Of course, since things were going so well with our first train experience, something challenging just had to happen. The ticket taker came around and brought us our tickets back (they were take the night before). She didn't speak English very well, but communicated that our tickets were not valid because we hadn't got them stamped before we go on the train. PANIC. ANGER. We thought this might be the case, and we checked with the Deutsche Bahn desk at the train station and they TOLD US to take care of it once we were on the train. We explained this, with the woman repeating the statement about the tickets not being valid. PANIC. TENSION. After a few minutes of both sides repeating themselves, the woman then stated (or maybe we finally understood) that we should go and validated them in Budapest immediately after we leave the train. We heartly agreed to this and she bid us fairwell. WHEW. At that point, however, I wanted to strangle the guys at the DB desk.
Now off the train and at the Budapest Keleti train station, we made our way to the international travel office to get our Eurorail passed validated. It was a fair quick affair and soon we were trying to figure out how to get from the train station to the apartment. One thing we all notices having just come from Munich's train station: Keleti station was a good bit dirtier and scarier. Plenty of people kinda hanging around, soliciting, begging, etc. Didn't have any issues with the people around, but certainly put us on edge some.
After a visit to the tourist information booth we had our bearing and mechanism to get the apartment. Time to try out the Budapest subway. It was a little more confusing and dirtier than some of the others I have been in. Also, we were all struggling a little with the number of bags we were carrying, especially Noah and Katy who were carrying backpacks and wheeling luggage which seems to tip over very easily. We figured out how to purchase single use tickets for everyone. The security seems to be very focused on people not paying for the ride, as they checked out tickets both going in and going out of the subway. A few stops, and subway line change, and we were at our stop. Kudos to the MetrO app, which makes navigating the mass transit a breeze in any city.
From the metro stop, we had about a quarter mile walk down a main street. This was a struggle for Noah, as he was tired, hot, and having real difficulties with his bag that kept flipping over. He also refused to carry his backpack. After reallocating the kids stuff to other people, we made our way to the apartment and figured how to get in the main gate.
At the gate we met Greg from Green Dream Apartments, the nice guy who is renting the apartment to us. He was more than helpful, taking the time to show us around the apartment, telling us how to use all the facilities (another entertaining washing machine setup), and gave us some insider information on places to eat, grocery store locations, and the typical list of tourist questions. Thanks Greg!
The apartment is awesome! Modern clean look with plenty of space for everyone. Sleeping upstairs and kitchen and living area downstairs. And high-speed internet, which the kids and teens were very happy to see. There is a cute little courtyard outside, which is gated, which makes the place feel quite spacious and safe. Sara scores again with another great apartment find.
Our first outing into Budapest was a quick walk around our area for a few blocks to get our bearings and find something to eat. We settled on a gyro place (I didn't get the name) with Egyptian decor on Pozsonyi street. The food was awesome. We all had a gyro platter with rice or potatoes, gyro and veggies. Well, except for the kids. Noah wasn't having any of it, and Katy tried a little and thought it was ok. After refueling, we were off again, and walked around the block to McDonalds, which is also convienently near our apartment. Two happy meals to-go and we made our way back to our apartment for some downtime and to avoid the hottest part of the day.
Down time is a wonderful thing. Everyone was kinda still tired from the overnight train effects and the heat. This time is usally filled with Noah and Katy watching or playing on a device, the teens journalling or talking, and Sara and I figuring out what to do next, dealing with what ever issues have arisen, entertaining kids, and maybe playing a little ourselves. Several of us have been enjoying playing Bonanza, or affectionately known as the "bean farmer" game. Lots of fun and worth the weight to carry it with us.
After things cooled down a bit, we headed out to Margaret Island, this 1.6 mile long city park on an island in the middle of the Danube river in Budapest. It is a short walk from our apartment. The park is pretty amazing, with lots of green space, play areas, soccer arena, Olympic-style swimming facilities, amphitheaters, and a huge water park. Since it was after 7pm, most of the facilities were winding down, which was someone of a disappointment for the kids where were salivating over the water park. We did take some time to play on the play grounds, relax, and enjoy the scenes and people watch.
After returning home, the teens volunteered to put the kids down for us (and finish off the left overs from lunch) so Sara and I could go out on a date. Woohoo, of course we took them up on that offer. We ventured down to a little side walk Cuban restaurant, called La Bogata, where the owner greeted us as we walked by and set us up a sidewalk table. The food was fabulous and we enjoyed some Hungarian red wine which was pretty tasty and very cheap :). It was a great experience sitting on the sidewalk, having a nice meal and taking in the surrounding on a warm summer evening. We had to keep reminding ourselves that we are half way around the world on a dream vacation, and that this was all real.
And to finish off, everyone was tucked in once we returned.
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