Our last day in Budapest!

            Our last day here in Budapest is a little bittersweet.  Obviously 4 days in a foreign city is definitely not enough time!  We were just getting the hang of the currency and the public transportation!  But I am looking forward to heading to Vienna and seeing what the city has to offer! I can’t believe we are basically one third of the way done with our trip.  L

This morning we visited SAP.  SAP stands for systems, applications, and products.  It is a 42 year old company that creates software to support different standard processes of business.  Their goal is to transform the IT industry.  This company is SUPER impressive.  Just this year alone, they (the Budapest location) have grown 50%.  They are hiring over 300 new employees.  With over 250,000 customers, SAP accounts for about 72% of the world’s GDP.  I mean come on, that is just insane.  Here are a few really impressive statistics:

-          82% of coffee produced worldwide uses SAP software

-          62% of movies produced worldwide use SAP software

-          97% of wireless providers worldwide use SAP software

-          90% of Fortune 500 companies use SAP

-          Other companies using SAP include multiple airlines worldwide, Amazon, Nissan, Audi, Nikon

Besides being blown away by this information, it was also cool because the managing director (basically the head honcho over there) gave us the presentation himself.  SAP has 37 locations in the U.S., and besides being very successful, it looks like a very fun company to work for!

After we left SAP, we had some free time for lunch before we met up for the next thing on the agenda.  A few of us girls walked around and found a cute little gyro stand and got lunch there.  We wanted to try something a little more authentic and off the grid on our last day.  At 2:30, we regrouped and took the underground transportation to the Castle Museum. It was a former royal palace and was full of monuments that helped explain the history of Budapest.  The architecture here is so amazing, I can’t get over it! 

            So far, this has been an amazing experience!  I did not know what to expect coming into it, but it definitely exceeded my expectations by far.  The restaurant/bar/entertainment environment here is just really laid back and fun, which is more my type of style. Since it was my last night, I decided to really indulge in the Hungarian food and culture.  I tried one of the Hungarian dishes on the menu that our server recommended.  It was pork cooked “gypsy style” with these mashed potatoes with onions.  It was actually delicious and I was really happy with my choice!

            Getting ready for bed and packing up my suitcase feels so weird.  We are already headed off to Vienna, which as I said before, is so bittersweet.  Although it’s going to be an early morning, it will be worth it!

 

Thanks for keeping up with the Travel Bugs!

          --  Maddie --