Good Morning from Hungary

It is 7:52am, and we just finished breakfast in Bucharest. It is nice not to be hungry in Hungary anymore. The train ride yesterday was 9 hours, and it was not the nicest coach in Europe. Although Curt asked for 1st class, we got 2nd class tickets. That did not end up to be a problem since the whole train was a pile. At least we had a compartment all to ourselves, although I tried not to touch much. We did have success in navigating the train station and the subway directly to our hotel. We arrived late and were not able to locate food in the neighborhood. It tricky when you are beyond hungry, in a new city, know nothing of the language (and this one is weird!) and they have a propensity for lard in a bowl. We are 'splurging' on a nice hotel here since we found a great internet rate. Curt claimed the buffet was the best he's ever had this morning.

Back to Transylvania...The 2nd town we stopped in was Shigisoara. It was a very small and medieval place, with the "old town" being quite similar to how it was in the 15th century, with the exception of electricity, plumbing, the random, vehicle, and of course the maruading Turks were absent. We walked from the train station, across the river and up the stairs to the town wall . . . sounds simple, right ? Yes it is, if one can find one of the few entries/exits through the city wall. We eventually found a dirt path that led to the Shoemakers gate. Apparently, this town required each of the local guilds to build and then man each of the 13 battle stations in this town that literally surrounded by a steep 100 foot hill. None of the roads were paved, and since we arrived after dark, it was a cool and creepy adventure. We stolled around and eventually stopped in a pool hall for a beer - even the slot machines had a cheezy 'dracula' theme. Seeking to escape the bad disco music (more on this later), we moved on to the "Dracula Inn" for a nightcap. The building was actually the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, and the whole place was a frightening homage to him - there were no less than eight busts, paintings etc. of the local hero. The evening ended early due to a lack of nightlife in the sleepy village, and the only thing that bit me was a bit of food poisoning.

We got up early and walked up the hill to the church tower. The local high school was also on the hill, so we found ourselves walking the 172 steps with the youth. We kept their pace, and even passed many of them as they stopped for cigarettes along the way. Good to know the tobacco industry is set for the future. Shigisoara had a wonderful old world charm. We'll need to post photos to convey it.

We're starting to notice a theme with the music, if you can find an ice rink or a pub/bar with the lights on, you will also find a horrid combination of american disco and euro techno electronica. This is not confined to the Eastern Bloc, Curt confirms the same thing happened in Austria and Switzerland when he was working there.

We're starting to figure out the train system a bit, the key to success is to find the train that's pulling cars from the western most country. For instance, our train rides in Romania were aboard a train that was eventually going to Prague (even though we rode two legs in Romania). On the first two trips, we had nice seats in a clean car with ample beverage service. Then, as we waited for the third leg (Translyania to Budapest), Curt informed me that we were due to get a train with Hungarian or Czech cars since the first two legs had been on Romanian cars. I failed to note that he didn't explain how he knew the first two legs were on Romanian cars. After we boarded it was very clear that we were now getting our first look at Romanian cars, the temperature control was very simple and very effective . . . too hot, or too cold. And it was easy to adjust, just open the window in your compartment on a nice 30 degree day. The "high speed" Intercity trains in Romania ramble along at speeds approaching 50 mph with frequent stops in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. After crossing the border into Hungary and successfully navigating two border checks without uttering a word of English, it was off to Budapest with no stops and high speeds.

One last tidbit on Romania, the vestiges of Communism were a sight to be seen. During this journey, we passed the two most obnoxious coal plants that either of us had ever seen. Huge complexes with those infamous looking towers like you see in nuclear plants and rotting structures surrounding them, and an unearthly glow of smog hanging in the valley.

Budapest was a culture shock, we took the subway into downtown after arriving at the train station, so we didn't really get a feel for the city until popping out of the metro station in front of the opera house. We had been magically transported from the 15th century top the 21st century. This part of Budapest was more similar to Manhattan than Transylvania. Today, we're going to check out the castles, the christmas market, and I suppose I'll have to allow Curt a little time in one of the pubs that will be showing NFL games.