Day 12
By Train From Ljubljana to Budapest
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Jó reggelt kívánok,
It was a business-like start to the day. Up by 7 o’clock, showered and breakfasted. We had breakfast the Wonderland Ljubljana, the cafe on the ground floor of our hotel, and were not disappointed. Every dish was €9, which included tea or coffee and juice. It was also very good food, so overall very good value for money.
We nipped down to a local convenience store to stock up on buns and drink and stuff for eating on the train. Then we checked out of Hotel Center and dragged our bags the 750 metres to the train station. 750 metres doesn't sound far. But it is a hell of a long way with 20-odd kilo bags, on a warm morning with the noise and chaos of rush hour swirling about you, and lots of staircases to negotiate.
We’d never been on a train like this before, with little compartments and six seats per compartment. We've seen them on TV and in movies, but never in real life. Buzzy Bee was looking forward to another train ride, and he settled in for the long haul.
It was a looong slow ride to Budapest. Our bums got numb sitting on the seats for so long. The noisy air conditioning would run for a while, then have a rest, then start up again. When it was running it didn’t seem to do enough to cool us, but when it stopped we missed it terribly.
The train was scheduled to take about 7 hours to Budapest, but we were well over 8 hours by the time the train arrived at Budapest-Déli. As it turned out there was no dining car on the train, and it stopped for no longer than necessary at each station. Grandma's insistence of stocking up on sandwiches at the convenience store after breakfast proved to be very shrewd.
The afternoon was no cooler in Budapest than the morning had been in Ljubljana. We dragged our bags along the platform, down some stairs, up some stairs, then down more stairs, trying to follow the signs to the Metro platform. The place was not air conditioned, the temperature of the day well over 30C, so sweat was running down our faces.
We were too hot and bothered to be downloading apps for bloody Metro tickets, so we thought we'd go the old fashioned way and buy a paper ticket. We walked into the ticket office, which had about five service counters. Only two of the counters were open for business, and, as there no customers, both customer service representatives were intently studying their phones.
We walked to one of the desks, but the woman looked up and said, "you must take ticket". Meaning, as we walked into the office, we were supposed to take a ticket from a machine and wait until our number is called.
So we walked back to the doorway, pressed the button and were issued ticket number 25. Then we took our ticket and walked back into the office. And this time the other customer service representative, a young man, reluctantly looked up from his phone and called out, "number 25 please". Right then, that must mean it is our turn.
We paid 900 somethings for two Metro tickets using our Wise card. It turns out it was 900 Hungarian Forints, or about NZD$4.00.
To get down to the platform we took the fastest, longest escalators we’d ever been on. These things were rocket ship fast, we hardly knew how to get on them. And a bit scary since we were each dragging a 20kg bag. After a short Metro ride, another jet propelled escalator, and another 400 metre walk, we had made it to our apartment on Erzsébet krt.
Our apartment is on the top floor of a building that is old, very elegant and very run down. In its heyday sometime in the 19th century the atrium would have been resplendent and welcoming. By the time we arrived in 2024 it was shabby and dirty. There is no lift. We had a security code to enter into the door at the street, then there are two coded security gates, one at the bottom of the stairs and one on the first floor landing. As we ascended the once-beautiful stone staircase our expectations descended with the unmistakable scent of stale urine.
"This might we a one-night-wonder", was Grandma's comment.
We found our apartment, retrieved the keys from the lock box, and opened front door to an absolutely lovely space. Modern, beautifully refurbished, AIR-CONDITIONED. The ceilings are very high (well over three metres) and the rooms very spacious.
Some of the furniture pieces look a bit el-cheapo, as does most modern kitset furniture. But there are some thoughtfully lovely touches. Like a lint remover in the entrance way, a supply of cotton buds in the bathroom and lots of spare linen and pillows. There are several umbrellas just inside the front door, an armchair with a reading lamp, and an actual hat stand. It has obviously been furnished and finished by someone clever and thoughtful, rather by someone who was prepared to simply and lazily copy what all the other hotels and apartments offer. We are very happy staying here.
When Grandma & Koro get to a new room, there is no comment, no question, no discussion. Koro takes the left hand side of the bed, Grandma takes the right. Neither of us even have to think, “which is my side?”, we just do it naturally. We probably always will.
We’ve also found our local bar, located at ground level, right next door to our apartment complex. It is a surprising choice, because it reeks of seediness. It is called Shot Bar, which tells you everything you need to know about its repertoire, the décor is dark with lots of black and garish red, and the bar maid struts around in a little black Lycra crop top and very little black Lycra shorts. However, the barman speaks excellent English and pours Grandma’s Bombay Sapphire gin just right, that is to say, not too strong. Grandma just likes to taste it, she's not interested in getting tipsy. And so this is "our local" while we are in Budapest.
Love to you all from Grandma & Koro and Buzzy Bee.
