Adventure 10 - Budapest to Warsaw

It was like a homecoming for me returning to Warsaw.  It's been my 'second home' in Eastern Europe as I've spent a lot of time here the first 2 years that I lived in Ukraine.

And....I think it's just what I needed.  I've loved the adventure of traveling....I wouldn't trade the experiences for anything.  But....I'm tired, and I'm ready to head back home to Ukraine......

The people continue to make the journey interesting.

I was getting settled in for an all-night train journey (again).  The wagon was filling up....our compartment was filling up.  A Brit sat down beside me.  We chatted a bit.....but we both had the same thing in mind - kicking back and trying to sleep.  Then......there she came out of nowhere......

• ....she got on the train at the last minute.  I could tell she was an extravert as soon as she sat down.  She looked around anxiously at everyone....examined what we were reading....then tried to concentrate on her own book.....but to no avail.  She kept looking around......as though she was hungry to talk to someone......eyes darting back and forth.  Finally I asked her 'Is it a good book??'  She explained who the author was and how this was a series of books that she was reading....a new one each year.  She told about her journeys over the last several days....the bus rides, the bad train stations.  She told about her friends....she told about some of her friends that had just escorted her to the train station.....the ones she would meet in the next city.  She told us about all the languages she spoke.....how she'd grown up in Ukraine.....but lived in Finland....but now lives in America.....and has an American passport....but she's hoping also to get a Finnish passport.  She told us what it was like to live in New York City.....she told more about her friends.  And.....all this was in the first 60 seconds or so of the train journey. I hung w/ her for a few minutes....but then decided I needed a bit of a break....and hid in the toilet.  As I was leaving, she had turned all her energy to telling the Brit about her life.  When I came back, the Brit was pretending to be asleep.....and no one else would look her in the eye.....fearing pushing her 'ON' button again.  She went straight to talking to me again.  I apologized.....said I needed to sleep....and put my earplugs in.  Just as I was dozing off....here comes another Australian (these people are everywhere!!!).  As I dozed on and off through the night......I saw her talking at him every time I looked up, until we arrived in Budapest at 5:30 a.m.  I thought I was a big time extravert.........but I thing I found the worlds biggest extravert on this train....

• At the famous 'hot spring' bathhouses in Budapest, I met more Australians.  As usual....they were out traveling the world for months at a time.  Talked w/ them on and off for a couple of hours.  They excitedly pointed out a young lady who was wearing an American flag bathing suit.   I knew it wasn't an American lady....and sure enough.....we heard her British accent as she walked by.  And....to my dismay.....they also pointed out a guy wearing an American flag Speedo.  It really makes me a bit sick to my stomach when I see our flag used for that :(

• 2 English guys, also met them at the bathhouse.  Went to dinner w/ them later in the evening w/ a group of Irish girls.  It was fun for a while.....until 1 of the English guys resorted to elementary school games of trying to impress the Irish girls.  They decided the girls would really be impressed if they teased the 3 of us Americans about anything they could think of.  I grew tired of the elementary school games and slipped out.....went home early.  The next morning, I found that one of the guys in the group had been robbed on the way back to the hotel.

Budapest was beautiful.  But....I was tired....and my time was limited.  I walked around and view the sites.....I checked out a couple more coffee shops.....but it was time to move on.  I cancelled my plans of doing a bicycling tour of the city.....and I boarded the train after being there only one day.  The fast train....it took us from Hungary, through Slovakia, through Czech Republic.....and through to Warsaw, Poland.  I watched the beautiful landscape pass me by as I chatted with 2 Americans that were sharing my compartment.  It was a pleasant journey......and I enjoyed chatting w/ my fellow countrymen all along the way.  

Warsaw - a homecoming for me.  I knew where to go to spend the night.  I knew where my favorite coffee shops and restaurants were.  I knew that my favorite soup in the whole world 'Zhurek'.....is here.  

The hostel that I stayed in has the best facilities....and the worst service I've ever seen.  They have rules that they seem to repeat automatically 10 times a day.  'You can't be here between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.....we are closed during that time!!!'  'You aren't allowed to do that.....You aren't allowed to do this!!!'  And.....EVERYTHING has a hidden cost here.  There are no direct answers to questions....every question is answered w/ another question....revealing that I would need to pay more money.  'How much is a room?'.  Their response 'Do you have your own sheets?' (Answer - another dollar charge).  'Can I store my bag here?' Response 'How long will you store it?' (Answer another 75 cents to store your bag).  But....for a base rate of 9 Euros per night....what can I expect?  Considering the Marriott down the street is more than $200 per night......I'll take the youth hostel w/ crummy service.

Somehow, I always manage to see something 'out of the ordinary'.....even in 'familiar' places like Warsaw.  My friend Kasia and I were at dinner in the center of the city.  And...there they were.....2 guys (late 40's early 50's) were on the street for more than an hour. 

They had made paper airplanes....and were competing w/ each other to see who could make them fly better.  People walking by were a bit puzzled as the airplanes would zip by their face.....or whack them upside the head.  But these guys.....they were having so much fun that they were great to watch.  It definitely added some free entertainment to our dinner.

My final leg of the journey is tomorrow.  Warsaw to Krakow - I'll explore the city a bit there.  Then.....the express train back to Kyiv.  See you on the other side.....