Okay, I've forgotten most of what I wanted to tell you about yesterday. Maybe I'll remember whilst I write this:
Boy o boy o boy... have I got some story to tell. This morning I woke up and the first thing I wanted to do was get out of that shit hostel. So I got up, didn't shower, put my backpack in the luggage room and went into Bratislava. Well Bratislava really is nothing if not hardly anything... there is no such thing as a city centre there. I go on the internet at the hostel (only internet I could get) and saw that a train to Budapest was leaving in 35 minutes. Perfect! Only not so perfect in terms of time.. I walked to the tram stop and found absolutely nothing that was selling or even qualified to sell tickets. I could also walk for hours and see if there was anything else, but I decided to take my chances and hop on without a ticket. 10 minutes later this turned out to be the worst decision I'd made this trip with the exception of Berlin as my first destination. Two big guys walked towards me and not-so-politely asked me for my ticket. I said 'Que?' and they foresaw trouble so left. No that's not how it went: I played the innocent tourist looking through my moneybelt and then hopelessly saying 'I must have lost it!' By the time I'd said that we were half an hour later and they asked me to follow them to a nearby police station (riding without a ticket seems to be a serious criminal event in Bratislava...) and placed me on a bench telling me to wait. Luckly I only had to sit between the other guilty and not so guilty people, and a fat officer started questioning me in Slovakian. I said 'Que?' and was swiftly escorted to the exit. No that's not how it went: The officer got to business and made it clear that I had to pay a fine of 1500,- stuffy (whatever they use there) or 35 euro's. I served my sentence and left, knowing I'd never make that train.
Only when I was walking the 2 miles to the station did I realize that 1500,- stuffy is by far not 35 euro's... but the ticket looked official so I didn't go back. Not that I'd have gone back anyways...
When I got there I found out that a train to Budapest left in 45 minutes and so I sat there feeling sorry for myself and my 35,- euro's. 40 minutes later a 'train' strumbled into the staion asf it was supposed to breathe its last breath ages ago. This train was seriously old... I got in to the wooden carriage and it looked even older from the inside... too odd to describe. 10 minutes later a mother and her 4 untolerable irritating ADHD annoying kids stepped into my coupe to see to it that the next 3 hours would be as uncomfortable as it could possibly be. At least I shared this fate with another man.
When I got to Budapest I found out that the metro I needed was under construction and I had to walk all the way to where the hostel was supposed to be. All I found was a wooden door covered in graffiti, standing excactly in the place where the hostel should be. Half an hour later a few people let me in and said that there was something on the upper floor in the courtyard, so I went up and I found: a guesthouse bearing the name of my hostel. When I went in I found a woman who found that there were no more beds there, even tough I'd made a reservation, and she directed me to another 'establishment' 2 miles away. So I walked there, all pissed and feeling sorry for myself and still for my 35,- euro's. When I got to the address I once again only found a door, right where my establishment should be. 10 minutes later a woman leaning out the window shouted to me 'do you have a reservation' and let me in. Finally!
Well this place is nice, it's quiet and more like a home opened to guests. Very comfortable. Something else now: When I got here I heard all these racing airplanes flying over, and I asked about it at the hostel. Turns out that tomorrow the Red Bull air race is going to be in Budabest! This immediately takes away all my worries and makes me feel so lucky... and to make it even better, tomorrow it's like Hungarian 'Freedom day' and there's going to be huge fireworks tomorrow night!
Just my luck! I'm going into the city now to get some food.
Byron
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Oh Golly Byron, that was some experience for you! I bet you will walk anywhere the next time for a ticket! But you were great seeming calm and level headed you got through it okay and at the end you have the air show to look forward to, I hope you enjoy it. Take Care love Joan
Hi Byron,
Well, another experience you will not easily forget. It reminds me of my 1st tour of Europe, when I entered Czechoslovakia (in those days 1 country), in fact I came into Slovakia from Hungary. I had (or rather, thuoght I had) a visum for 7 days. The police pointed out that the visum was only valid for 1 day and they also (like yourself on the Croatian border) questioned the fact that I was on my own at the age of 16. I also was brought into a police station, but I got out with a visum for 7 days, without paying anything, if I remember correctly.
But the Slovakian police didn't treat you as badly as you think, because according to my calculations SKK 1.500 equals about EUR 44.00, not 35!
Anyway, You got out and I don't think there are many boys at your school that know how a Slovakian police station looks at the inside, so you've got even more interesting stuff to tell, then you have already.
Enjoy Budapest and the Red Bull show (what a fantastic coincidence) and the city itself, which is much nicer then Bratislava.
I've booked a room for 2 nights in a 2** hotel in Prague. Very cheap and you'll have your own room there. I'll send you the details by mail. I'm sure you will like Prague.
But first Budapest. Enjoy!
Pap
Hi Byron,
Once again, all I can say is WELL DONE. You must have been pretty anxious today for a period of time, but all worked out well and as your Dad calculated, you got the better of them in the end!!!!!!!!!! Next time BUY A TICKET, saves a lot of hazzle. How are you managing with exchanging money, you've had to use Slovikia Koruny, now you have to use the Forint and in two days time the Czech Koruny, I suppose your not changing a lot of money, just what you need. Have you thought about what your going to do on Thursday and Friday?? Bratislava didn't sound so very nice, but at least you can say from experience that it's not a place to be visited. I'm so glad for you that the air show is on, do you remember when we went together to the same show in Rotterdam?? Last holiday week so ENJOY.
xx Mam
Hallo Byron,
Geheel tegen iedereen in blijf ik in het Nederlands schrijven. Fijn dat ik een neef heb die ook eens op een politie bureau moet verschijnen! Het meest fantastische is natuurlijk dat je de Red Bull show kan zien. Voor jou als vliegfanaat is dit een zeer welkom evenement. Ben wel benieuwd hoe je foto staat op een Slovaaks politie bericht "gezocht notaire zwartrijder uit nederland".
Veel plezier met de show
Frank
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