Sziget: Besties on the Island of Freedom

Caitlin and Damian at the Sziget Festival

 For the past few days I have been hanging out in Budapest with my best friend from university, Damian. 

A few months ago when I told him that I would be in Europe during the summer, we decided to meet up in Budapest for the Sziget Festival.  I had no idea what Sziget was at the time, but after watching this video I was sold on it.  He arranged everything, which also made my decision quite easy.  We would stay at Retox Party Hostel for the festival days then stumble down the street and enjoy the fruits of his legal labor at the Hilton Budapest for the following three days.

I decided to arrive in Budapest a few days before Damian to check out the hostel and ensure that it was up to our standards for fun, and the only thing that disappointed me upon my arrival was that he was two days away. 

The place was an Animal House on steroids.  The Retox website is very clear about it’s rage-expectations for all travelers who choose to stay there, and it very strictly states that absolutely no one over 35 or lame or both is welcome. 

Upon checking into Retox, a twenty-something Brit who identified himself as Pixie took my deposit and passport then handed me a map of the city and asked if I was actually going to do anything touristy around Budapest.  With my three hours of sleep from the night before, I decided that I would attempt to see the city before Retox sucked me in.  Although he seemed surprised at my response, he pointed out a handful of popular tourist spots.

Overlooking the Pest side of the city from the hilly Buda side

After Pixie handed me the map, he very clearly explained the house rules: don’t eat food that is not yours, don’t bring drugs into the hostel, and don’t die during your stay at Retox.  Check, check and check.  Let the party begin.

I spent a few hours wandering around the city, but eventually exhaustion overtook me from my early flight and I headed back for a quick nap at Retox.  

Let’s review that last sentence: I headed back for a nap at a party hostel.  It obviously never happened.

Around Pest

Hanging out with new hostel friends, exploring the famous Budapest ruin pubs and meeting up with Caitlin (another fellow Techie) helped pass the time until Damian arrived on Friday.  Caitlin is currently working on a project in Poland, and was luckily able to make a long weekend out of Sziget.  We have many mutual friends from our time at GT, but we had never actually hung out together.  It was fate that this weekend worked out, and I can definitely say that I now have a new soul sister.

Damian arrived Friday afternoon, and all I can say for our time at Sziget and the following days at Retox is that it was hilarious, ridiculous, and something that I don’t know if I would survive again.  I won’t attempt to explain our shenanigans (for both legal and moral reasons), but we had a great time and were somehow able to follow all of those strict hostel rules.

Necessary kiosk at Sziget

Three days, a handful of questions, and a few forints later we were packing our bags to leave Retox.  I didn’t take a picture of us when we were leaving, but suffice to say we were subhuman as we trekked the two kilometers to our next destination.  

When we arrived at the Hilton Budapest, I was shocked that they not only let us check in, but also proceeded to upgrade us to the Executive Suite.  The concierge was suspicious, as she should have been.  But honestly – is this real life?  The last upgrade I received was to a top bunk.  Damian laughed and just said, “Welcome to my life.”

Masks and champagne - yes, please!

Sitting in the executive lounge as I type this and having my complimentary sparkling water refilled by the lounge attendant makes me question how I have survived in hostels for the past eight and a half months.  Kidding…kind of…

After each of us showered the Retox/Sziget aftermath off of us we decided to take a Budapest Free Walking Tour and actually explore the city that we had been destroying for the previous days.  It was a great overview of the history and culture of Hungary, and we enjoyed it so much that we joined the Communist Free Walking Tour the following day.  I am staying in Budapest for a few more days, so hopefully I can share some of our findings in another post.

After a difficult day of busting our asses as tourists, we returned to our perfectly cleaned room to a bottle of champagne and two flutes next to a plate of macaroons.  Yep, I could get used to this.

"Popping bottles and blackheads" - Damian

We shopped, dined, explored and gossiped about the past 8 months and all too quickly this morning came and Damian left me for Berlin.  I cried after he left until I realized I still had a few solid hours to enjoy the Executive Lounge. 

After the assistant brought me a sparkling water, he asked if he could book a taxi for me.  If you would be so kind, sir, I’ll be going to the exclusive Budapest Backpackers Hostel…