Safe Arrival in Budapest...finally.

There is a long story that involves buying a ticket for a train from Prague to Budapest. It includes all sorts of things, like paying money, packing things, picking things up from lockers, some sad goodbyes. But mostly it ends with leaving the ticket at Simon's flat.

Oops.

So I missed the train. Or, rather, I could have made the train. Just not with the ticket necessary to stay on the train once apprehended. So I spent another night and another day in Prague. Which turned out to be a whole lot of fun. So take THAT Czech Republic.

Last night I boarded the same train (it runs every night, and the ticket you buy is valid for TWO months, so technically I could have left it at his flat maybe 59, 60 or 61 times and still been ok) and took the eight hour (nine with delays) ride to Budapest. It departed 11pm, arrived 8am. I chose second class, for 20 bucks cheaper. This was a good choice, because for 8 of the 9 hours I had the cabin to myself to stretch out in. But for the first hour I had a very strange cabin mate. She got there late, just as the train was pulling out. She was out of breath and very relieved that she made it. She smiled at me and said very relieved things in Czech. I said, Mluvite Engliski? (Not the correct spelling.) She said, Czechski. (Not the correct spelling.) Then I put her bags up on the bag things for her because she was short and much older than me and I am a gentleman.

Then I offered her a cookie. She looked at the cookie package suspiciously. She looked at me suspiciously. Then she took a cookie, and held it up towards me, either to say Thank You, or This Is A Cookie, it could have gone either way. Then she set the cookie down on her handbag. When I wasn't looking, she ate it.

We didn't talk anymore after that. I didn't offer her any more cookies. In fact, I waited until she went to the bathroom, only then did I eat two more. Then she got off and I ate the rest.

The rest of the ride was filled with being woken up by random men in funny hats who wanted either my passport or my train ticket, which I would give to them and they would put a special stamp in/on. Then I would fall back asleep or stare outside into the blackness thinking What The Hell Am I Doing On A Train At Four Thirty In The Morning. Then I remembered that I didn't have to pay for a hostel. So I was happy.

I'll only spend one night here in Budapest. (Sorry, Tyler.) I was thinking of going straight to Istanbul, but Budapest is right on the way, and it'll be fun to see some of it again. I'll spend today and tomorrow doing what I did the last time I was here...seeing the castle, going to the baths, eating meat with meat sauce. And trying to find Tyler's favorite tea shop. So, if you're name is Tyler, post a comment please.

Tomorrow I'll catch the thrity-something hour train ride to Istanbul. That is a little city in a little country called Turkey, which is famous for hanging it's gobble over two continents and going over famously with wet stuffing and gravy.

To quote possibly the lamest/best line ever, which is ever so fitting at this particular moment in my life:

I AM HUNGARY FOR TURKEY.