Day 6 - Train to Budapest

-My train to Budapest was scheduled to leave at 9:39am, so after a quick breakfast and a final check of my personal belongings, I bid Pavel farewell and Irena accompanied me to the train station. We made a quick stop at Starbucks before I boarded my train, and poured out my gratitude to Irena for her and Pavel's outstanding helpfulness and hospitality.

My little cabin, all to myself

-I was a bit worried that the 7hr ride to Budapest would drag on and on, but it actually passed quite easily. I had a "cabinmate" at first, but she got off in Brno after two hours, and I had the six-seat cabin to myself for the rest of the trip. Went to the restaurant car for lunch around one o'clock (which was about six cars away from mine), caught up on my journaling, had a glass of wine, read some Stephen King, put my iPod in my ears and watched the countries go by out the window. When we crossed the border into Hungary, border patrol officers boarded the train and checked everyone's passport. They took mine, mumbled something in Hungarian about me being American, I flashed them my sweet smile, and they handed it back to me and said, "Ok, thank you. Byee byee." LOL.

The restaurant car

Arriving at Keleti train station in Budapest

-Arrived in Budapest at about quarter to 5, I exchanged some Euros for Forints, booked my ticket for Belgrade for Friday night, and after a short search outside I located the metro, bought my 3-day pass, and headed to Deak Ferenc Ter to meet my second host, Kaitlyn. She's American, and teaching at an International School. She's a self-professed Holocaust buff, and when we were out to dinner that night and I was telling her how when I was researching this city I noticed there were lots of Holocaust memorials, museums, etc.; she lit up like a Christmas tree with a face like she'd just discovered her long-lost sister, and said, "Are you a Holocaust buff, too??" I laughed and said no, but that I'd thought she'd be a well of information about it.

My Hungarian dinner - chicken with paprika and gnocchi-like pasta stuff. Delicious. 

-We wondered the surrounding streets a bit, laughed about how annoying Vegans are, and headed to the bus when it started to rain. Went home and excitedly mapped out my route for the next day.