Budapest Photo Diary + 10 Ways to Stay Positive During Long-Term Travel

I hope that with these photos I can relay at least a portion of the positive feelings, emotions and thoughts that I felt during our magical time in Budapest. This captivating, picturesque city is by far one of my favorites, and I feel truly blessed to be able to check it off my bucket list. Traveling is the sort of thing that naturally tends to be romanticized. We typically picture distant places, unfamiliar places and new experiences, and in our minds forms a wild fantasy unrivaled by that of the stories in adventure novels. I am overwhelmingly pleased to say that Budapest far exceeded my wildest dreams and fantasies, and these photos pale in comparison to the larger-than-life beauty of this complex city with a complicated past.

Perhaps you’ve heard the quote, “You only see what you want,” meaning that your thoughts create your reality. I recently saw this quote {no pun intended} spray-painted on a wall, and it has really stuck with me. Sometimes I find myself spending more time being frustrated about negative experiences instead of being thankful for so many positive ones. Believe me, it is a sad, sad state to find yourself in, especially when you are living the life others can only dream about! Regardless of your stance on positive-thinking psychology, you have to admit there is some truth behind the idea that your expectations and your reality are interconnected. So in an attempt to change my own thinking habits, and to inspire you to do the same, I’ve put together a list of 10 ways that help me stay positive:

1. Take more photos. Stepping behind a camera literally forces you to find a good angle of perspective.
2. Smile. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Try to make light of difficult circumstances, which is really difficult to do with a frown on your face.
3. Make a personal playlist. Music has incredible effects on the mind. Use that to your advantage.
4. Blog. Writing down your experiences is impossible without some degree of analysis. When you take the time to think logically about a situation, you tend to view it in a more positive light.
5. Find joy in the small details. Learn to live in the present and cherish the beauty around you, even when plans go awry.
6. Treat yourself. As odd as it may sound, this tidbit of advice is especially useful if you’re traveling. Sure, you’re experiencing new things, seeing new sights, etc., etc., etc., but you’re also living on a tight budget, with a limited wardrobe and without the small luxuries that you take for granted in everyday life. Being a self-proclaimed coffee-addict, I find that allowing myself a cup of espresso, however overpriced it may seem, instantly improves my mood. {The caffeine could also have something to do with it.}
7. Be happy for no reason. Much easier said than done, right? But stick with me for a minute. If you are happy for a particular reason then the second that reason is taken away from you, your happiness disappears. Let your happiness be proactive, instead of reactive.
8. Focus on people around you. In this egoistic day and age it is easy to lose sight of the important things in life, like the people near and dear to you. Make the happiness of other people a higher priority than your own happiness, and you will find pure joy in living for someone else.
9. Enjoy the sunshine. Besides aiding in the production of the essential vitamin D, the sun is known to improve our mood though the magical fairy dust, called endorphins. Between the rainy Munich and the chilly Zurich, sunny Budapest was a much-welcomed changed for us.
10. Relax. One of the downsides of extensive traveling is that there are times when you want nothing more than to sit in your hotel room and watch TV. Of course, the second this thought enters you head, you feel guilty. You can almost imagine your rationality wagging her finger at you and telling you that you did not sell half your belongings to fly across the globe to sit in a hotel room to watch TV. Remember the time I told you to be impractical? Now is the perfect occasion to heed that advice!

The Dohany Street Synagogue, also known as the Great Synagogue, is the largest Jewish synagogue in Europe and fifth largest in the world.

St. Stephen’s Basilica

Panoramic views of the city from atop St. Stephen’s Basilica

Inside St. Stephen’s Basilica

St. Stephen’s Basilica houses Saint Stephen’s mummified right hand, considered a holy relic. Legend has it that after his death the hand did not decompose like the rest of his body. Thus, it was cut off and is now stored atop a pillow inside this bejeweled box.

Atop Gellert Hill

 

Hungarian National Gallery

St. Stephen was the first King of Hungary and is regarded as the founder of Hungary.

Matthias Church

Sandor Palace

Last standing Soviet monument on public land in Hungary. The structure is surrounded by a fence because of past defacement. The name of this square is, ironically, Szabadsag, meaning “freedom.”

Nighttime stroll through the streets of Budapest

A commemorative plaque to Austrian composer Johann Strauss

The Little Princess Statue was the first Hungarian statue unveiled after the end of the Soviet rule in Budapest.

One of the many drinking water fountains in Budapest

Budapest’s Four Seasons Hotel

Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Fischerman’s Bastion

Love locks of Budapest: the idea is to write your and your lover’s names on the lock and to toss the key into the Danube River

Hungarikum Bisztro is one of the best restaurants in Budapest, with romantic ambiance and live music. You can easily have a feast for two for under $20.

Buda and Pest used to be two separate cities. Buda is the western side, which comprises one-third of Budapest. Pest is the eastern, more flat side, which comprises two-thirds of the city.

The view from our hostel’s window

The Turul Statue