Finally, I was leaving Italy behind me for good. I love the country, but after being there for almost a month, things were starting to look, feel, and taste the same. I still had ten travel days left on my eurail pass, but only about a month to use them. Time to play catch up! Time to kick backpacking into high gear! First stop, Vienna. I admit, I know little about this city, except that it had the most happenin' music scene a few hundred years ago. |
"STOPPING FOR LUNCH"
Oh My God! YES!!!
Looking and smelling totally grubby, I left the station and walked in
the general direction of the town center. The boulevard was lined with
shiny, contemporary businesses and familiar brands. It almost felt like
America for a bit.
"They will green not repent", guarantees coach Phil Jackson.
Hotel Arian? Guess who's not staying there tonight.
You have entered the land of giant pretzels.
Even in a place as sophisticated sounding as Museums Quartier... there's
a Mcdonalds to unsophisticate it.
It looks like some palace, but I didn't find out what it was. Workers were
taking down tents from some festival held on the lawn over the weekend.
Men dressed up as classical musicians were stationed all
around the city selling concert tickets to people who
looked
like tourists. I would have definitely paid the €30 to
watch
a concert in Vienna, but I already decided not to stay the
night... too expensive.
Yeah, I look totally classy.
I should have checked out the circus tent. See some bearded ladies.
That pub has the same name as the one we went to in Killarney.
There needs to be an Irish Pubs chain. It would make the world
a happier place.
The Imperial Palace of the Hapsburg emperors. Vienna
was once the capital of the powerful Austria-Hungarian
empire that spanned all the way from Switzerland to
Russia. Today, it's still the capital building of Austria's
government... but Austria... who cares about Austria?
Since I arrived on a weekday, the streets were full of business people
looking sharp in their suits going about their everyday workweek.
Wow, I felt so out of place.
The architecture, carriages, and guys in wigs sort of
remind me of what Boston or Philadelphia might have
been like back in the days of Colonial America.
My guidebook mentioned that Vienna is the coffeehouse
capital of the world (coffeehouse, not coffeeshop i.e.,
Amsterdam). I'm not a huge fan of coffee, but I wanted
to have some sophisticated Viennese experience. Some
chocolates from from Demel were good enough for me.
They used to serve confections to the royal family.
When would it ever be appropriate to eat something like this?
Everything was exquisitely packaged and ridiculously priced.
I bought two small chocolate truffles for about $5.
Why??? It's like opening up Pizza Huts in Italy.
Mozart, Mozart, Mozart.
Do these people realize they just walked under a KOCK?
Vienna's scenic pedestrian street. It's weird how the statue is covered in netting.
Ahhh... cheery outdoor cafes. I miss these.
For lunch, I hunted down a place recommended by my guidebook,
Trzesniewski.
They serve appetizer sized open sandwiches with such delectable
toppings as egg salad, sardines, and chopped herring. Satisfied and
smelling a bit fishy, I hopped on the U-Bahn back to Westbahnhof.
Clean. Austria is a very clean country.
"WHERE THE BURGER IS KING"
A short three hours later, the train arrived in Budapest. Oh yeah,
why was I in Budapest? I don't know. Because I can be, I guess.
random memory, annoying michigan girls on the train
The moment I stepped off the train, I was bombarded by an assertive old woman who deftly identified me as a visitor. "American? You are American? Here look", she said as she opened up a 3 ring binder to a page with the word ENGLISH written boldly on it. She turned to the next page. "See, I have home, very good, you have room, private, nice kitchen, come and go as please, twenty euro. Okay?", she continued flipping through the pictures, glowingly telling me about her home and satisfied guests. I didn't have anything planned in Budapest, but taking the first offer would've been a brash decision, so I graciously declined and walked away. She kept following me and begging me to stay. I quickened my pace. Not even ten seconds later, a man approached. "Are you looking for a room?" Being the honest fellow I am, I said yes... Here we go again. His "sales's pitch" wasn't as convincing as the woman's. It was actually a bit sketchy. He talked about putting me up in a closed college dorm that he had access to. The price was right at €10, but I wasn't feeling quite so adventurous. I let him know I wasn't interested. This happened a few more times while navigating through the Keleti Pu train station. Each time, there was something fishy or strange about the person trying to get my business. Some were really aggressive and persistent, and I would have to raise my voice to get them to back off. Some weren't. One guy was leaning against the wall and smoking a cigarette as I walked by. "Need a room?", he asked nonchalantly. I told him no. He went right back to smoking. By the time I reached the main exit, my accommodation problems still weren't solved, but right above me was a glowing beacon of hope. Actually, it was a neon yellow sign for hostel and hotel reservations. I walked into the office expecting a city-run tourist information center. It was actually a booking agency for a few private hostels in town. The guy wasn't helpful or courteous, but he gave me a map, a price, and a half-hearted guarantee that there was space available. That was all I needed. |
During the train ride up, heavy rain was falling outside. I was dreading
another Firenze wash out, but the weather was just clearing up.
Of all the languages I encountered, Hungarian must have been the most
cryptic one. I can't relate it to anything. What is this? Shoes? Sale?
The only way to cross an intersection on the main street was to go
though a huge underground thoroughfare with about a dozen exits
to different parts of the street above. For someone new to the city,
I got totally disoriented down there, and came up on the wrong
street several times, not realizing I was backtracking until I walked
a few blocks and noticed things looking familiar (which would've
been impossible... obviously... unless I spent a past life there).
Some guys in the hostel. Grant and Troy from New Zealand and
Dave, a pothead from Hawaii. They had been in Budapest a few
days and were telling me about the exciting stuff happening there.
Massive demonstrations and riots were crippling the city as
a
reaction
to some political corruption involving the Prime Minister. By that
night, riot police were out in full force around the Parliament and
TV station
dispersing any protesters, and the hostel was issuing
strong advisories for guests to stay away from those areas. Damn!
I JUST missed the action! Anyway, that's my itinerary on the table,
all destroyed and not filled out yet.
Curious, I headed out with Dave toward the direction of the Parliament,
but he returned before we got too close to stay out of trouble. There was
an eerie silence in the air, and deadness in the streets. That's a shot of
Saint Stephen's Basilica. It's nice, but after seeing Saint Peter's in Vatican
City, everything is just... eh.
Eenie-meenie-mini-mo...
OH MY! I'm rich!
Why? Because at 11PM, food options are limited. Besides, I was
REALLY craving meat, and this REALLY hit the spot.
My curiosity continued tickling me, so I headed in the direction of the
Parliament building. Lots of other people being turned away by riot
police, so I returned to the hostel...
...But right when I got back, a whole crew from the hostel was
leaving to look for some rioting action. I told them I was just
down there, and nothing was going on, but they were determined,
so I joined them on some late night riot huntin' anyway.
The riot police must have done a good job tear gassing
and hosing down the crowd the night before, because
there wasn't much of a crowd to speak of that night.
"Oh, teach me how to start a revolution sir"
Troy coming up with an action plan for the day. The plan? Visit Buda.
Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest, separated by the Danube
River. Buda is the more scenic area, while Pest (where we were) is the
grittier city area.
Lion guardians of the city.
Grant and Troy were cool. They're the type of people that can kick your ass
in
rugby one minute, then discuss world social-political issues with you the next.
There's a lift that carries passengers to the top of castle hill.
We'll leave that to lazy people.
A view of the Chain Bridge. Opened in 1849, it was a figurative and symbolic
linkage of the East and West.
Gorgeous... Americans should use that word more...
with a Kiwi accent.
Why is this bird holding a Chinese style straightsword?
Grant, Troy, and I began walking around the scenic parts of Buda when we saw
a crowd gathering in front of some building. It was just about noontime when a
trumpeter blasted a fanfare from the top of a balcony. Wow, we were coincidently
just in time to watch a changing of the guard ceremony at Sándor Palace, home and
office of Hungary's President.
The guards remind me of those nutcracker dolls.
A Hungarian crafts market.
It seems like you can find any traditional ethnic food pre-processed
and ready-to-go these days. I spy something American and Chocolaty.
Paprika is a major export of the country. I asked a girl at the hostel
to recommend a good traditional restaurant, and she guided me to
Paprika. Next day, I was looking for the restaurant and must've
walked past a half dozen establishments with paprika in its name.
A Hungarian specialty... since 1971.
A sports model Smart. Here's a fun road test. Crash this car into an H2
Hummer, then see if the family can still identify the victim.
Some church people. One of them was disguised as a fellow backpacker.
He was cunning, asking us where we were from, talking the usual traveler
small talk. He even got me talking about Uconn Huskies basketball and
March Madness. Then out of the blue, he asked, "Do you believe you're
going to heaven?". Slick man...very slick.
A view of the Neo-Gothic Parliament building from across the Danube river.
This water spouting from the fountain was synchronized with music.
It reminded me of the Bellagio in Las Vegas, only much smaller. Because
America is all about BIG! WOOOIIIHEEEEHAAAHHH!!!
Russia are coming to reclaim its children!
Erotika Parade... sex is understood in all languages. Wow, those
girls are full of skank.
Somehow in our wanderings, we journeyed into a district far from
the center of the city. Every other building was under
construction.
In the distance, a modern skyline taking shape.
Budapest is in the
middle of a huge modernization effort. Remember that only fifty
years ago, Hungary was a Soviet Bloc country, and not even twenty
years ago, it was still communist. Hungary only joined the European
Union in 2003, so it's been playing a big game of catch up since then.
It's weird because on the surface, the city was touristy and modern,
but there was a sadness on the faces of those old enough to
remember the hardships of the not-too-distant past.
A selection of Hungarian specialties at the deli.
No cell phones, no smoking, no pets, and NO ICECREAM!
This is the craziest thing... While browsing an indoor market for socks
and body wash, I noticed something peculiar, sign written in Vietnamese.
I can't read Vietnamese, but I've been around it enough to know these
weren't the typical Hungarian strange letter combinations. Surely enough,
one of the shop keepers asked me if she could help me... not in English,
not in Hungarian, but in Vietnamese. Granted, my Vietnamese sucks, but
I was able to express what I wanted, fishing around for words in Vietglish,
while she spoke her Hungnamese.
Police are still out barricading the Parliament building.
Hungarian girls aren't hot.
That night, we hunted down an all-you-can-eat buffet what we found
out about at the hostel. The last meal we had was a greasy lunch
at
Burger King, and we were famished by the time we arrived. The cost
was €14, which was way over my backpacking food budget, but I
just had to... just this one time, remember what it felt like to be full.
HOLY GOODNESS! An assortment of animal, and even a thick slab
of grilled cheese. I was able to finally try goulash, a Hungarian
specialty, which turned out to be nothing more than a simple beef
stew. The three of us absolutely gorged ourselves... and not just
on food. Alcoholic beverages were included in the price, so we
washed down the food we were stuffing down our throats with
glasses
of champagne. I had enough at seven, but Troy was
able
to down thirteen of those. Poor waiter. Definitely one of the most
memorable dining experiences on my trip.
Back at the hostel bar upstairs.
A violinist and his dog.
I never knew McCafe's existed until I saw this one. It's similar to
a Starbucks, selling premium coffees in a swanky atmosphere.
Would you go down there?
Colorful roofing. Hungary definitely has a style all its own.
How do you even begin pronouncing these words?
Wow, a witch from one of those fairytales.
They really do exist!
Hero's square, celebrating the founders of the country a thousand
years ago.
There's a near replica of this square at Global Paradise
in Shanghai (it's like our Epcot Center at home)... damn Chinese can't
come
up with anything original these days.
The models of Hungary's monarchs are awesome. They look like they stepped out
of a fantasy story. Very different from all the other statues I've encountered.
The ceiling of an elegant bathhouse. I wanted to check it out,
but ran out of Forints, and they didn't accept credit cards... like
almost anywhere else in the city...
That's my car! It's worth almost two million over there!
I didn't expect to run into one of these. When I saw a display for
the new ipod nano, I thought, "haha, they're JUST getting them?"
But when I actually saw the model, I was like, "What the fuck?
Apple came out with new nanos?"
There are a few Hungarian words I was able to pick up. Utca means
street (duh), and I determined that sajt means cheese from all the
Burger King sajtburgers that I had. But other than that, I didn't even
begin trying to pronounce Hungarian words. Some combinations of
letters are just so awkward.
Now THAT I can read. I forgot to mention. There are
a LOT of prostitutes in Budapest. I don't know if it's
legal, or if law enforcement turns a blind eye, but I was
getting solicited left and right in the touristy areas.
After having having my fill of former Soviet Bloc somberness,
I returned to the station, gave away my last Forints to some guy
in a wheelchair, and boarded a train heading back west.
Sometime before dawn, the train arrived in Munich. The air was frigid,
and I was hardly functioning from the little sleep I got on the night train.
There were crowds of staggering drunk people boarding trains home from
the Oktoberfest festivities already underway. I was returning to Munich in
a few days to drink and be merry, but didn't have any plans before that.
I stopped by the Burger King
to take a piss, warm up, and think about it.
In a few minutes, I decided I wanted to see mountains again. I hadn't
seen impressive mountains since Switzerland. I referenced my guidebook
noticed that Innsbruck was just a few hours south of Munich in Austria.
A couple Winter Olympics had been held there. So with dreams of snow
capped mountains in my head, I hopped on a southbound train right
before it departed and took a nice nap.
"BROKE BACKPACKER MOUNTAIN"
Woohoo! Mountains! But where's the snow?
As I made my way out the station and started my search for a hostel,
I noticed this place didn't have the youthful energy of Interlaken. Most
of the people on the roads were old folks riding bicycles. Maybe it
was
just the wrong season to be here.
Schmuck actually means jewelry or decoration in German. So go out
and buy your girlfriend some nice schmuck tonight.
My plan was to stay in Innsbruck for a night or two to do some hiking
and get a break from city-life. The reception desk at the HI youth hostel
was closed for the afternoon and wasn't reopening until 3PM. I took my
chances and left my big backpack in a publicly accessible storage room.
I kept my guidebook and hunted for other possible accommodations.
And you're guilty!
Not snowcapped, but still beautiful. I love mountains.
Some guy on the train gave me his chocolate chip cookies...
mmm breakfast.
The bride reminded me of the witch from Chronicles of Narnia.
She had an icy stare and a commanding walk.
This is why I love Europe. They have windows!
Glittering crystals on display at a Swarovski shop in the city.
Their factory and theme park are located just outside of Innsbruck.
Haha... now I felt like I was in the witch's castle surrounded by
all the crystals.
$2500 Binoculars
The downtown area of Innsbruck.
Mountains remind men of how small they are.
Hunger... don't remind me.
I hiked up some roads and alleyways for a couple hours trying to
get a nice view of the whole city. After a running into dead ends
and residential driveways, this was the best I could do. Lame.
I was entering the land of fahrts.
More old people on bikes. This was the first city that I noticed Autumn
setting in. It saddened me, reminding me that my summer adventure
wasn't going to last forever.
A view of the Inn River that cuts through the city.
Picnic Lunch. Food from the supermarket was surprisingly
cheap. That beer was less than half a euro. This food ended
up being dinner and breakfast the next day as well.
Strange mix of architecture. A bit of a Near-East influence.
A quaint alpine city is a strange setting for a triumphal arch.
Let's play Spot the Irony. Here's a clue - Net.
I returned to the outskirts of the city to check into the youth hostel.
Posted on the walls were interesting looking flyers about outdoor
activities, like a lantern light guided walking tour of the city at night.
I asked the girl at reception for information, but she wasn't helpful
or courteous. Suddenly, I made the
impulsive decision not to stay
in Innsbruck overnight. The other hostels I checked out were not
open for check-in either. I think all the
walking I did just to get from
hostel to hostel was enough to satisfy any of my outdoorsy urges.
I picked up my bag (which thank heavens still was laying on the
shelf where
I left it), and started the trek back to the train station.
Backpacker Rule #19: There is no place that you HAVE to be.
I waved goodbye to the mountains and boarded the train back to Munich.
It's a major transportation hub, and I can plan my next step from there.
Where to next?