A few years ago, Futures implemented a new benefit: the team takes a trip, which includes a sporting event, if we reach our annual target. Past team trip locations were Rome and Valencia, this year we travelled to Budapest!

Day 1

After flying into Budapest and checking into our hotel, we headed to Sterbinszky Amalia Kezilabdacsarnok Arena, named after the best female handballer of the 20th century in Hungary, who passed away a few days prior to the match we attended between the home team, Vasas SC, and last year's league champion, FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria. The atmosphere was lively, we sat next to the home team's fan section and could barely hear one another over the drumming and chants. The match was exciting, and we even saw ourselves cheering at the match on local news on the hotel lobby TV a few days after.

In the evening we went to Szimpla Kert, the city's most famous ruin bar. We learned that ruin bars are repurposed abandoned spaces, due to the area falling into disrepair following World War II. Szimpla Kert had something for everyone, with some of us hanging out in the outdoor courtyard and others tearing up the dancefloor.

Day 2

In the morning we walked through the city park, stopping to admire Vajdahunyad Castle, Magyar Zene House, and climb the roof of the Neprajzi Museum. Vajdahunyad Castle shows the evolution of Hungarian architecture, and contrasted well with the modern architecture of the Magyar Zene House.

We meandered through the Central Market, a gorgeous Neo-Gothic hall with grocery and souvenir stalls, learning about local flavors and culture.

For lunch we ordered Krumplis Langos, a Hungarian deep-fried flatbread, traditionally topped with sour cream and grated cheese. I added sausage and onion to mine, which balanced out the coolness of the sour cream and cheese well.

In the afternoon, Naman led a walking tour through the city, stopping at the Chain Bridge, Buda Castle, Matthias Church, Fisherman's Bastion, Hungarian Parliament Building, and St. Stephen's Basilica. My favorite part was walking to the top of Castle Hill and seeing the panoramic views from Fisherman's Bastion, others caught the old funicular, which dates back to 1870 and is the second oldest of its type in the world.

First, we sampled cherry and cottage cheese strudel at Elso Pesti Reteshaz, the first strudel house of Pest. The chef demonstrated how to make strudel, then Shalina, Ted, and I attempted to roll out the dough, learning that rolling it out without holes is essential. Next, we walked to a nearby wine bar for a wine tasting where we enjoyed learning about the different wine regions of Hungary. Finally, for dinner we had traditional Hungarian Goulash, Chicken Paprikash, and cake to celebrate Bob's birthday!

We ended the day with a boat ride up and down the Danube River. It was chilly outside, but some of the team braved the cold for magnificent views of the Hungarian Parliament Building from the roof of the boat.

Day 3

The thermal baths were the perfect way to start our last day. We dipped in most of the pools, saunas, and steam rooms, while admiring the Neo-Baroque buildings.

As a parting snack, we tried chimney cakes. Originally from Transylvania, they've become popular in Budapest and are hollow funnel cakes made of dough, wrapped around wooden spools, and baked slowly until golden-brown with caramelized sugar. I ordered a chimney cake filled with Nutella, it was delicious.

We had fun exploring the interactive installations! At the end there were 3D puzzles, with a few Rubik's Cubers in the group we successfully solved them.

I had a fabulous time exploring Budapest with my teammates, thank you to everyone who helped plan the trip!