Train trouble in Hungary - TRAVELLING ALONE

I hurried back to the train station and found my train, still not changed to a dress. I found my place on the train that was cooking and after much back and forth I got changed to my maxi-dress, I pulled up my magazine and after a while I fell asleep. In Kurd we had to change to a bus as it was construction work on the railway and it was really confusing since no one spoke English and the busses weren’t marked, but magically I managed to get on the right one. Kurd, the small-town where we changed trains were lovely. So lovely I really want to – I need to go back there and write. People were all having these cute little gardens where they grew vegetables and trees with pink flowers and so on. I loved it.

When we arrived in Dono-something we had to get on the train again and also this time it was rather confusing as no one spoke English, but I made it again. The Hungarian scenery is amazing, it’s inspiring. The fields half covered in little lakes. The trees with pink flowers, the little huts the poorest of them lived in. The gardens. It was a whole new world and then suddenly, we arrived in Pécs.

ON TRAVELLING ALONE
Travelling alone in eastern (sorry, people, everything is east for me) Europe I didn't expect much English, neither did I expect much help. So what did I do? I researched. I found out online when the train left for Pécs, how much time I’d have, how to get from the airport to the train station, what I wanted to see in Budapest, if there was luggage storage at the railway station, what metro line to take, where to eat. I had it all figured out in my head and I’m so glad because if not I would have been so lost. If you’re not an experienced traveller I would not recommend it though, then your best choice would probably be to stay at the trainstation and wait for the next train J

-Mari Clémentine

It's alocohol free, is that okey? - Budapest in 2 hours

The plane ride went smooth as always. I tried to sleep but couldn’t, so I just closed my eyes while listening to music. It was colder than I expected in Budapest, so I didn’t change, but picked up a ticket for the airport’s shared-shuttletaxi service (which is great and easy to use) and fetched a free map of the city, marking of some places before picking up my suitcase. The taxi driver didn’t speak English and it was a bit confusing at first, but I used the few Hungarian words I knew and got in the car which took me and another fellow safely to Keleti railway station where I picked up a train ticket to Pécs before leaving my luggage. Not changing.

I took my camera and money and went by underground to the city centre. First thing showing up: Starbucks. Then I found St. Stephens Basilica, which was really impressive. I had promised my mom to eat so I soon went down the street to Hard Rock Café where I went inside (to hot outside – yay to sweater and jeans. No.) and ordered some French fries and a groupie grind. This was the defining moment for my Budapest experience. I ordered the GG and the waiter said: “It’s alcohol free, is that okey?” I should have yolo’ed and said no, but I didn’t. I then enjoyed my smoothie, went shopping at the New Yorker and went down to the riverside to see Danube and the castles. I had so little time, but Budapest seemed wonderful with all the green areas and buildings and stuff.

-Mari Clémentine