I find that traveling teaches a lot of important lessons like budgeting and navigating. One of the most important things that my travels thus far have taught me though is how to be flexible with my itinerary. A late train, a missed bus, no vacancies at a hostel, or bad weather can all change plans drastically.
With several more days of free time before I need to be at the Chalet, I decide to take advantage of the opportunity to do some more traveling. After doing my laundry from 2 weeks in Italy and Greece, I pack the necessary clothes, toiletries, and technology into my small red daybag and hop a few trains until hours later I find myself in Munich, Germany.
My idea is to catch some shut-eye at the hostel, then get up and hop a train to either Prague or Vienna the following morning. I’d researched both cities and knew of good places to stay, as well as some of the must-see attractions. Being a bit of a sun worshipper though, I get on the internet the next morning and determine that these two cities are not my optimal destinations: both are forecasting 4 days of rain, possibly mixed with some snow. Hmmm.
I look through my book of train schedules at all the cities that the train goes to from Munich, including Ljubljana, Slovenia, Zagreb, Croatia and Budapest, Hungary. I know absolutely nothing about any of these cities, but after a quick trip to a European weather website, I discover one important fact: Budapest is anticipating sun and 60 degree weather for the next couple of days. Sold. I have 25 minutes to get to the train station and find my platform.
I quickly book a hostel that has good reviews on http://www.hostelworld.com/, then pack up my laptop, grab my bags and make a mad dash for the station. I manage to get there with time to spare and grab a cappuccino for 1 euro. What’s supposed to be a 7 hour train ride though somehow turns into an 8 hour ride, but I entertain myself by perusing and editing the photos I’ve taken, by gazing out the window as Austria whizzes past, and by surfing the web to find out a little information on this city I couldn’t even locate on a map the day before.
As we approach Budapest, the butterflies take flight in my stomach. I’ve learned a couple of key facts in my web surfing: the people of Hungary have their own language (Hungarian… duh), very few Hungarians speak English, and they have their own currency (the Florent). This means two things to me: first, I will pretty much be on my own in navigating the city since not many people will be able to answer my questions, and second, it means the 3 currencies I have on me (Euro, Dollar, and Swiss Franc) will not be accepted. Brilliant. No wonder I suddenly feel a little nervous.
The nerves are not helped when I study the map of where we are going and see that my train will stop at two different stations in Budapest, neither of which is the one I have directions from to get to the hostel, and neither of which I can even pronounce. Once again… brilliant. I shoot off a quick email to the hostel (thank goodness for my Blackberry and excellent wireless coverage in Europe) and within 30 minutes have details on where to go and what to do.
I get off my tardy train at the correct train station (Step 1: check!) and wander outside to find a place to exchange money for yet another currency. I hand over a 50-euro bill and am given 14,750 Florent. Dear God, that’s a lot of dough. [I later find myself taking out 25,000 Florent from the ATM, which does indeed include (2) 10,000 bills and a 5,000 bill – never have I felt like such a high roller].
Cash in hand, I am able to complete the final legs of my journey: locate and take the red line of the Metro to Blaha Lujza Ter (see what I mean about being a hard language to pronounce?!), then find Tram 4 or 6 and take that to Nyugati (the other train station). There is only one minor mishap during all of this: I get on the correctly numbered tram, but it’s going in the opposite direction of where I need to go. Fortunately I discover this after only going one stop and hastily disembark. I run across the tracks to board the correct tram and am scared for my life. In my mind, I’m thinking how I am running the risk of being imprisoned for taking a second ride with a previously validated ticket, even if it was only 2 minutes before. I’m okay with being flexible while traveling, but at no point in time do I want this to include a jail sentence in a foreign country. I make it to the other train station without being questioned or jailed and manage to walk the couple of blocks to the hostel without taking a wrong turn or doing anything else stupid.
At the door to the hostel building, it takes me a few minutes to figure out how to operate the keypad, thanks mainly to the directions being in Hungarian. I don’t know what I hit, but it works, and a voice comes on the other line. I awkwardly say “Hi – uhh, it’s Mary. I’m staying here tonight.” An Australian voice replies, “Okay, come on up!” Up? I hear a buzz and am able to push open the enormous antique door, which reveals a staircase that goes so high it surely leads to Heaven. Great. 100 stairs stand between me and my home for the next 3 nights. I plod my way to the top and discover that this is indeed a little slice of Heaven. I’m greeted cheerfully by all the folks sitting in the common area, and then led to my dorm room where I’m given my own little loft with added privacy. As I get settled I’m offered coffee or tea and am invited to join everyone for a traditional Hungarian goulash meal that is almost ready. I hand over many thousands of Florent to pay for my bed and meal, and sit down to eat the tasty dish and hear just what there is to do here in Budapest. The journey here has been long and interesting, and I can’t wait to wander around on my own two feet tomorrow!
With several more days of free time before I need to be at the Chalet, I decide to take advantage of the opportunity to do some more traveling. After doing my laundry from 2 weeks in Italy and Greece, I pack the necessary clothes, toiletries, and technology into my small red daybag and hop a few trains until hours later I find myself in Munich, Germany.
My idea is to catch some shut-eye at the hostel, then get up and hop a train to either Prague or Vienna the following morning. I’d researched both cities and knew of good places to stay, as well as some of the must-see attractions. Being a bit of a sun worshipper though, I get on the internet the next morning and determine that these two cities are not my optimal destinations: both are forecasting 4 days of rain, possibly mixed with some snow. Hmmm.
I look through my book of train schedules at all the cities that the train goes to from Munich, including Ljubljana, Slovenia, Zagreb, Croatia and Budapest, Hungary. I know absolutely nothing about any of these cities, but after a quick trip to a European weather website, I discover one important fact: Budapest is anticipating sun and 60 degree weather for the next couple of days. Sold. I have 25 minutes to get to the train station and find my platform.
I quickly book a hostel that has good reviews on http://www.hostelworld.com/, then pack up my laptop, grab my bags and make a mad dash for the station. I manage to get there with time to spare and grab a cappuccino for 1 euro. What’s supposed to be a 7 hour train ride though somehow turns into an 8 hour ride, but I entertain myself by perusing and editing the photos I’ve taken, by gazing out the window as Austria whizzes past, and by surfing the web to find out a little information on this city I couldn’t even locate on a map the day before.
As we approach Budapest, the butterflies take flight in my stomach. I’ve learned a couple of key facts in my web surfing: the people of Hungary have their own language (Hungarian… duh), very few Hungarians speak English, and they have their own currency (the Florent). This means two things to me: first, I will pretty much be on my own in navigating the city since not many people will be able to answer my questions, and second, it means the 3 currencies I have on me (Euro, Dollar, and Swiss Franc) will not be accepted. Brilliant. No wonder I suddenly feel a little nervous.
The nerves are not helped when I study the map of where we are going and see that my train will stop at two different stations in Budapest, neither of which is the one I have directions from to get to the hostel, and neither of which I can even pronounce. Once again… brilliant. I shoot off a quick email to the hostel (thank goodness for my Blackberry and excellent wireless coverage in Europe) and within 30 minutes have details on where to go and what to do.
I get off my tardy train at the correct train station (Step 1: check!) and wander outside to find a place to exchange money for yet another currency. I hand over a 50-euro bill and am given 14,750 Florent. Dear God, that’s a lot of dough. [I later find myself taking out 25,000 Florent from the ATM, which does indeed include (2) 10,000 bills and a 5,000 bill – never have I felt like such a high roller].
Cash in hand, I am able to complete the final legs of my journey: locate and take the red line of the Metro to Blaha Lujza Ter (see what I mean about being a hard language to pronounce?!), then find Tram 4 or 6 and take that to Nyugati (the other train station). There is only one minor mishap during all of this: I get on the correctly numbered tram, but it’s going in the opposite direction of where I need to go. Fortunately I discover this after only going one stop and hastily disembark. I run across the tracks to board the correct tram and am scared for my life. In my mind, I’m thinking how I am running the risk of being imprisoned for taking a second ride with a previously validated ticket, even if it was only 2 minutes before. I’m okay with being flexible while traveling, but at no point in time do I want this to include a jail sentence in a foreign country. I make it to the other train station without being questioned or jailed and manage to walk the couple of blocks to the hostel without taking a wrong turn or doing anything else stupid.
At the door to the hostel building, it takes me a few minutes to figure out how to operate the keypad, thanks mainly to the directions being in Hungarian. I don’t know what I hit, but it works, and a voice comes on the other line. I awkwardly say “Hi – uhh, it’s Mary. I’m staying here tonight.” An Australian voice replies, “Okay, come on up!” Up? I hear a buzz and am able to push open the enormous antique door, which reveals a staircase that goes so high it surely leads to Heaven. Great. 100 stairs stand between me and my home for the next 3 nights. I plod my way to the top and discover that this is indeed a little slice of Heaven. I’m greeted cheerfully by all the folks sitting in the common area, and then led to my dorm room where I’m given my own little loft with added privacy. As I get settled I’m offered coffee or tea and am invited to join everyone for a traditional Hungarian goulash meal that is almost ready. I hand over many thousands of Florent to pay for my bed and meal, and sit down to eat the tasty dish and hear just what there is to do here in Budapest. The journey here has been long and interesting, and I can’t wait to wander around on my own two feet tomorrow!
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