Budapest Hungry

Postcards from:

Istanbul Turkey
Sofia Bulgaria
Belgrade Serbia
Bar Montenegro
Bijelo Polje Montenegro
Peje Kosovo
Pristina Kosovo
Budapest Hungary
Bratislava Slovakia
Warsaw Poland
Gdansk Poland
Braniewo Poland
Kaliningrad Russia Federation
Las Vegas, Nevada USA

Budapest - Inside my "first class" single sleeping compartment this is what I saw with the light turned on.

Budapest - We arrive at 6AM in a still dark train terminal; here passengers dash away to somewhere warm. Outside near the tracks it is very cold and not much warmer inside the old stone structures of the terminal.

Budapest - An interesting building near the center of the city.

Budapest - Split duvets on a queen-size bed in the Ibis Hotel. This arrangement of linens seems to be typical for this part of the world. Initially I worried I'd be constantly fighting to keep covered, but soon learned how to keep the baby blankets in place for warmth. It just takes a bit of practice.

Budapest - View from my sixth floor room in the 50 Euro Ibis Hotel where I stayed for three nights while in the city.

Budapest - An interesting building near the center of the city.

Budapest - Kelly's is not an Irish pub! It is a great little Chinese buffet restaurant I enjoyed: cheap and good food.

Budapest - This is the Great Synagogue near the center of the city.

Budapest - This is the Great Synagogue near the center of the city.

Budapest - More homeless people making their bed under the covered walkways common throughout the city.

Budapest - Shoppers walk the long mall down near the Danube River.

Budapest - This elaborately costumed lady encouraged shoppers visit the store behind her. When she saw my camera she encouraged me to take her picture.

Budapest - Shoppers walk the long mall down near the Danube River.

Budapest - An enterprising beggar assembled this whimsical dummy with a begging bowl between its feet. People did stop to inspect the contraption and a few contributed a few coins.

Budapest - Charming little bronze sculpture along the mall down near the Danube River.

Budapest - All over town I saw statues covered in plastic like this one. I presume it is a protective measure during the harsh winter months.

Budapest - Monument in a small green area down near the river.

Budapest - Someplace to sit a spell along the side of a plaza near the river.

18 February 2013

Hello from Budapest Hungary,

Friday, the day I arrived in Budapest I'd been traveling for almost twenty-four hours. While I struggled to sleep on a train between Belgrade and Budapest a fiery meteor tore through the sky over the Ural Mountains in Russia and exploded with the energy of a small atomic bomb, shattering thousands of windows and injuring more than a thousand people. Leaving Pristina Kosovo at 11:00 on a bus bound for Belgrade I remained blissfully unaware of all that, of course.

However, crossing a hostile border between two former foes did occupy some of my thoughts, especially after learning all cross border train traffic had been suspended by the still feuding countries. The bus followed one of the many narrow country roads that connect parts of rural areas on both sides of the border. Less than an hour into our trip, the bus stopped unexpectedly long enough for a meal break just a few miles short of the border at a cluster of snack shops, restaurants and toilet facilities, no doubt for the driver's convenience as he had been driving for quite some time before stopping in Pristina where I boarded.

During our short trip to the Serbian border I saw quite a few other buses using this same rural route and wondered why. When we reached the actual border I discovered part of the answer: immigration facilities for both countries have been located adjacent to one another in the same clearing with covered "car ports" protecting the immigration and customs activities for both countries only meters apart. To my surprise, there was no passenger exit visa activity on leaving Kosovo. The bus did pause for a few minutes while the driver provided the customs officers with some paperwork.

Rolling a couple meters forward, we stopped again while a friendly Serbian officer clad in an ominous black uniform with a big pistol on his hip walked the isle comparing passport and identity card photos with their owners. It looked like they merely needed to verify we all had proper travel documents. Such uninvolved border crossing procedures no doubt provided a strong incentive for the bus companies to avoid the main high traffic route highways with their inevitable lengthy delays.

With border immigration formalities out of the way we continued our seven hour journey through miles and miles of flat farmland, now blanketed by frequent patches of lingering snow. The bus arrived in Belgrade around 18:00. As the bus station and railroad terminal are located right next to each other, checking overnight train departures could not have been easier. "Yes, we have a train leaving at 21:45 for Budapest." With only 2,220 Dinars or about $25 worth of Serbian currency left, I relaxed in the knowledge I could pay for my ticket with a VISA credit card. Now the adventure took a turn for the nasty.

With nearly four hours before the scheduled train departure I needed somewhere to park my butt. The interior of the train station is enclosed, but it is not heated! Neither does it have anyplace for waiting passengers to sit down! So, inside the terminal where tickets are sold it remains almost as cold as the frigid weather outside, leading to some pretty uncomfortable "standing around," especially carrying a heavy rucksack.

My first class, private sleeping compartment ticket (an $80 premium over the cost of a seat ticket) included a first class waiting room... in your dreams. Yes, there it hung; the door marked First Class Waiting Room... PADLOCKED! No amount of pleading with staff in the terminal could encourage anyone to open that locked door.

The train itself already sat on the designated track from which it would depart... also locked... until about an hour before departure. The sleeping cars remained locked until five minutes before departure. When I finally entered my "first class" sleeping car I found it unheated and cold enough to have been used as a meat locker! The compartment itself appeared to have been manufactured early last century and now long past its prime. As this situation might be hard for some to believe, I took a couple photos of what I saw from my reclined position in that over-priced private sleeping chamber.

I have no one to blame but myself, because numerous reviews found on the Internet advised anyone taking the train to only book a second class seat as first class offers no advantages for the extra cost! But, being tired from so much recent traveling I decided getting horizontal would be worth any price... my mistake as I consider the $80 cost over a second class seat fare almost totally wasted. By the way, the second class six seat compartments are quite nice; newer with very comfortable seats... at least on the train I checked.

Sleeping compartment is a poor description for a closet bouncing around with periodic unfamiliar noises to interrupt your slumber and rude awakenings when immigration and customs officials insist the passengers awaken sufficiently to present their passports and answer inane questions delivered with urgency.

On arrival in Budapest so early in the morning I decided to use the time before sunrise to check on train schedules into Slovakia and Poland. The international train information office had few customers at 06:00 so I just walked up to one of the windows and started my inquiry... in English. The clerk behind the window barked something in Hungarian and when I failed to respond to what I couldn't understand she pointed at a machine dispensing appointment tickets. I pointed out no one else was waiting, but she was adamant. So, I went over to the machine, pulled one out and returned to her window.

The minute I mentioned Poland she jabbered something I couldn't understand and gestured for me to go around the corner to another window. The agent in that window wasn't any more friendly than the first one, but reluctantly provided the information I needed. Were there a lot of people harassing the information agents I could understand some of them getting short tempered, but at 6AM few travelers needed their help. These people simply have a bad attitude.

As I hadn't had anything substantial to eat since late afternoon the day before, I ventured out into the early morning dusk to find something simple and quick to eat, hoping for a Mac Donald's or a Burger King. While searching for food I spotted the Mercure Hotel directly south of the terminal exit and ventured in to check it out and make that ever important initial information query about the city layout and hopefully get a city map. The 66 Euro room did not seem like a very good value, but the receptionist proved to be an information treasure trove and clearly enjoyed jousting with me over my conflicting requirement for lodging. Armed with all her information and a new city street map I ventured again out into the freezing air.

Not more than a block away across the street I spotted the Best Western Hotel and repeated my investigative routine. This time the 65 Euro rate and quality of the house clearly made it a very good value. But, they were fully booked for two more nights and suggested I return in a couple days. A block on down the boulevard I found the Burger King and eagerly entered the warm restaurant for coffee and eggs and some urgent thawing out.

As it happens, an obscure 3 star Ibis Hotel is located down a side street next to the Burger King. I'd missed it before, but now optimistically entered a house I've used many times before around the world. The Ibis, while rarely luxurious, is modern and sensibly laid out... and moderately priced, making it an excellent value almost everywhere. Here, the 55 Euro plus 10 for breakfast didn't look so good, so I asked the receptionist to make me an offer I couldn't refuse. He replied: "I'm going to do that. How about 40 Euros?" In my excitement I neglected to ask if that included breakfast as that is usually the case, but instead asked to see the room. The room layout differed slightly from others I've used, but more or less matched the basics which characterize the Ibis chain. As we proceeded with the registration I finally asked about the included breakfast: it wasn't. But, even with the added 10 Euro breakfast the total came to less than 50 Euros and would be acceptable.

The WiFi accounting system adopted by the Ibis is irksome, but solid, meaning every use requires signing in again. Breakfast is limited, but all the essentials are included. Most important though, the guys at the reception desk are all fluent in English and anxious to be of help.

During my three full days in the city I naturally walked everyday. Budapest is an old and colorful city full of unusual architecture... but damned COLD this time of year! For most walks the down vest and wool crew neck sweater acquired in Turkey proved adequate. Still, given my druthers, I'd like a bit higher temperatures outside. When I leave here I'll be heading even further north, so I suspect things will get still more chilly. The warm outer coat I picked up in Sofia seems to defeat the coldest winds, so it may see more use before I dash back to sensible weather in southwest USA.

There are trains scheduled every two hours over to Bratislava so I had a lot of choices. The 09:25 run gets into the Slovakia station at 12:10 and that's what I chose. All along the tracks I saw numerous clumps of mistletoe on the bare branches of trees, a virtual infestation. I'm wondering why the parasite has been so successful in this region.

I've managed to get caught up with postcards, so the new ones might be more contemporaneous. We will see. Chilled to the bone so much of the time, all the cheery letters of encouragement from home have been warmth for my soul. Thank you and keep them coming!

Peace,

Fred L Bellomy

Budapest - Map of Hungary showing surrounding countries.

Budapest - This is the Great Synagogue near the center of the city.

Budapest - Entrance to the obscure 50 Euro 3 star Ibis Hotel where I stayed for three night while in the city. It is conveniently located next door to a Burger King Restaurant.

Budapest - This is the main boulevard running west away from the train station.

Budapest - These covered walkways are essential in a city where ice cold weather is the rule during Winter.

Budapest - This tourist bus is a "duck."

Budapest - One of the many tourist buses roaming the city; I also saw a double decker like those common in Briton.

Budapest - This tourist bus is a "duck."

Budapest - Shoppers walk the long mall down near the Danube River.

Budapest - This is an example of many windows which have been defaced with glass etching hydrofluoric acid, something I first saw during a visit to Madrid in 2011.

Budapest - This grand example of decoration graces the entry door of an old deteriorating office building.

Budapest - Handsome church located near the obscure Ibis Hotel where I stayed my first night in the city.

Budapest - Details of the side door into the handsome church located near the obscure Ibis Hotel where I stayed my first night in the city.

Budapest - Elegant Great Synagogue located near the obscure Ibis Hotel where I stayed my first night in the city.

Budapest - A closer look at the entrance to the Great Synagogue located near the obscure Ibis Hotel where I stayed my first night in the city.

Budapest - Looking down the main boulevard with the cross street containing the obscure Ibis Hotel where I stayed my first night in the city.

Budapest - Spires seen down one of the streets near the obscure Ibis Hotel where I stayed my first night in the city.

Budapest - Looking back down the boulevard toward the train station from a point near the Ibis Hotel where I stayed my first night in the city.

Budapest - Display in the window of a travel agent; I photographed it to show the spelling of familiar travel destinations.

Budapest - One of the side streets not far from the Ibis Hotel where I stayed a couple nights.

Budapest - Early my second morning I walked towards the train station and saw two homeless people: this one still asleep in a covered alcove and another young woman who appeared to faint on the sidewalk drawing the attention of two people who tried to help her... and gave her money and some bread.

Budapest - I took this German beggar's picture because of the contents of his sign in German: "I'm out of work. I have three kids. Please help. Thank you." I presume the sign on the left is a similar message in Hungarian.

Budapest - Entrance to the 66 Euro Best Western Hotel near the train station. where I considered staying, but found fully booked for the first two nights after my arrival.

Budapest - Charming little bronze sculpture along the mall down near the Danube River.

Budapest - An enterprising beggar assembled this whimsical dummy with a begging bowl between its feet. People did stop to inspect the contraption and a few contributed a few coins.

Budapest - Artistically designed manhole cover seen in the walkway along the mall down near the Danube River.

Budapest - Shoppers walk the long mall down near the Danube River.

Budapest - Two of the policemen watching things along the mall down near the Danube River.

Budapest - Vehicle bridge across the Danube River.

Budapest - Some of the river traffic on the Danube River.

Budapest - One of the main streets runs right along the Danube River.

Budapest - Vehicle bridge across the Danube River.

Budapest - Stepping out the northern side door of the main train station I snapped this picture for reference. Three and four story apartment buildings dominate this area.