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Budapest was the final stop of my trip — and a wonderful way to close out an unforgettable journey across Europe. By the time I arrived, I was fully in the groove of solo travel and completely ready to enjoy everything the city had to offer.

I continued my tradition of riding historic transit, starting with Metro Line 1 one of the oldest subway lines in the world and then hopping trams across the city. A lot of my time was spent near Liberty Bridge (Szabadság híd), sitting above the Danube during sunset with a cold Hungarian beer in hand. Those evenings were simple and perfect.

Berlin was one of the stops I was most excited for — not only because of its massive historical significance, but because my visit happened to land on my 26th birthday. I arrived ready to explore and ready to celebrate.

The city itself felt unlike anywhere else: a fascinating blend of gorgeous pre-war buildings standing beside modern post-war reconstruction, plus a scattering of brutalist architecture that I personally love (even if not everyone does). I visited the Brandenburg Gate, admired surviving Berlin Wall segments, grabbed currywurst from a street vendor, and made the most of Berlin’s excellent U-Bahn and S-Bahn systems.