K & L's Travel Blog

On the move again. Today we travel from Vienna to Budapest.  I am so spoiled from usually having two weeks at one location.  I can see that it requires a whole different strategy with packing.  First, we have dirty clothes.  Note to self:  Wash all cloths before having to pack.  All the things we use for the plane (ie neck support) are all scattered about and the food items present their own set of challenges.  (I am not leaving that cheese). We say good bye to Vienna but it is not a final good bye as Lorena bought tickets to a Caravaggio show that we can see before we fly out in three weeks.  Lorena loves this artist Caravaggio who paints luscious drawings of men in Biblical scenes.  

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It was intense boarding the train.  Tons of people all struggling to get on and find a seat.  We had reservations but it was still intimating as a tour group separated me from Lorena.  “Kitty, Kitty” I could not even figure out how you know which seats are reserved until I finally saw the digital display.  Anyway, we had two nice widow seats facing each other with a table between us.  Well worth the six-dollar fee.  

The scenery between Vienna and Budapest is flat farm land.  Hugh wind turbines in Austria and yellow fields of Rapeseed in Hungry.  They make canola oil out of Rapeseed. 

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Lorena and I dutifully read about arriving in Budapest and the purchasing of tram/bus tickets.  (“Don’t get caught without a ticket.” All I can think of is Locked Up Abroad.) We will be here eight days so our plan is to do a seven-day pass and then one single ticket to make it to our apartment.  (The passes are much more expensive and allow unlimited travel for the entire day)   Well, the best laid plans….   Arriving in Budapest.  Remember the arrival scene “Passage to India”?  People everywhere, signs indecipherable and the money!  300 Hufs make a dollar.  So lunch is about 3000 Hufs.  We make our way to the tram ticket purchase counter and ask the stern man for the seven-day pass.  He hands it to us and we say, now the single ticket.  “No, pass is good”.  But wait, we did to want our pass activated till tomorrow.  We start to protest and his expression stopped us both dead- simultaneously.  We quickly left, happy to have the pass.   It was a definite “Oh well” moment.

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After a couple of short navigation mishaps, we make it to our apartment.  It is in the Jewish quarter in a “happening” cool area full of bars and restaurants.  I picked it because of the high up corner balcony full of sun.  It does not disappoint.  It is small but with everything we need and the gorgeous balconies.  The full moon rose over the buildings.   It is noisy at night.  I slept and Lorena reported the rhythm of the whooping and yelling of the bar patrons as the bars and restaurants closed.  We did not close the windows because we were so excited to be here.  Maybe tonight we will.  

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