Another city starting with B and midterms

Welcome back,

Another month has passed and somehow it went by faster than expected. It feels like everything and nothing has happened during this time. I'm not sure if I just experience very little or so much that I can no longer place it in time. It's probably because I now have a 'solid group of friends' with whom I do most things, from simple cozy evenings at an apartment to trips to cities. The weeks blend together with evening meetings and weekends, which is not a bad thing in itself. But before I continue to vaguely talk about my life here, let me just tell you about concrete things.

I'll start with the elephant in the room, the mysterious city starting with B. This time I ended up in Budapest, 'Paris in the East' (apparently). What I saw of the city was incredibly beautiful, but unfortunately we only had one day to see it. We went to Budapest as part of a 'festival' organized by Erasmus. Due to booking the bus too late, we only arrived on Friday evening at 18:30 and had to leave again on Sunday morning at 8:00. But we all said we have to visit this city again. This time we were only four instead of a larger group, which was very pleasant and easier. We took an evening boat tour and spent Saturday in the thermal baths for which Budapest is well known. In the evening, we walked through the city, looked at things, and sat in one or the other bar. I can say that the city looks beautiful at night as well. Generally, I liked the city better than Belgrade, and as I said, I have to spend more time there. Until then, you can look at dark pictures of the city.

You are probably wondering: 'Does this guy even have university or just free time?!' and yes, I only have free time. Just kidding, the seriousness of university has just begun. The next two weeks are filled with so-called 'midterms' (5 in total). These midterm exams are part of my final grade. I don't have to 'pass' them, but they have a weight of about 40% for the subject. Nonetheless, I am confident. It is more about memorizing than what I am used to in Germany, but there is also less material overall. When the two weeks are over, I will provide a new update on the topic.

To address my eager readers, here are more cat news. I keep seeing the cat that, as far as I know, belongs to the caretaker of the dormitory. Her name is Tofu (decided with the help of other people) and she is quite cuddly. She comes to my legs, lets me stroke her for about 10 seconds, and then walks away. Very cute. Last week, I also unexpectedly saw two little kittens. They were very shy but even cuter. Unfortunately, I haven't seen them again until today, but maybe I can take a picture next time.

Finally, I want to fulfill my educational mission. My brother was on vacation in America and saw a very short funicular. In his blog, he referred to me because one of the shortest funiculars in the world is located in Zagreb. Personally, I never use it because it's simply faster to walk, but if you are enthusiastic about such information and love trains, it's an incredible experience. It is 66m long and overcomes 30.5m, connecting the lower and upper town.

So, those were the latest updates from my life. It's a bit shorter than the previous entries, but that's only because I have more everyday life, as mentioned at the beginning.

I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to seeing each and every one of you again.

Take care,

Your Scientific William