Dearest Budapest Hungary…

I miss you.

I miss the large, historic buildings, the never ending churches with beautiful stained glass windows and intricately made archways.

I miss the summers filled with exploring, eating too much gelato, and laughter with great friends. I miss the cool summer nights surrounded by good friends and a bonfire, talking about the stars and all of our wildest dreams.

I miss the fall when the leaves would turn different shades of orange, yellow, red, and purple. I miss the first day of school, seeing all of those familiar faces and introducing newer ones. I miss crucial Starbucks runs and movies, because what else would we do during the fall in Budapest? I miss long walks in the evening, unwinding my mind and my soul from the stress and the weight of the world.

I miss the winter, waking up to snowy mornings and squeals because school was canceled that day. I miss sledding down our ridiculously steep hill when it was too hard to walk down. I miss the Christmas market and the city lights twinkling and the smell of warm apple cider and kürtőskalács (but who am I kidding, everyone eats those all the time). Buying gifts for the family and going to Christmas service and hearing so many different languages being spoken to worship our awesome and amazing God.

I miss the spring and the abundance of flowers that it brought. The emerging from -10 degrees to that blissful in-between of 20-25 degrees. The lengthening of the days and the nights, when the sun is finally setting at a reasonable time a.k.a not 3 pm.

Budapest I miss your big city lights. I miss my favorite bridges that I’ve walked across countless times and adventures around the Basilica that lead to achy feet but happy memories. I miss going to Margit Island and literally walking around the entire thing because Pokémon GO is a thing ladies and gentlemen.

I miss the incredibly wonderful friends I made there. From living there for four years I’ve got quite the bunch that I can call my good, life-long friends.

I hope you’ll see me again soon Budapest, I don’t feel I could go on without returning to you at some point or stage in my life. Whether that be next year or in the next decade who knows. Budapest I hope that when I return to you we’re like old pal’s and we’re able to get on like no time has passed. I hope to experience those long dinners that I used to dread going to, that I stay there for hours with you Budapest, laughing and remembering while making new memories.

Budapest you are my first love. My best and the strongest it might ever be. You gave me a taste of the world; a taste I hope to experience even more in my life as it goes on. I hope to bring many of my friends and family to you, to introduce them to you and for you to show them what you showed me.

You truly are the most beautiful city I know Budapest. I love and miss you dearly.

Yours truly,

Ashton Smith