Since I’ve been to Hungary a bunch of times before, this being either my seventh or eighth time, I’m going to do something a little different for this travel blog: I’m going to instead give you a play-by-play of my travel from door to door. I don’t have any Ambien to help me fall asleep so the writing may become less coherent as the blog progresses but we’ll see how I do!
6:30 Woke up after a night of slightly wakeful sleep. We brought the kid up to Dallas yesterday so Jennifer and he could stay with my wonderful in-laws for a couple of weeks. I’m considering it a loan, eh! Anyway, Jennifer got up for every disturbance during the night as he was adjusting to a new crib, new house and new latitude and thankfully let me sleep. Thanks Jennifer, you’re the best!
7:25 Am hurriedly finishing up a breakfast of a banana (gotta get in my fruits and vegetables when I can while traveling) and a ground sausage and cheese kolache from West, Texas.
7:50 My taxi service (my mother-in-law, wife and kid) departs from the house for the 25 minute drive across town to DFW. I could’ve used Super Shuttle but they wanted to do it and hey, who was I to argue. Besides, I’ll expense the mileage which will come out to probably what Super Shuttle would’ve charged anyway and this way I don’t have to wait around for the van, don’t have to sit and drive all over town to pick up other people, can leave the house as late as possible and still be at the airport with an hour-and-a-half to spare.
8:20 Very little traffic on a Sunday morning and we’re here. I spent the trip in the backseat with the kid keeping the morning sun out of his eyes. We gave up and popped a pacifier in his mouth since he was getting cranky but pacifiers during the day are now a weekly occurrence at most. We’re still working on the at night part since we’re trying to get him to go to sleep on his own with mixed results so far. Also, did you know that DFW charges you $2 just to enter the airport area, regardless of whether you’re parking, picking somebody up or dropping somebody off? Has the Wright Amendment been repealed yet?
8:25 Say goodbye to my chauffeurs. One thing I’ve learned after traveling so much is how to say a proper goodbye to Jennifer, meaning that I don’t watch her drive away thinking ‘aw man, I should’ve said ‘I love you’ one more time’. We’ve got it down. And actually this is the third time I’ve said goodbye to the kid though the first two were domestic trips that lasted no more than four days (i.e. within easy cell phone contact). This is different. I’m going to miss them all and I’ll now be the person who can point out how he’s changed since I’ve last seen him.
8:30 Attempt to check in with Delta who decide to have only two attendants working the baggage check-in as well as anybody that can’t use the self-service machines to print their tickets. I have no problem with the machine but have to wait around 7-10 minutes for an attendant to be freed up to take my suitcase. Despite the fact that it must weigh about 300 lbs, she doesn’t say anything about it being over the 50 lb limit. Contents include seven days worth of clothes, three pairs of shoes (dress shoes, walking shoes for Romania and basketball shoes so I don’t roll my ankle dunking on the Hungarians), two packages of Starbucks coffee (a gift), ten packs of bubble gum (more gifts), two books and other odds and ends. Actually, it’s probably standard weight for a large rolling suitcase. Thankfully I’m not taking a suit jacket this time so I don’t have to take the big foldover garment bag instead.
8:35 This is a first; there is no wait at the security checkpoint. I have to assume there aren’t many flights on Sunday morning. Thank you TSA! They don’t say anything about taking off my shoes but I do anyway just in case. I also take off my belt, remove my wallet and cell phone from my pockets and my laptop from my backpack. I slide everything through with no issues. The TSA people were even friendly. I guess not having a line of 100 people waiting to go through really helps.
8:40 After a brief walk I’m at my gate, yay! We’re flying a plane with two seats on either side so it will take four hours to get to NYC JFK. But it also means fewer people in the waiting area though the really important thing is how much room there is for those people. So far, it looks like there’s enough room though I think the flight is sold out. We’ll see. I somehow, despite booking a summer flight only a month early, got seats right where I like them: by the window either just in front or just behind the wing. I don’t care about legroom; this may sound silly but having the extra legroom on the exit row means nothing to me since I can stick my legs under the seat in front of me pretty well. Better leave those seats to the tall people. I just want to look out the window as those of you who know me are aware. Every flight is different when you can look out the window though it also helps if you can talk to the person next to you. Oh, another plus for this gate: power outlets! Well, at least four. That’s how I’m able to type this now instead of write it.
You’ll see from this photo I’m wearing my traveling gear. The shoes are easy to slip on and off for security checks and attempts to sleep on the flight, the pants are jeans meaning they’re comfortable and allow me to pack lighter khakis in my luggage, the shirt is nice and comfortable and, most importantly, does not indicate what nationality I am (no English words) and my haircut is not uncommon among men in Eastern Europe. If I were a woman of course I’d consider dyeing my hair bright red, eh!
9:50 We should have boarded by now. It appears I may miss a part of the World Cup final especially considering we’re flying into the New York City metro area which, since it has three airports (JFK, LaGuardia and Newark) is famous for congestion. Oh well. I’m amusing myself by reading Fairest by Gail Carson Levine, the lady who wrote the best novel I’ve ever read featuring a girl as the main character, Ella Enchanted. Fairest is also this trip’s ‘kid’s-type book that I’m reading because, well, Jennifer likes it and reading it makes me feel like a better husband’. Fairest seems to be a pretty good yarn but I’m betting I’ll finish it in a couple of hours. Since it’s in hard cover and being a kid’s book the pages don’t have the usual ton of text on them, this book is definitely taking up more space than it should in my luggage. See, I try to get thick paperbacks because they have the most words per page and thus the most words per square inch, maximizing reading time while minimizing space taken up in my luggage. This trip’s other books, of which there are four since I’ll be gone for two weeks and am always paranoid I’ll run out of reading material are: McTeague, by Frank Norris (the token classic that I will read last if at all), People Like Us by Dominick Dunne (a fictionalized account of New York high society in the 1980s) and Black Fox by (I’m too lazy to go over to my suitcase and look it up), a Western that apparently was also a miniseries in the 1970s or 80s. I would have better books but the Austin Public Library system has a paltry selection of paperback fiction in any of its libraries, or at least the two nearest our house.
10:10 Yay, we’re boarding. Let’s get this show on the road! I hang back as usual waiting to be among the last to load up. What’s the hurry of getting on the plane if you’re going to be sitting there for three hours anyway? Oh yeah, to have a space for your carry-on luggage since the airlines now charge extra for them. Luckily for me I just have my backpack which fits under the seat, well, most of it anyway.
10:20 My seatmate is a young guy speaking what sounds like Arabic into his cell phone. I presume from that and his manner that he doesn’t speak English and don’t attempt to make conversation.
10:30 Beautiful day for a take-off from DFW. Nary a cloud in the sky. Too bad I can’t see it though as my seat, though advertised as a window, does not actually have a window. I can barely see out of the window of the lady in front of me but five seconds after we take off she shuts it. Zounds!
10:50 Have discovered that not being able to look out the window allows me to more easily concentrate on reading Fairest. Our heroine has just met the prince!!
1:00 Eastern Time. Pretty uneventful flight. I think I might finish this book. World Cup final starts in a half hour though and I think with taxiing and deplaning I’m going to miss at least the first thirty minutes.
1:40 Uh oh. We’re close to NYC but now we’re circling over Long Island Sound. After one full revolution over open ocean, the pilot helpfully explains that with some cumulus clouds over NYC and a lot of congestion (he forgot to mention that we also left late) we’re going to be in a holding pattern for 15-20 minutes. Great. Even better, he states that ‘we have plenty of gas’. Thanks for the words of assurance buddy, I don’t usually worry about that but now I’ll be thinking about it as we keep turning.
1:55 Fifteen minutes and 720 degrees later, we’re descending. Turns out we were over the Jersey Shore instead of Long Island which I didn’t fully grasp until I saw Manhattan out the window. NYC is huge!!!! Oh, how did I see Manhattan? The elderly lady in front of me pulled her window shade up once we started circling. Thanks elderly lady! I was going to thank you but decided against it.
2:05 We’ve landed, let’s get to that gate!
2:10 No gate for us. We’re deplaning on the tarmac but instead of a bus to take us to the terminal, we’re walking through this weird metal/plasticky tunnel. They must have a/c or a powerful fan in it because it’s not an oven. Still kind of reminds me of the tunnels at Elliot’s house in ET though.
2:15 Hallelujah! Just walked into a very crowded terminal to see a bar just past our gate with a bunch of TVs. 42 minutes gone and the score is still 0-0! Yes! That’s one great thing about soccer: you can miss half the game and there’s a good chance you haven’t missed much of anything.
2:20 Jennifer calls to check that I made it ok. One more minute to go in the half Jennifer...I’ll call you back!
2:22 Chat with Jennifer for about five minutes in a quiet part of the terminal.
2:28 Chat with Font about how the first half went. The Dutch are playing ugly ball. I was going to root for them since they hadn’t won a major championship lately but I think I’ll just root for the game not to go to penalty kicks.
2:40 Standing out beyond the bar watching the second half. I just realized that I’m in probably the most multicultural place in America right now watching the most popular sporting event in the world. You want to know how multicultural JFK airport is? While deplaning I saw an Uzbekistan airlines plane take off. Who knew Uzbekistan had gasoline, much less an airline?
3:20 This game is definitely going to penalties.
3:30 I take a seat in the table area of the bar but can’t get anybody to come and take my order. Really New York people, I want to spend my money at your establishment! However, if you don’t want my money I’m not going to give it to you.
4:10 or so Mercifully, Holland got a man red-carded and Holland, down to ten men, concedes the winning goal by Spain with maybe four minutes left. No penalty kicks and the best team definitely won.
4:15 Set off to find my gate. It’s in the same terminal but I’m going to have to hoof it. Good thing it doesn’t take off until 7:45.
4:25 Stop at Dunkin’ Donuts and get my dinner/late lunch, two flat bread sandwiches that are nothing special but are hot. I’ve decided that when eating at an airport, hot food beats cold food (i.e. cold sandwiches) every single time, hands down. Hot food is comfort food when you’re on the road. Much better than my cold snack food that I carry around with me.
4:35 It takes ten minutes to buy a bottle of soda at Chili’s. More stellar NYC service. I miss Texas hospitality.
4:45 Wolf down my dinner and call Jennifer. We talk for fifty minutes, about 25 minutes longer than really necessary but I just want to talk to her to pass the time. It’s much more pleasant than reading my book or listening to the iPod and people-watching.
5:50 Start reading People Like Us as I finished Fairest right as the plane started to descend into JFK. Never figured I’d be interested in a book about people talking about people but it’s pretty good so far. I’d go faster if I didn’t stop every minute or so to people watch.
6:45 It’s past time to board but finally the plane we’ll be using has arrived. To my slight dismay, it’s a Delta plane. I figured it would be but I was hoping for a random Malev Hungarian or Air France crew since it’s more interesting to fly with non-US carriers.
7:30 We’re boarding. Two girls have fallen asleep nearby so I gave on of them a slight kick as the last of us were boarding. Turns out they weren’t going to Budapest even though they’d been around the gate as long as I had. The girl I kicked thanked me though and I felt better not having it on my conscience that a couple of people slept and missed their international flight. I wonder if the Delta people would have gone and woken them up?
7:35 Whoa. My seatmate is the first ever to actually initiate a conversation with me. It was actually before I even sat down. He is a mid-30s white guy whose manner and look screams frat guy. He remarks that we’re really in for it as we have two aged-ten boys behind us and a dog in a carrier to our left (we’re at the window). I don’t agree with him as who knows how the boys will behave and I love having a dog around. It’s in a mesh carrier and appears to be a rat terrier though I later found out it’s a basenji. The poor dog is just chilling on the floor in front of a little girl. It’s so cute though. Usually you figure a dog on a plane is going to be some rich old lady’s poodle named Muffin or something. Anyway, I ask frat guy about his travels and he informs me he’s on the US archery team and traveling to a world championship in Budapest. Wow. That’s random. He’s doing this professionally and apparently travels about 35 weeks a year. The longest distance he shoots from is 98.5m which is about the length of a football field and he is expected to hit the center circle every time. Wow. Good luck buddy. Interestingly enough, while he’s willing to answer my questions, he doesn’t ask a single thing about me. Slight non-plussed, I end the conversation before we take off. Too bad. At least ask me where I'm going archery guy!!!
8:00 Alright, we’re in the air. I have an actual window this time so I’m happy as a clam. The takeoff is fairly smooth and we have a nice view of the clouds and NYC for a little bit. It’s always weird taking off at sunset flying east because you’re high enough to look back and see daylight but ahead only see darkness. It’s kind of eerie actually.
8:15 It’s getting too dark to look out the window so I’ll read instead. The plan is to read until I’m tired, then watch a movie. This plane doesn’t have TVs in the seats so we will watch whatever’s on the main monitors. Tonight’s movies are The Ghost Writer, Invictus and Harry Potterand the Half-Blood Prince. I’m not interested in the first two but the third should keep my interest. I didn’t pack any Ambien for this trip since I thought the flights would be too short. At seven hours and 45 minutes, this one would have been cutting it close but since I only sleep six hours anyway I could’ve made it work. Oh well. I’ve done ok staying up all night when I flew to Germany a year and a half ago; let’s see if I can do it again.
8:45 Dinner is a mash-up of chicken, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies. It’s not appetizing at all but I force myself to eat it as I have eaten little today. Plus turbulence doesn’t bother me as much when I have a full stomach.
9:30 Start getting a little tired so turn on my movie. Jennifer let me have her Netflix spot so the two movies for this trip are The Great Escape (running time: 172 minutes) and Kingdom of Heaven (190 minutes or so). Since The Great Escape is set in Germany (i.e. Europe), I opt to watch it first.
10:00 The movie isn’t bad but it’s not super good. How do I know it’s not super good? I have to pause it when we go through a slight bout of turbulence. Jennifer and I once watched a super good episode of CSI as we were flying on the underside of a nasty cloud.
10:30 Doh. The guy in front of me just moved his seat back. I hate it when people do that and I’m trying to watch a movie on the laptop because it forces me to have the laptop at a weird angle. Urgh.
11:30 The guy in front of me mysteriously moves his seat forward. Maybe I do have ESP after all.
12:00 Movie’s over but only have 28 minutes of battery power left. I’m not feeling super-tired though. Time to go back to the book.
12:30am or 6:30am Hungary time Top ‘o the morning to ya! It’s getting light outside and I think we’re over Ireland. Seeing Europe from the plane is always so surreal. You realize it’s Europe yet it doesn’t quite seem real since you can’t see details at 35,000 feet. Actually, it’s a little cloudy and hazy down below so I can’t see much land at all.
7:00 I would really love to open my window all the way but since everybody else has theirs closed and are mostly still sleeping, me letting in a big shaft of light would not be taken too kindly. Instead, I raise it up for a quick peek every 10-15 minutes.
7:30 You know what? I really should be super tired by now but I’m not. I don’t know what the deal is as I haven’t even had any caffeine on this flight. I may just be in one of those overdrive modes that is preventing me from being tired. That actually happened when I flew to Germany and went into the Munich office the same day. Archer is sleeping away though. He was really nice though the two times I made him wake up so I could use the bathroom and take out my contact lenses. Once upon a time I hopped over a sleeping seatmate but methinks those days are over. That’s a good thing.
8:00 People Like Us is keeping me riveted. Who knew rich people were this interesting?
8:30 Ooh, breakfast time! That means time to open the windows, yay! The cue was that the lights in the cabin were turned on. Anyway, breakfast is a plastic-wrapped biscuit with an egg inside and a banana. And the egg sandwich is hot!
9:30 Starting the descent into Budapest! It’s always an interesting descent because you’re coming from the west but you have to land while going east. That means you fly past the airport (you can see it clearly below) for about 20-30 miles, do a 180 and come on in. Never bores me, particularly since the plane always feels like it’s flying sideways when we roll to turn.
10:00 Hi Budapesht, did you miss me? Yeah, me neither. Actually, that's not totally true. I really am excited to be back in the way I'm excited to be doing my job and be good enough at it the company doesn't think twice about forking over $1400 to send me over. Two weeks away from the fam though puts a slight damper on things. Let's get this trip knocked out!
10:01 We get to deplane directly into the terminal. I usually prefer going down stairs onto the tarmac and taking a bus but I don’t feel like dilly-dallying today. I have a train to catch!
10:03 We’re apparently the only international flight to arrive at this point as there are no other passengers at the Customs checkpoint. The Customs people never smile or acknowledge that I said good morning in Hungarian. Oh well, the important thing is that they stamped my passport and I’m officially in Hungary.
10:05 Entering the baggage claim, I immediately head to the currency exchange booth. I’ve never found out if they have the best rates or if I should change money someplace else like the previous airport or the money changing places in the lobby. Oh well, it’s too easy and time-saving to do it this way.
10:10 Still waiting
10:15 Still waiting. Everybody from the flight seems to be here now.
10:20 Oh wait, here come the bags.
10:25 Mine still hasn’t come. There are an awful lot of bags making a circuit around, meaning no one is around to pick them up or they’re from a different flight. It’s odd though and makes it more difficult to look for your own bag. Mine is a large black roller suitcase, meaning it looks like 60% of the other bags on the belt. At least it has an eye-catching orange luggage tag and is an off-brand (i.e. not Samsonite).
10:27 Still hasn’t come. The bags aren’t coming continuously though and there are still at least half of us still here including a middle-aged couple who are going to take a cruise down the Danube. I accidently remark how I’ve had my bags lost on three of my last eight flights (not completely true I later recall but I have had them lost a lot) and thus cast a damper on the conversation.
10:28 Ooh, one of their bags has come! Yay!
10:30 And here’s mine. Good luck Danube cruisers!
10:31 Walk out to the main entry area which is lined with waiting relatives and taxi drivers holding sheets with people’s names on them. There’s always a slightly dispiriting feeling when you get off your flight and no one is waiting for you. I miss the days when people could meet you at the gate though I guess that would make the lines at security even painfully longer.
10:32 I have the drill down. Head right outside to the taxi booth and buy a ticket. I always feel a little superior to the Americans who are in Hungary for the first time and are unsure exactly what to do. I shouldn’t because once upon a time I was just like them. Well, my bubble was burst when I, while trying to be all hot shot and use Hungarian words with the ticket guy, blurt out that I want to go to Terminal 1 which happens to be the terminal where we are. Ah, oh well.
10:33 The Richard Petty of Hungary decides to get me to Terminal 1 at warp speed. Thank goodness Hungarians respect traffic lights because otherwise we’d be going 90.
10:35 Good job Richard, I’m here. I manage to pay in forint and head into the terminal to buy my train ticket.
10:36 I love the Terminal 1 ticket people. Not only do they speak English but they’re friendly too. Don’t go to New York Terminal 1 ticket people! I ask the lady what time the next train is. She replies that I have seven minutes to get there as if she thinks I might opt to wait an hour for the next one to avoid hurrying. Who is she kidding?
10:37 I discover I can’t run with the heavy rolling bag so instead walk briskly while rolling it behind me. I know I have more than enough time but you want to be sure, you know?
10:38 Oh criminy. I have to lug it up the stairs of the elevated walkway (which is about three stories tall) and then back down. I could use the elevator but I think it’d take too long.
10:39 For some reason the elevated walkway is completely encased in plastic, making it like an oven. I’m already sweating. But there’s no train waiting below so I know I’m going to make it.
10:40 Phew, I’m on the platform.
10:42 And here comes the train. Remembering my previous experience with taking the wrong train (my Monor/Szolnok adventure) I ask the guy next to me to confirm it’s going to Debrecen by pointing at the train and saying ‘Debrecen?’ He nods. Excellent.
10:43 I know which car to get in and find my seat. I’m sitting next to two elderly guys who remind me of the old man from that Pixar short who plays a game of chess with himself. It’s going to be a long train ride.
10:45 It’s kind of hot in here. The a/c must be having some problems. I was sweating a little from my exertion to get to the platform but I’m still sweating, maybe even a little more.
10:50 Yep, the a/c’s out. Wonderful. But no one has opened any of the windows. It’s not like we’re going that fast people! Sitting next to the two elderly gentlemen who don’t seem to speak English and surely notice I’m sweating, I decide not to request that they open it.
10:55 I can’t understand Hungarian but I can tell that there is a spirited discussion between the ticket agent and some passengers who are complaining about the a/c. The ticket taker, a short, bald, bespectacled and mustached man, is pointing at the windows and the next cars as if to say ‘well smarty, open a window or go to the next car if it’s such a big problem’. I like this guy.
10:56 I refuse to contemplate going to another car as it’s not worth the possible shame of being unable to find a seat while carrying monster-sized luggage. That and finding that I took somebody’s seat. Three ladies in our car decide to make a go of it though. Two of them go and check and come back smiling, then they all three leave. See, you don’t need to speak the language to know these things.
11:10 I’m still sweating like crazy. I know I sweat more
easily than most people but this is embarassing. I have the top three buttons of my shirt unbuttoned. Ugh. I keep hoping for people to walk through the car because that creates the slightest breeze which is a relief.
11:40 Someone opened a window a bit further up. I move up to an empty row once occupied by some people who exited at Szolnok to take advantage. Ah, a breeze. Relief! My clothes still stink though.
11:45 Am able to read some more of People Like Us to while away the rest of the train trip.
12:00 We’re here!
12:01 Manage to get off the train without falling over due to weight of suitcase. Now to navigate the staircases to get under the tracks and back up at the station.
12:03 I know this drill now too. Go find a taxi right outside the station. One time long ago there wasn’t anyone but lately they’re always there. It’s fun to see them sitting in their little parking lot watching you as you come out, trying to see if you’re going to hire them. I always walk about 1/3 of the way towards them without making eye contact, then catching their eye and nodding almost imperceptibly. Then, when I’m 2/3 of the way, I just continue to stare at them until they get out to take the luggage. You know of course they don’t want to get out and then have you say ‘psyche’ and walk over the to bus stop.
12:04 I tell the cabbie, who I don’t think speaks English exactly where I want to go and we’re off. I could actually take the railcar that goes through the center of town except for a) I’ve never learned how to buy a ticket for the thing and b) I don’t know exactly where on the route the hotel is. Better to have a cab especially since NI is paying. It’s cool too because I know the town well enough now that I know exactly which way he is going to go.
12:08 And here I is! Time to check into the hotel and end my journey. From door-to-door it was about nineteen hours, not too shabby, though starting from Dallas shaved about 5-7 hours off of the normal time.
