum was the cellar where hundreds of people were tortured, and video accounts of survivors added a whole other dimension to this tragic reality. The museum shone new light on a piece of Hungarian history that we had never been exposed to before. Even though this museum was not a scheduled class trip, a majority of us made our way to the museum to learn about the victims of terrorist dictatorships and their effect on Hungary. 

On a lighter note, we find it important to mention our favorite Hungarian pancake house. Open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, the sweet or salty pancakes make perfect afternoon snacks. And by pancakes we actually mean crepes. We recommend the Nutella and banana pancake or the Pudding Platter! This place is one thing we'll miss for sure, so we'll have to eat our fill before Saturday. 

One last observation: EVERYONE has a dog, and NO ONE cleans up after their dog. We want to look up at the beautiful architecture, but most of the time we are watching our step to avoid the puppy land mines. The dogs are always a topic of conversation (much like the squirrels on campus) especially since the dogs here are chubby and furry. We will not miss the plethora of canines. 

Forever BDPT and BDPT Forever,

Hannah and Julia