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Yesterday Will and I started our day by finding the station that we leave to Prague from. It was much more difficult than it should have been. Two directionally challenged people and two maps does not make an efficient mix. But it was pretty funny.
After that little ordeal we stocked up on a crap load of junk-food and went to the huge park, which took forever to
walk through but is super pretty, and ate ourselves silly.
We did have some healthy stuff, strawberries, which we ate half of them gave the rest to a group of stoner teenagers who accepted them with enthusiasm. I was a little bit afraid they might bite my arm off too. The strawberries vanished in seconds. Stoners.
After totally pigging out we napped in the sun then got up to brave the rides. We went on one that left us bruised and crippled. Then another one that seats four in one row then slingshots us into the air, sending the bench into spins at the peak of each swing. Will felt sick afterwards so that was the end of that. Back to our hostels to recoup.
We met later for dinner and picked this posh place that gave us these miniature portions of fantastic tasting food. At the end of our ‘meal’ they gave us these little 4 inch Lindor bunnies to take with us. We took pictures of us biting their heads off. It was a great dinning experience but we had to get McDonalds afterwards. Ew.
The next morning was a gong show for me.
Turns out transit rout #39 takes more than 20min to get from my hostel to the train station. Transit rout #39 is really not as easy as the map makes it look.
Stumid map.
The metro part was not that bad but getting from the last stop to the train station did not go well. I could not find the trolley bus I was supposed to take and I was running out of time fast. The train was scheduled to leave at 10:58, I was supposed to meet Will at a cafe in the station at 10:00. I hopped he as running late too. I was about to get a cab but decided to ask one more person for help.
He directed me to an intercity train that went straight to the station. It was 10:25. The intercity was supposed to be there in five more minutes. Whew. Then I took that ‘whew’ back… ten the minutes started going up instead of down.
So a taxi it was. The taxi misunderstood me and started towards the wrong station. I was pissed. We started again to the correct station and I ran into the cafe with eight minutes to spear. I had hoped that if is was late that Will would just get on the train. But bless him. He checked with the teller. We would loss our reservations but his ticket would still be valid, and of course so would my Eurorail pass. But we ran anyway, and we made it. Woohoo!
We found our seats and jammed our luggage into a storage area then got settled in behind the most annoying kid on the planet. Poor Will Doesn’t like kids. Not even a little. I do, so my patience was higher, but not high enough. After the third or fourth time he body-checked the seat and nearly spilt my coffee on my computer I was ready to snap. The up-down button for the window screen was a toy and the seats where a jungle gym. He backed off from us after I gave him a glare and a shake of my head. But continued to be a shit everywhere else. Will told me that while I was getting food and coffee the kid got a smack from his dad. I’m not surprised he was acting out if that is how he is dealt with.
Near the end of one of my Rossetta Stone Spanish lessons the train stopped. There was an announcement about a delay, we would be on again shortly. (Lies! Shorlty my foot) The train moved again after a half hour then booted everyone off at the next station. “Problem with train” was all they could tell us. We where given poor directions to another train heading to Prague that we were to board on platform two. Fifteen minutes later. Back to platform three. Everyone scrambled onto this train as if it where the last train to freedom. We managed to find seats with two
American girls from NY, (Will is also from NY) and space for our luggage. Others where not so
lucky. The halls in the cars infront of us where full of people sitting on the floor, as where the spaces between cars. Every hour or so there was an announcement about a food car near the other side of the train. …To Be Continued..
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After arriving unrested and more than ready for a shower I began the
rediculouse process of attempting to find my hostel. The guy at the
info desk in the train station was semi-helpful.
I found a bank machine which gave me two tenthousand Ft notes. Which
is about twohundred dollarsish. Then went into the bank to have them
Brocken into smaller bills. They where very nice at the bank, so nice
intact that was distracted by how much nicer people are here than in
Athens that I left my map, with directions the semi-helpful info guy
gave me, on the bank tellers counter.
Good job Jenn. But I had a good idea of which direction to go in and
remembered the bus number he gave me. So away I went.
I asked a man with a big backpack on if he could tell me where I could
buy a bus ticket. I figured the backpack pegged him as a fellow
traveller. Nope, he is Hungarian. And was off on a survivour hike. He
gave me a card with a website about the hikes but I haven't checked it
out yet. He also gave me a bus ticket. Super nice. I really felt a lot
better here already.
I got off at what I thought was the right stop. It wasnt, but it was
close. And after asking a few strangers who couldn't help I found
another hostel and asked the receptionist there for help. She gave me
a map and checked on the computer for directions. It only took another
fifteen twenty minutes to find it. It felt like hours with my gigantic
backpack on my back.
There is no sign on the building to the riverside hostel. I walked by
it once then noticed the numbers on the building were getting too
high. When I found the right building I rang the buzzer number and it
rang and rang and rang some more. I waited two minutes and rang it
again. Nothing. Someone let me up the stairs. I found the right door
and knocked a few times. Still nothing. Back down the stairs. I was
nearing a breakdown. I rang the buzzer once more, then sat on the
steps and tried very had not to cry. The combination of being dead
sleepy, exhausted from carrying my bag in the heat, feeling disgusting
from not having a shower in days and being so hungry I would have
eaten a dayold bigmac had finally broken me. The tears came, and I
didn't even care if someone saw me cry.
I couldn't belive that this was happening again. First in Delphi and
now here. At least this place actually had people stating in it and
was not closed for the season.
About five minutes later a young couple came in and asked if they
could help. I told them I as staying at Riverside and there was nobody
answering the door. I told them that I had been traveling for days and
I just wanted to check in and shower. I was a mess.
They took me upstairs and waited with me for about ten fifteen minutes
until the reseptionist finaly showed. I had calmed down and wanted to
rip his face off a lot less than ten minutes before. Which was good
because he is actually very nice. I might buy one of those plastic
'back at' clocks for them before I leave as a parting gift.
I got settled in, showered and went to the nearest shopping centre and
ate a Buger King Wopper meal. Gross, I know, but I just wanted
something familiar.
I got back to the hostel just a two girls from Belgium where checking
in. They are working with a school exchange program in Romania and
came to Budapest for the weekend.
We ended up hanging out the entire time they where here and having a
complete blast. I will write all about it later.
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The room is tiny. Not designed for backpackers at all. But it works
and it is clean.
I had to hit the bank machine as soon as I got here. I left my bags in
the Livy and walked a block in awe at the potential to blow my entire
budget just on this street alone.
After getting settled I went shopping. A nice multi tone green gypsy
skirt, a shirt to match, a pink sundress and a a pair of kaki colored
shorts. I have no idea where I will be putting this stuff. I'll figure
it out.
I need to mail stiff home is what I need to do. I will do that in
Prague. It should be cheaper, I hope.
I didn't do much with my evening. I had a pint at a pub with wifi and
then checked out another little ausie place. I liked the first pub
much better.
Then I just went back to the hostel, did some Spanish and crashed.
Today, I slept in then went for breakfast. I am having friut with
icecream and a latte, and here it comes, so toodles.
Sent from my iPhone
After arriving unrested and more than ready for a shower I began the
rediculouse process of attempting to find my hostel. The guy at the
info desk in the train station was semi-helpful.
I found a bank machine which gave me two tenthousand Ft notes. Which
is about twohundred dollarsish. Then went into the bank to have them
Brocken into smaller bills. They where very nice at the bank, so nice
intact that was distracted by how much nicer people are here than in
Athens that I left my map, with directions the semi-helpful info guy
gave me, on the bank tellers counter.
Good job Jenn. But I had a good idea of which direction to go in and
remembered the bus number he gave me. So away I went.
I asked a man with a big backpack on if he could tell me where I could
buy a bus ticket. I figured the backpack pegged him as a fellow
traveller. Nope, he is Hungarian. And was off on a survivour hike. He
gave me a card with a website about the hikes but I haven't checked it
out yet. He also gave me a bus ticket. Super nice. I really felt a lot
better here already.
I got off at what I thought was the right stop. It wasnt, but it was
close. And after asking a few strangers who couldn't help I found
another hostel and asked the receptionist there for help. She gave me
a map and checked on the computer for directions. It only took another
fifteen twenty minutes to find it. It felt like hours with my gigantic
backpack on my back.
There is no sign on the building to the riverside hostel. I walked by
it once then noticed the numbers on the building were getting too
high. When I found the right building I rang the buzzer number and it
rang and rang and rang some more. I waited two minutes and rang it
again. Nothing. Someone let me up the stairs. I found the right door
and knocked a few times. Still nothing. Back down the stairs. I was
nearing a breakdown. I rang the buzzer once more, then sat on the
steps and tried very had not to cry. The combination of being dead
sleepy, exhausted from carrying my bag in the heat, feeling disgusting
from not having a shower in days and being so hungry I would have
eaten a dayold bigmac had finally broken me. The tears came, and I
didn't even care if someone saw me cry.
I couldn't belive that this was happening again. First in Delphi and
now here. At least this place actually had people stating in it and
was not closed for the season.
About five minutes later a young couple came in and asked if they
could help. I told them I as staying at Riverside and there was nobody
answering the door. I told them that I had been traveling for days and
I just wanted to check in and shower. I was a mess.
They took me upstairs and waited with me for about ten fifteen minutes
until the reseptionist finaly showed. I had calmed down and wanted to
rip his face off a lot less than ten minutes before. Which was good
because he is actually very nice. I might buy one of those plastic
'back at' clocks for them before I leave as a parting gift.
I got settled in, showered and went to the nearest shopping centre and
ate a Buger King Wopper meal. Gross, I know, but I just wanted
something familiar.
I got back to the hostel just a two girls from Belgium where checking
in. They are working with a school exchange program in Romania and
came to Budapest for the weekend.
We ended up hanging out the entire time they where here and having a
complete blast. I will write all about it later.
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
